Joe Mahon digs deep in the next episode of UTV’s Lough Foyle

By The Newsroom
Published 21st Oct 2020, 08:20 GMT
Planting trees on the banks of the River Faughan with the Woodland Trust and the Loughs AgencyPlanting trees on the banks of the River Faughan with the Woodland Trust and the Loughs Agency
Planting trees on the banks of the River Faughan with the Woodland Trust and the Loughs Agency
Joe Mahon continues his travels around Lough Foyle and its hinterlands on Monday night, (26th October) as he visits Prehen Wood on the banks of the River Faughan, and also heads to Omagh to find out about the mass emigration of the area through the port of Derry in the 1800s.

‘LOUGH FOYLE’ is a television travelogue series featuring the history, natural environment and cultural heritage of the Foyle catchment area, with particular emphasis on Ulster-Scots elements of the hinterland.

Joe spent several months, both pre and post lockdown, exploring the unique watery environment of Lough Foyle, and this series is taking the viewer on a fabulous journey on one of the greatest river systems in the island of Ireland.

In Monday night’s episode, Joe Mahon is on the banks of the River Faughan again where he joins workers from the Woodland Trust and the Loughs Agency in an attempt to augment the ancient woodlands of the Foyle valley by planting a thousand native trees in one day.

Joe chats with Catherine McCullough at the Mellon CentreJoe chats with Catherine McCullough at the Mellon Centre
Joe chats with Catherine McCullough at the Mellon Centre

Dave Scott of the Woodland Trust heads up this initiative, and explains to Joe that he isn’t mad when he says that “Trees talk to each other!”

In the second part of the programme, Joe visits the Mellon Centre for Migration Studies near Omagh, where Catherine McCullough reads from their collection of the many thousands of letters sent back home by people who emigrated to the USA through the port of Derry. The letters paint a vivid picture of life at the time, with many struggling with the decision to leave Ireland forever. Catherine also tells Joe of the tradition of the ‘living wake’ from that time.

Throughout the series, Joe has spent time with government bodies, agencies and charity groups whose main aim is to ensure the lough and surrounding areas, and its many natural inhabitants are all looked after.

One of the great attractions of this series is the stunning aerial photography which shows off the dramatic land and seascapes of the North West region as they have never been seen before.

Dave Scott of the Woodland Trust and Joe Mahon prepare to plant some natiive trees on the bank sof the River FaughanDave Scott of the Woodland Trust and Joe Mahon prepare to plant some natiive trees on the bank sof the River Faughan
Dave Scott of the Woodland Trust and Joe Mahon prepare to plant some natiive trees on the bank sof the River Faughan

LOUGH FOYLE is produced by Westway Film Productions for UTV, supported by Northern Ireland Screen’s Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund. The series is sponsored by House Proud Furniture.

You can watch this episode on Monday 26th October at 8pm on UTV and on catch up on www.itv.com/utvprogrammes

Related topics:OmaghDerryIrelandTreesUlster

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