- 14 hours ago
Tour De Fred: Northern Ireland - Season 2 Episode 1 - Wexford
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I'm Fred Syriex and I'm French.
00:04What courage is your long day.
00:06I used to work front of house in the hospitality industry.
00:10Roger. Cheers.
00:11But now I'm front of camera bringing people together.
00:15I really love cycling.
00:18It's a great way to travel and meet people.
00:21I haven't run this much for so long.
00:25Get the taste of new cultures and fresh flavours.
00:30I know it's naughty but they are so good.
00:33Last year I toured Northern Ireland on my bike.
00:37This time I'm heading back across the Irish Sea
00:40to explore the south of this extraordinary island.
00:44It really is epic.
00:46The cycle challenges start in Wexford
00:49and finish further south in County Cork.
00:52Some tough.
00:54Are you going to cheer me on or what? Come on!
00:57Some more gentle.
00:59Time for tea.
01:01But all spectacular.
01:03It's not just about cycling.
01:05And kiss.
01:06Perfect.
01:07There will be different challenges and adventures along the way.
01:12You've all heard of the Tour de France.
01:14This is truly an incredible place.
01:16This is Tour de Fred.
01:19This time I say bonjour to County Wexford in Ireland's ancient East.
01:37Look at this!
01:39Look at this!
01:40Look at this!
01:41What a view!
01:43Where I will be cycling high in the hills.
01:46It's got to be done.
01:47And along the coast.
01:52Where my stamina is put to the test.
01:55This is workout and a half.
01:58Never mind cycling around the island.
02:00To earn my supper.
02:01Look at that colour.
02:02No need for lemon.
02:03Mmm.
02:04Wow.
02:05This is a feast.
02:06And discover Wexford's Viking heritage.
02:08Whoa!
02:09Buzas!
02:10Buzas!
02:11Buzas!
02:12Allez!
02:13Vite!
02:14I'm on a ferry from Holyhead in Wales to Dublin, Ireland, to embark on my next adventure.
02:17I'm on a ferry from Holyhead in Wales to Dublin, Ireland, to embark on my next adventure.
02:22On my bicycle.
02:23Joining me on this crossing is cycling expert Killian, who has some advice for me ahead of
02:49my next cycle challenge in Ireland.
02:51So you know Killian, the way I've set up this cycling trip is I want to set myself some
02:56cycling challenges to see as much of Ireland as possible.
02:59You know, I'm going to start in Wexford, and the plan is then to go down to Waterford
03:03and then to finish in Cork.
03:05But I don't know the area at all.
03:07Can you recommend any places to stop?
03:09So starting off in Wexford, this is Ireland's sunny south east.
03:12So is he going to clear up in a couple of hours?
03:14That's it.
03:15You don't like the weather?
03:16There seems to be a lot of sunshine right now.
03:18Yeah.
03:19It'll happen, and it'll happen in Wexford.
03:21So starting from there, do you want to see as much of Ireland as possible?
03:24I've got the perfect challenge for you.
03:26There's a climb called Sleave Quilche.
03:29It's a tough climb.
03:30I think it's got pitches of 10%, 11%, so it's hard.
03:33But when you get to the top, you should be able to see six counties in Ireland, which is very unusual.
03:38You should be able to see Wexford, Waterford, Carlow Kilkenny, Tipperary and Wicklow.
03:43There's a challenge cycling up that climb, but the real challenge will be finding a day bright enough to actually see those six counties.
03:49You'll be doing very well if the visibility is that good.
03:51And we like to name things in Ireland after people who've visited here once.
03:55Right.
03:56There's an arboretum there, which I'm sure you will love, is absolutely fantastic.
03:59Named after JFK when he visited here in the 1960s.
04:02Do you know what Barack Obama got?
04:03What did he get?
04:04A petrol station in County Offaly.
04:06Did he? Where is this?
04:07It's up here somewhere.
04:08JFK did much better.
04:09Go to what I would say, if I was to give you a piece of advice.
04:12The Irish word for road is boher, cow path.
04:17And quite literally, the road network in Ireland long ago was designed by cows.
04:23Right.
04:24So there's roads everywhere.
04:26Is it a bit random then?
04:27Yeah.
04:28But that's good.
04:29It takes you to some...
04:30So like there's 20, 30 ways of getting wherever you want.
04:32Right.
04:33So Fred, if you see a road that looks nice and it wasn't the route that you planned on taking,
04:37and it just looks enticing or enchanting, allow yourself to be enchanted and take the road.
04:41Chances are it's not going to be a dead end because of this dense network.
04:44Yeah.
04:45You'll get to where you're going eventually.
04:46You can come back.
04:47But take it, discover and enjoy yourself.
04:50You know we have a French word for this.
04:51It's l'imprevu.
04:52Ah.
04:53The unexpected.
04:54You never know what's going to happen, but invariably something will happen.
04:56Perfect.
04:57That's my kind of stuff.
04:58And just like that, we've made it to Dublin Port.
05:02I wonder if they will name a landmark in my honour after this visit to Ireland.
05:07I shouldn't get ahead of myself.
05:09I have a long cycle in front of me.
05:12Right.
05:13This is it, Killian.
05:14The sun is starting to come out.
05:16Yes.
05:17I can't wait to get this cycling challenge you started.
05:20I'm very jealous.
05:22First cycling challenge, here we come.
05:29I'm heading south from Dublin to Wexford, a coastal county located in the cornerstone of Ireland's ancient East where long stretches of coastline meet ancient history.
05:54Once a stronghold of the Vikings and a first foothold of the Normans in Ireland, I'm prepared for battle or rather for a bike ride.
06:03I'm cycling on Wexford's Hook Peninsula to the first destination on my adventure.
06:18Wexford is a fertile county with traditions in beef and dairy farming and also known for its new potatoes and strawberries.
06:30Right now, though, I'm off to a different kind of farm underwater.
06:37Tommy, Jody and their family have been farming oysters in this bay for the last 35 years.
06:46How's it going?
06:47Good.
06:48Very good.
06:49Yeah.
06:50God tell you, I'm really looking forward to this.
06:52I am so hungry.
06:53How are you?
06:54Nice to meet you.
06:55Good, thank you.
06:56How are you guys?
06:57This is Darcy and Adam.
06:58How's it going?
06:59I'm going to do a bit of work.
07:00Oh, brilliant.
07:01I bet they're helping every day though.
07:02Oh, yeah.
07:03You have to make them work.
07:04That's good.
07:05Let me get my stuff on.
07:07This is Oyster Farm Couture.
07:10I'm really going to look the part.
07:13So, shall we go and do some work?
07:16I think so, yeah.
07:17All right.
07:18So, there's a ladder here.
07:19Just want to get up.
07:23It doesn't need it.
07:24Oh, that was for me?
07:25Yeah.
07:26I'm not an old man.
07:27Come on.
07:28I know I've got some grey on my beard, but I'm not an old man.
07:29We'll leave this behind then.
07:33The tides rule the working day here and I've arrived at the perfect time for some manual labour.
07:39I love the smell of tractor in the morning.
07:41It reminds me of the countryside in France when I was a kid.
07:44Oh.
07:45Yeah, I used to be on the back of trailers like this all the time.
07:48Or driving.
07:49Trying.
07:50Or driving.
07:51With a bay full of oysters in front of us, I'm wondering how they know exactly where to start.
07:56So, how do you know what to do?
07:58Do you keep a record of everything you have done so that tomorrow or the next day you go back and you start where you've finished?
08:04Everything is in Tommy's head.
08:06When we make movements or transfers and growth rates, it is all there.
08:10So, he would say it's very intuitive, but it's 35 years of experience.
08:14So, what did you learn?
08:15So, he went up to Donegal with his brother in a car.
08:19They broke down a good lot of times.
08:21They stopped at every oyster farm and just said to learn the trade.
08:24I'll work for free.
08:25How long did he do that for?
08:26He was there for three years.
08:27Three years?
08:28Yeah, three years.
08:29And he had to sell his car to stay there.
08:31You know, it's so inspiring because there are so many people who were wondering what to do.
08:35And then you got Tommy who goes and works for three years for free to learn a trade.
08:39And here he is now, owning his own farm.
08:41It's amazing.
08:42Guys, this is an inspiring story.
08:44Your dad is a superhero.
08:47All right, shall we go and do some work?
08:59Yeah.
09:04The cultivation of oysters in Ireland dates back to the 13th century.
09:08And nowadays, there are around 130 farms nationwide which produce about 10,000 tonnes of oysters every year.
09:16I have eaten oysters all my life and I love them.
09:19And so I'm really interested to see what Tommy does to produce them.
09:25Take the band off.
09:26Right.
09:27Stand it up like this.
09:28Yeah.
09:30Give three shakes then.
09:34And you throw it back.
09:35And then give it a shake out and then put the band back on again.
09:38Right.
09:39Why do you do that?
09:40So you can see that there in those oysters, there's new growth.
09:44Right.
09:45So it's fragile shell and if you left them in the one position in the bag, they start growing into the corners.
09:50They grow out of shape, you know, so you need to shake them up, move them around in the bag.
09:55You'll knock that off when it's brittle like that.
09:57Right.
09:58Kind of round.
09:59Yeah, they're all shaven, I can see.
10:00Yeah.
10:01You know, it doesn't take much just to keep them right, but you have to do it.
10:04Right.
10:05If you let them go for three, four weeks, especially in the summer, you'd lose the shape on them.
10:09It's very hard to get them back again.
10:11And these oysters, where do they go once they're harvested?
10:13Where do you send them?
10:14The France.
10:15All of them?
10:16Everything goes to France, yeah.
10:17Really?
10:18Yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:19So what about the people of Ireland?
10:20What do they eat?
10:21Not that much is eaten in Ireland.
10:24Really?
10:25Yeah, yeah.
10:26Such a shame.
10:27Okay, well, you know how to turn oysters now, would you?
10:29Would you like to give a hand?
10:30Yeah, of course.
10:31Yeah, we have a lot of oysters to turn before the tide comes back in on us.
10:33No problem.
10:35You can start here.
10:36I'll get on with it.
10:43Each bag contains exactly 110 oysters, and last season this farm produced almost eight and
10:49a half seven bags.
10:52I can't believe all of these oysters go to France.
10:57This is workout and a half.
10:59Never mind cycling around Ireland.
11:02We should try oyster farming.
11:07I love oysters.
11:08I've been eating oysters since I'm a little boy.
11:11With my dad.
11:12We are just so in love with this.
11:15So beautiful.
11:17Hey Fred, you hungry?
11:19I am.
11:20I think we should try a few oysters.
11:21I'd love to.
11:22Okay.
11:23Yes.
11:24Let's go.
11:28Ah, finally a chance to taste, and the sun's trying to come out for our lunch.
11:39I mean, the quality of your oysters, Tommy, I can tell this is really, really good quality.
11:44Look at that.
11:45There is so much flesh here.
11:47And that's why these ones are so good.
11:49Because there is so much to eat.
11:51This is a meal in itself, isn't it?
11:52It is.
11:53It is, yeah.
11:54A few of those and you'll be done for the day.
11:56Yeah.
11:57How did you get to this level?
11:59It's the work we've just been doing is the shaking, turning, you know, down to the algae
12:05in the bay as well.
12:06Right.
12:07It's very good algae for getting meats in the shell of oysters.
12:09And you supply only one person in France, which is the king of oysters, is Gilardo.
12:13We do.
12:14That's down to the quality, right?
12:16We couldn't supply them unless we had that.
12:18You know, what I find very interesting with oysters is that a lot of people tend to swallow
12:22them.
12:23And I never understood that, right?
12:25Because if you don't chew them, you don't get the taste out of them.
12:28And then a lot of people also, I mean, I am one of them.
12:31I like to put lemon.
12:32Yeah.
12:33But you can really taste the quality of an oyster when you just eat it as it is.
12:37Yeah.
12:38Yeah, yeah.
12:39So I'm just going to try that.
12:41There is so much meat in there.
12:44It's so fleshy.
12:47Look at that colour.
12:49No need for lemon.
12:53Mmm.
12:54Wow.
12:57This is a feast.
12:58It really is really subtle, very balanced, full of flavour.
13:03They are brilliant.
13:05I'm glad you like it.
13:06This is so good.
13:08This is so good.
13:09I think we're going to have to open more.
13:10I mean, how many do we have here, you know?
13:13It's a good thing this family enjoys oysters as much as me.
13:18This is luxury.
13:19That's all you need in life, you know.
13:20If you've got good food, good ingredients like this, good produce.
13:23That's all you need.
13:24You don't need anything else, do you?
13:25No.
13:26The tide is coming in, so it's time to head off again.
13:37The sea is Tommy's office.
13:38I mean, what a lovely place to work every single day.
13:41This is where he spent his time.
13:43Actually, he's not lucky because he's made his own luck
13:45and he worked for it for free, for three years to create this farm.
13:49I mean, what an inspiration.
13:51What a lovely man.
13:52What a great family.
13:53I had such a great time here.
13:54All right, off to my next destination.
13:56The sun is out.
13:59I'm Fred Syriex and I've traveled to Ireland to explore the South East Coast.
14:18I'm on my bike again and there will be one or two cycle challenges along the way.
14:25I'm in County Wexford and as I pedal, I'm already getting a feel for the landscape.
14:33What scenery.
14:34All these shades of green.
14:36And here is me with a pink jacket.
14:38What was I thinking?
14:39That's why the locals are laughing when they see me.
14:40They say, oh, look at that.
14:41Look at the pink Frenchman.
14:42My next stop was suggested by Killian on the ferry and it comes with a built-in cycle challenge.
14:49A spectacular view is promised which suggests I'll eventually be cycling uphill.
14:54The John F. Kennedy Arboretum is owned to over 4,500 species of trees and shrubs, the largest of its kind in Ireland.
15:09Covering over 600 acres and dedicated to the memory of former U.S. President JFK whose great-grandfather Patrick was born in a nearby village.
15:30This is the start of my first challenge as recommended by Killian on the ferry.
15:38It's called Sleaf Kilchand.
15:39Basically, at the top of the hill, I will be able to see six counties of Ireland.
15:44Wish me luck.
15:48I have an almost three-kilometre climb ahead of me at an elevation of 268 metres.
15:55This is certainly going to be a challenge.
15:58I'm cycling en danseuse, as my mum likes to say.
16:03Look at that.
16:04I'm getting ready for Strictly.
16:11Never mind the Tour de France.
16:13This is a real deal.
16:15Well, what can I say?
16:16The best views always make you work for it.
16:22Killian was right.
16:23Look at this.
16:24Look at this.
16:26What a view.
16:29My heart rate is through the roof.
16:31I'm sweating.
16:33But it's still worth it.
16:37Better stop talking, though.
16:38Woo!
16:44I'm almost at the summit, but this last stretch of the challenge is going to take me off road.
16:49I love it.
16:50And now, just a short walk to the official summit of Sleaf Culture viewing point.
17:02Look at this.
17:03It's going to be done.
17:04I've made it.
17:05I'm the king of the six counties.
17:19Wow.
17:20Wow.
17:22What a spot.
17:27As Killian promised, the view of Wexford, Wicklow, Waterford, Carlo, Kilkenny and Tipperary below is an epic reward for my first challenge.
17:38I'm so lucky with the weather today because you can see the six counties.
17:43Look at this view.
17:45Incredible.
17:46So this is a site of a very famous battle when the Irish rebelled in 1798.
17:55And it was the spirit of the French Revolution that guided them.
17:59Look.
18:00Liberty, equality, fraternity.
18:02Liberty, equality, fraternity.
18:03Liberty, equality, fraternity.
18:05I mean, I didn't expect to see that here.
18:09Look at that beauty.
18:12So peaceful, so relaxing.
18:15Am I in heaven?
18:20I'll tell you what, it's going to be easier to go there than it was to come up.
18:23My next destination is the town of New Ross on the river Barrow, eight miles down the hill, where I'm going to find out more about one of the most challenging times in Ireland's history, the potato famine.
18:43A time of mass starvation, disease and immigration, which had a profound impact on every society.
18:49I'm going to visit the Dun Brodie famine ship, a full sized replica of one of the ships people boarded between 1845 and 1852 to escape the great famine.
19:05Hey Jason.
19:06Hello, very good to be.
19:07How are you? Nice to meet you.
19:08Nice to meet you.
19:09How are we?
19:10Welcome to the Dun Brodie.
19:13It's hard to believe that ships of this size carried passengers across the Atlantic Ocean.
19:19It was originally a cargo ship that was built in Quebec alongside the other ships that belonged to William Graves here in town.
19:30With the onset of potato blight and assuming famine in 1845 onwards, almost every cargo ship around the coast and us inland gets quickly converted to accommodate the would-be thousands who now need to flee on them.
19:43There was over 313 down there on one of its main journeys to Quebec, which took up to eight weeks to reach.
19:50So they must have been quite the organisation because, you know, I think not everybody would have been allowed to come up on deck at any given time.
19:56You know, how did they set up these rules? I mean, so a small selection of passengers per day were allowed out for about 30 minutes of instalments in which they are presented with flour, water and oats and over a course of very dangerous, careful time they will bake flattened bread over an open fire like that.
20:15How many crews were there on the ship like that?
20:17Including the captain and first officer, 14 to 15 overall.
20:21Oh, a lot.
20:22Yeah, and the crew themselves would have resided below deck at the bow at the front, and the captain and first officer gets their own cabins at the stern underneath here.
20:31Can we go and see the wheel over there?
20:33Sure, absolutely.
20:34The Dunbrodie's permanently moored on the river Barrow here, so we won't be going too far, don't worry.
20:46Well, there's somebody 24 hours on that wheel.
20:48Usually, yes, either the captain himself or the first officer who are the most experienced in the chain of command themselves,
20:54and for the rest of the crew then we work in various intervals again at the summit of the ship in which it's over a hundred feet high.
21:02And how much for the ticket on the ship?
21:05Average adult, it's three pounds ten shillings, which would be something like several hundred euros today.
21:11Really?
21:12Well, actually, we have one aspect of the original Dunbrodie looking still with us, and it's at the opposite end of the ship.
21:18Shall we go and see it?
21:19Absolutely, follow me.
21:24Wow.
21:25Yeah.
21:26I've got to ring you.
21:27Yeah, got it.
21:29Very loud.
21:30And it's also the original ship's bell from 1845, the only part of the original ship still left with us.
21:36Wow.
21:37Let me show you the galley.
21:38OK.
21:41This galley kitchen is a reminder of the two tiers of passengers who would have been on board at Dunbrodie.
21:47It actually was only reserved for the crew initially, and then when ships like this got converted to carry people, first-class families would have the food that was prepared in here.
21:57So fresh fish caught that day at sea, and some salted pork then, perhaps later on in the afternoon.
22:02And the other passengers, so they could smell of this beautiful smell coming from the galley, the fish, the pork, and all they could eat is this bread that they were eating on the brazier there.
22:11Yes, and if you're leaving from where the famine is happening too, you would have passengers on board ships like this that would probably not have even eaten food like this per se before.
22:20And...
22:21What torture.
22:22Yeah.
22:23What I really want to see is what life would have been like below deck for the people trying to escape the famine.
22:32Oh, my God.
22:34There is no space here.
22:37So there would have been 313 passengers here on this deck.
22:42For the most part, yeah, that's the record that it held when I went to Quebec.
22:45On average, it was about 200, comprising of five or six per bunk.
22:50There would be a mattress of straw waiting for you upon arrival.
22:52Right.
22:53And then you're just shown to your bunk by the crew that way.
22:56And then off the ship goes.
22:58It must have made people feel so inhuman.
23:00Absolutely. Absolutely.
23:01You know, when you think about the Irish-Americans, you know, the Americans who are of Irish origin are very proud of where they come from.
23:07But I think that seeing this here, you know, and imagining the condition in which they were taken to America and arrived in America, you know, I'm not surprised of how close they are with their roots, you know, and how proud they are of sharing their heritage and where they come from.
23:22Because, I mean, this is quite the generational trauma, really.
23:25Mm-hm. They come here, see this, and they can literally just trace the origin of themselves to a farmer, an evicted tenant farmer sitting there for 23 and a half hours of the day with no comprehension of what he's doing.
23:36Can we go and lay there, the two of us?
23:38Yeah, go on, yeah.
23:39Just the two of us, with you.
23:40Imagine, um, some mom and dad.
23:41Yeah, go on.
23:42Come and let's see how much room there is, just to see.
23:44Well, I think people are a bit smaller back then, but we get the idea.
23:48OK.
23:49All right.
23:50But I can imagine if you had five kids here, I mean, if they are teenagers, like the size of my son, he's bigger than you.
23:56Yeah, and the bunk we're sitting in now would have originally contained close to seven people, five children, and then the parents themselves.
24:04And they would never have seen anything like this before because they initially would have lived in a small cabin and then walking down a flight of stairs like that for the first time in their lives and then greeted by a sea of people swarming them.
24:17You don't know, just total strangers.
24:18Yeah.
24:19That would have been so scary.
24:20Absolutely.
24:21I mean, the smell, what you hear.
24:22I mean, how would you sleep here?
24:24The noise would have been...
24:25I know, I know.
24:26...stuffening.
24:27I think after the halfway mark too, things like TB and cholera would have set in with some of the passengers.
24:32So the long days got even longer where they were just lying here for the most part.
24:37Wow.
24:38Well, listen, I really enjoyed the visit, man.
24:39Me too.
24:40Thank you for your time, my friend.
24:42Thank you, good sir.
24:43Thanks a lot.
24:44All right.
24:45Oh, the light.
24:46I think the beauty of this place or places like this is that it reminds us of the past.
25:05It takes us to a place long gone, but to go back below deck and to see the condition in
25:11which people were living, suddenly brings it back to life.
25:25I'm on my bike again in County Wexford, hoping to get a rest from the hilly climb as I follow my cycle route to my next destination.
25:34This region is called Island's Ancient East, and where I'm heading I'll be combining two other passions of mine, gardening and history, and an imposing sight awaits.
25:44This is Johnstown Castle.
25:50The castle stands on an estate granted to the Esmond family following the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169.
25:58The castle was then rebuilt in the 1800s with a romantic and neo-Gothic vision.
26:03Look at that.
26:05Who better to show me around than Kieran, head gardener here at Johnstown Castle, and lucky for me, he also loves cycling.
26:13We are peddling to his pride and joy now.
26:16So that's your whole garden, right?
26:21Yeah, it is indeed, yeah.
26:26Under the care of Kieran and his team, this whole garden has been restored and reimagined.
26:32So you did everything from scratch?
26:34Everything, so design, the construction, the planting, the propagation, everything was the garden team.
26:41Yeah, it was great.
26:42Wow.
26:43You've got to give me some tips, because I'm getting a greenhouse at home.
26:45I want to learn from you.
26:46Oh, yeah, no, definitely.
26:47I'll show you around, show what you did, and yeah, I can give it a hand later.
26:50It'll be absolutely fantastic.
26:51It's never-ending here, so we're always willing to take an extra helping hand.
26:57My garden is much smaller than this, of course, and only in its infancy, but I'm already getting ideas.
27:05So were you given carte blanche to create and design anywhere you like it?
27:09Pretty much, yeah.
27:10We left kind of a few open spaces for hosting events and that in the wall garden, but for the most part, it was quite nice that the Heritage Trust gave me that kind of energy to kind of like just go first.
27:18I can imagine you didn't let your creativity go, but how did you choose the plants that we've got here?
27:23So at the moment, we're three years in, so we have about 12,000 plants in here.
27:26Wow.
27:27It's done in prairie style, so it's a much more naturalistic planting, but what we did, we wanted to take it one step further.
27:33So we have quite a lot of native plants in here, both planted directly or else stuff that was self-seeded in.
27:38And then there's a small few that aren't, but they were brought in specifically to kind of prolong the season and to cater for pollinators that we couldn't with the other stuff.
27:46But then we also have stuff such as the verbascum and that here, so that's seed heads for birds in the autumn.
27:52Then we have the stippa grasses, which is nesting material in the spring.
27:56And then we have other plants in kind of the larger grasses, so like stuff can actually hibernate in underneath it.
28:01So there's great winter interest throughout it and it caters for basically every living thing.
28:06But that's the key for gardening, you know, to be able to let your garden live like that throughout the season, throughout the year.
28:11Oh, completely. I always say you have to kind of find the beauty in decay.
28:14So it's kind of like to see like those seed heads through the winter.
28:17Beauty in decay. I like that.
28:19Brown's also a color. So like people often think with gardening, it's only interesting when it's full of color.
28:24But if you've got loads of texture, so you've the soft grasses, the structure, the seed heads throughout the winter, like seeing spiderwebs and that, it's just stunning.
28:32So having texture in your garden prolongs the season, but it also gives loads of habitat.
28:41I'm in the process of redesigning my garden, so that's why I'm really interested with this conversation is what you are doing,
28:49because I am actually deciding what I'm going to do.
28:51Yeah.
28:52And this is the thinking process.
28:54Just have fun. Like I always like a little touch of surrealism in gardens and just a bit of fun,
28:58because at the end of the day, it's just like you can take it as seriously as you want, but like if you're not enjoying it,
29:01it's not a bit of crack, what's the point?
29:02No, you've got to enjoy it.
29:03Yeah, exactly.
29:04And if you love garden, you love gardens.
29:05You love to be in the middle of them and just immerse yourself in the beauty.
29:08Oh God.
29:09The beauty of decay.
29:10Exactly.
29:11That's what I've got to learn.
29:15For a wannabe gardener like me, this is such an inspiring place.
29:21I get my plants from garden centres, but Kieran's offered to show me how it grows from scratch.
29:30So with the compost, literally just by hand, handball it in.
29:33You're basically just roughly putting it in.
29:35You don't have to tamp it down or anything.
29:37Because what we're planting today is grassy.
29:39So you don't want to make it too dense then?
29:41No, not too dense.
29:42Yeah, just kind of a loose, sort of a spread over like that.
29:45Right.
29:46Just a little tamp.
29:47And because it's grass seed, it's a very easy seed to propagate.
29:50Basically, you're just mimicking what would have been done naturally.
29:53Now, some seeds, let's say heavier ones, you poke a little hole like that.
29:56But if it's a light seed like that, grass is kind of just a general root of the tum.
30:00You don't have to.
30:01It's just a sprinkle on top like that.
30:03I get you to the rest.
30:04But then afterwards, then you're just going to get a little bit of compost and you're basically
30:08just a light cover like that.
30:09That's it.
30:10So you don't go deep at all?
30:11No, not with kind of those small seeds like that.
30:14You don't have to necessarily.
30:15It's just you're just trying to get a bit of a cover and then we'll do a water then afterwards.
30:18And that'll settle it in.
30:19And it doesn't matter whether, because I'm putting quality.
30:21Ah, it doesn't matter at all.
30:22It's kind of.
30:23Am I wasting?
30:24No, not at all.
30:25Even if there's multiple plants in there, you can still divide them out later.
30:28Oh, right.
30:29So you don't have to worry about it too much.
30:30The native grass that will grow from these tiny seeds will one day become part of the whole
30:36garden.
30:37We make gardening sound a lot harder than it is just so people are impressed.
30:40You know, gardening is so therapeutic, you know, you do it and you just forget about everything.
30:44Oh, yeah.
30:45It's almost like meditation to us.
30:47You just get in the zone and you lose it.
30:48I know.
30:49It's exactly what I do when I'm in my garden.
30:51Yeah.
30:52But you get to do that for a living.
30:53Yeah, I know.
30:54It's great, isn't it?
30:55The canvas that you have here, you've got carte blanche to do whatever you want.
30:58It's a historical site, walled garden.
31:00Yeah.
31:01You know, we hear about these people, you know, we read about them in history books.
31:04Yeah.
31:05And here you are.
31:06I know.
31:07And in a hundred years, 200 years, we'll be reading about you, you know, and what you've done
31:10here.
31:11Yeah.
31:12It's one of those things I probably won't fully appreciate until I'm probably retired.
31:15I'm going, I probably should have looked at that a bit nicer at the time, but I should
31:18look at it.
31:19It's like everything.
31:20Oh, well done, man.
31:21Well done.
31:22Yeah.
31:23Cool.
31:24Thanks very much.
31:25Come spring, my garden will look just as good.
31:28You just wait and see, Kieran.
31:32I love visits like this.
31:37I get to combine my love of history and my love of gardening.
31:41What's more, I got a crash course in horticulture by Kieran.
31:44Happy days.
31:46I'm leaving Johnstown Castle so inspired.
31:53And the warm welcome to the south east of Ireland continues as I cycle through the town
31:59of Inniscorthy.
32:01The best thing about cycling is the slow pace, I really get to take in the views.
32:18I'm so glad to be on the road again for another Irish adventure.
32:22I'm feeling so relaxed.
32:25I don't even mind the rain.
32:30It might be hard to believe today, but Wexford's sunny climate means it's well known for strawberry
32:36cultivation.
32:37And I can feel a pit stop coming on.
32:39I definitely want to taste some sunshine.
32:45The Willock family has been growing fruit in a Wexford countryside since the 1950s.
32:51This frontside stand is a perfect stop on my cycle.
32:57So I've been told that Wexford is the home of strawberries and I can't believe it because
33:02I've just been drenched.
33:03How do they grow here?
33:05Where is the sun?
33:06We're in the sunny south east.
33:08Are we?
33:09We definitely get more sunshine than any other county in Ireland.
33:11Really?
33:12Yes.
33:13Apart from today.
33:14Yeah, but like we're famous for 40 shades of green.
33:15And that's why we have 40 shades of green.
33:16Yeah, but I tell you, I don't care that it's raining.
33:18You know, I'm on an Irish adventure.
33:19I'm here to cycle.
33:20Ah, happy days.
33:21I'm here for the challenges with my bicycle and to stop and meet people like you
33:24and have strawberries and all sorts of other delicacies.
33:26Well, there's no point in us growing strawberries if there's nobody to eat them.
33:29Yeah, no, for sure.
33:30Can I have one?
33:31Absolutely.
33:32Absolutely.
33:33Oh, they're good.
33:38I'm surprised by how sweet they are.
33:41So when were these picked?
33:42Oh, I personally picked all at about one o'clock today.
33:44Well, that's all school farming, isn't it?
33:46Yes, absolutely.
33:47Can I have another strawberry?
33:48Oh, absolutely.
33:49Thank you very much.
33:50Because they are very, very good actually.
33:53Perfect fuel for my cycling.
33:59Very sweet.
34:01Delicious.
34:03Well, lovely to meet you.
34:04Listen, thank you very much indeed.
34:05Thanks for stopping in.
34:06It was a pleasure to meet you.
34:07Thank you very much.
34:08Bye, take care.
34:09Bye-bye.
34:10Bye-bye.
34:12It's great to see the connection people have here with their produce, just like with the oysters earlier.
34:17It's life-affirming and makes me want to experience so much more.
34:22My next destination on my bike is going to take me further back into Ireland's ancient past,
34:41to the age of the Vikings and Normans in Wexford in the Irish National Heritage Park.
34:47Wexford town itself began as a Viking port, connecting Ireland to Britain and Scandinavia.
35:00Hi, Paul.
35:01Hi, Fred.
35:02It's like I'm back in time.
35:04That's the idea.
35:05Yes, it's quite incredible what you've created here.
35:08How are you?
35:09I'm good, I'm good.
35:10You?
35:11Lovely to meet you.
35:12Yeah, very good.
35:19So this is a representation of a Viking longhouse, and this particular building is a direct reconstruction
35:24of a longhouse we've discovered on the bright streets of Wexford town.
35:29So how many people would be living here?
35:30I mean, it's quite big.
35:31It's for a single family, but that could be anywhere from 4 to 16 people during the Viking
35:36age in Ireland.
35:39So here you've got some weapons and different shields.
35:42What are they?
35:43A couple of different time periods, really.
35:45So all these represent what would be about 9th or 10th century Viking weaponry.
35:49So the Vikings would commonly use axes an awful lot in combat.
35:53So they like to camp as much as possible.
35:55And to save space, they brought a camping axe with them, and that same axe would be used
35:59in raids and in combats afterwards.
36:01But we were surprised when they invaded our shores.
36:03Yeah.
36:04Very surprised.
36:05I mean, people couldn't cope with them.
36:06A big factor of their success came from that surprise.
36:10Because Viking longships were some of the first ships to be able to work with the keel and
36:14had a shallow draft, they could literally beach their ships and launch hit and run attacks
36:19that came without warning.
36:21So by the time help arrived, it was too late.
36:23They were already gone.
36:24And that was really one of the main reasons for their success, particularly within Ireland.
36:28I'm going to ask you a question.
36:29You've got such piercing blue eyes.
36:31Are you a direct descendant?
36:32Of the Vikings.
36:33Of the Vikings.
36:34On my mother's side.
36:35Are you?
36:36Yeah.
36:37So here in Ireland, the Vikings were divided into two categories.
36:40Right.
36:41So we have what we call the Fingal and the Dovegal.
36:43So the Fingal came in and they traded with you and they basically made you wealthy.
36:47And then the Dovegal came in and burned your house and stole your dog and all that.
36:50And which one were you?
36:51So I come from the Dovegal.
36:53So that is now represented in Ireland as Doyle.
36:56Anybody with a surname Doyle, which is my mother's maiden name, that is, they directly descended
37:01from the Dovegal.
37:02So, I mean, I could be fooled looking at you like that.
37:04It's like you are straight from the past, you know?
37:06Thanks.
37:07The hat helps.
37:08Yes.
37:13I'm feeling so immersed in Wexford Viking history.
37:16I feel I could easily become one of them.
37:21Ah, let's have it, you idiot!
37:24No!
37:29I thought so!
37:37OK, OK, I'll calm down.
37:39But these Vikings and Normans have left such a mark on this part of Ireland.
37:43It's hard not to get caught up in it all, don't you think?
37:46The Vikings were the first people to build towns in Ireland and really introduce the idea of urban society.
37:54So the first towns they built would have been Waterford, Wexford, Dublin, Cork and Limerick.
37:58And they're still some of the biggest urban centres in Ireland today.
38:01So the influence is really far-reaching, it's really part of Irish history, isn't it?
38:04Absolutely.
38:05Even the maps of Wexford are the same layouts of the streets the Vikings had set down when they first built their town here.
38:11They really have put their DNA into Ireland, figuratively and literally.
38:16I can see it, look at your eyes.
38:18Yeah, thank you.
38:22Axes were a symbol of a Viking warrior's strength, so it's time to put my abilities to the test.
38:28Do you throw axes often?
38:29Ah, sometimes, sometimes.
38:30Yeah?
38:31Yeah, would you like me to show you?
38:32No, I'm OK, I've done it before.
38:34Let's have a competition.
38:35You're on.
38:36All right, who starts?
38:37You go first.
38:38OK then.
38:41Nice.
38:42Oh!
38:45Bullseyes!
38:47Nice.
38:48Bullseyes!
38:51I probably shouldn't celebrate too early. I'm up against a real-life Viking.
39:02I'm not competitive at all.
39:13You've won.
39:14Well done.
39:15Congratulations.
39:17Gold medal.
39:24The Vikings have had a lasting impact on County Wexford.
39:28And my last destination here is the Hook Peninsula, which served as a gateway for the Viking invasions.
39:35This rocky coast has been guarded by this lighthouse for centuries.
39:46And I, for one, am enjoying the dramatic coastline and feeling the elements as I approach the lighthouse on my bike.
39:55Oh, wow.
39:57The landscape is so different here.
40:00It's so windy and cycling against the wind is really, really tough.
40:05It's like I'm going uphill.
40:07It's so fresh.
40:08It's so wild.
40:11And the sea is really rough.
40:14I can taste the salt on my lips.
40:19It really is epic.
40:25Oh, I can see the lighthouse from here.
40:26What a historic building.
40:31The sea swells down below feel like the perfect conditions to get a sense of the importance of this lighthouse over centuries of navigation.
40:44Here I am.
40:46Whoo.
40:52Tracy is my guide here at Hook Lighthouse.
40:56Hi, Tracy.
40:57Hi, Fred. How are you?
40:58I'm very good, thank you.
40:59Good, good, good.
41:00Welcome to the Hook Lighthouse.
41:01I'm looking forward to the visit.
41:05In the fifth century, the original beacon of burning coal warned ships entering the harbour.
41:11But Hook Lighthouse has been fully automated since 1996 and is operated remotely from the commissioners of Irish Lights in Dublin.
41:22Until 1984, the lighthouse was staffed and is quite a climb up to the keeper's quarters.
41:28Well, what an incredible building.
41:32Look at these walls.
41:34How old is this?
41:35We are actually over 800 years old.
41:37A piece of history you are standing in right now.
41:40You've probably heard of the lighthouse in La Coruña.
41:44It was built in Roman times and has the amazing name being called the Tower of Hercules.
41:48Now, if you read some places, they say it's the oldest operational lighthouse in the world.
41:52But it has been hit by so many storms that it's had to be rebuilt.
41:55Because we have not been touched structurally since today it was finished being built,
41:59we have the title of the oldest intact operational lighthouse in the world.
42:02Oh, wow.
42:03So that's why the intact is very, very important.
42:05Very, very important.
42:06Very good.
42:07And I have to be honest with you, our walls downstairs in our coal store are four metres thick.
42:17This is going nowhere, is it?
42:18No, it's going nowhere.
42:19This is here to stay.
42:20No, definitely not.
42:21So, of course, it's upstairs then, on the top level, just under the lantern room,
42:25is where the fire would have been lit.
42:27So that's how they did it at the time.
42:28They were lighting fires.
42:29That's what it was.
42:30Very top, yes.
42:31Just a fire.
42:32Just a fire.
42:33And there has been a light burning here since the 5th century.
42:35With the raised brazier out on the cliff to give warnings to the seafarers.
42:40So who built it?
42:47William Marshall.
42:48He commissioned the build of the tower in 1212, around that time.
42:53So it took about 15 years, just over 15 years to build the tower.
42:57And who was he?
42:58William Marshall, he actually was known as the greatest knight of all time.
43:01He had good ego, as you can imagine, with a title like that.
43:04Did he?
43:05He served under five kings in England.
43:07Right.
43:08And he was Richard the Lionheart's bodyguard.
43:09And he had a huge amount to do with the signing of the Magma Carta.
43:12Okay.
43:13Which, of course, had a massive ripple worldwide effect.
43:16And how do you feel working here?
43:17I mean, you're like the custodian of this lighthouse, which is just centuries old.
43:20I love it.
43:21I absolutely love it.
43:22I do have a passion for lighthouse even before I start working here.
43:25So you're a lighthouse geek.
43:27That's what I am.
43:28Can we go higher, Tracy?
43:29Of course you can.
43:30I'd love to see the view.
43:31You're more than lucky.
43:32Thanks.
43:40Up here on top and seeing the power of the sea below, I can really understand the need for the hook lighthouse over the past eight centuries.
43:49Stunning, isn't it?
43:50Just beautiful.
43:51Blow the cobwebs away.
43:52It does.
43:53It really does.
43:54I have no idea where I am.
43:59I mean, with all this fog air.
44:00I know.
44:01I've just lost my bearings.
44:02I know.
44:03You would.
44:04And also the fact that we have an anti-clockwise staircase in the tower.
44:06Yeah.
44:07That does not help.
44:08Oh.
44:09That does not help.
44:10I didn't think about that one.
44:12Is this an island over there?
44:14That's actually Watford County.
44:15And actually, further on from that, it's not as clear as it's something.
44:18But you would see a mountain range called the Cumaras.
44:21And they actually divide us from Cork.
44:23If you go straight this direction, you're going to go straight to the U.S.
44:28Really?
44:31And of course, you've heard the expression by hook or by crook.
44:33Yes.
44:34It is believed to have originated here.
44:36Really?
44:37Because Oliver Cromwell said he was going to take Waterford by hook or by crook.
44:40You are standing in hook and crook is actually a small village of Warford.
44:45Oh, interesting.
44:46There you go.
44:47A little bit of history for you.
44:48A little bit of history for you.
44:53We had a storm here a couple of years back.
44:54We actually had waves measured of 19 and a half meters hitting the tower.
44:58Good job they built it sturdy.
44:59Exactly.
45:00Exactly.
45:01And please, God, here for another good while as well.
45:03Please, God.
45:04I've had a great time finding out so much about the history of this ancient county in the south-east of Ireland.
45:24It's a really rich past rooted in conquest, battles, but also really strong work ethics and family values.
45:30And for me, this was exemplified by Tommy, the oyster farmer who worked for three years to learn his trade and start his business.
45:37For me, this is the Irish spirit.
45:39This is a story of grit and resilience and about going no matter what.
45:45The cycle challenge to the top of sleeve culture was epic.
45:50What a great challenge to kick off my journey around South-East Ireland and what a view.
45:55This is only the beginning of my Tour de Fred.
46:02What a great challenge to kick off my life on the surface of Shane and your first person,
46:03particularly Richard magnetic company when结果 on the surface of theme is 8000 and what is in,
46:04the South-East Ireland is extremely soluble.
46:05It's been a real journey to that.
46:06That's what this book is called 선quist and organized friends.
46:08There is only about a spill enorme narrative.
46:09Some seats where everyone would have strong是我 away from theаств disrespect to have broken.
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46:11And that's why some people, I've had to know his conversations,
46:13If you have covered questions,
46:14The frequency of the range of the st buовойicho shoulders that are heavy in on the extraxes,
46:15giving usanti her journey of spring.
46:16Listen, Mom, the stairs are possible boys to your help.
46:18Transcription by CastingWords
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