Mahon's Way returns to UTV with a trip to tiny island Inishtrahull

Joe Mahon returns to our screens on Sunday evening with a fascinating trip to the tiny island of Inishtrahull in County Donegal.

Mahon's Way Episode 10 sees Joe travel to the oldest, most northerly habitable piece of land in Ireland, just six miles north of Malin Head.

Along the way Joe meets Jim and Anne Toland, who make this sentimental journey once a year in memory of Anne’s grandparents.

They lived on the island before it was evacuated in 1929.

He hears the fascinating tale of how they met and their romantic love story.

Historian Sean Beattie also made the crossing and tells Joe of how the resourceful islanders made a living by fishing, trading with passing ships, and even tethering live turbots in a rock pool before selling them on.

Also on board is Dr Liam Campbell whose grandfather had a number of stints as a lighthouse-keeper on Inishtrahull in the old ruin at the opposite end of the island where the keepers had to be as self-sufficient as possible, even rearing their own pigs.

Finally, Joe spends time ringing birds with Kendrew Colhoun, formerly Senior Conservation Scientist with the RSPB, but now running his own bird observatory on the island.

Ringing black-backed gull chicks on a sunny day at the rocky shore is a pleasant way of spending your time, but Kendrew tells Joe he prefers the top of the lighthouse on a winter’s day with the sea spray from a force ten gale battering the window panes.

‘Mahon's Way is produced by Westway Film Productions for UTV, and supported by Northern Ireland Screen’s Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund.

The series is sponsored by Warmflow Engineering.

You can watch this episode on Sunday 2nd October at 7.30pm on UTV and afterwards on catch up on www.itv.com/utvprogrammes

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