The life and times of Dublin Bay and glimpses of its wildlife against the backdrop of the capital and major port is the theme of a new series beginning on TG4 this week.
Filmed over four seasons, An Cuan is narrated by Eoin Warner. The series is billed as “a celebration of the beauty of Dublin Bay and a timely reminder of the challenges and dangers that its natural habitat faces”.
With a population of almost 1.5 million, Dublin Bay is also home to one of the most important wildlife conservation projects on the island, the series points out.
The series describes how the brent goose is the “unofficial mascot” of the Dublin Bay Biosphere, finding an unlikely feeding ground in the port.
In the first episode, which begins with Spring, Bull Island and the seabird colonies of Howth are explored, while kitesurfers take to the water. However, environmental challenges, including one family’s battle to save its house from the “ever-encroaching” sea and the impact of gorse fires in Howth are also profiled.
Special pontoons built for the local tern population among the cranes and berths of Dublin Port are filmed in the second episode, entitled Summer, when the bee orchid comes into bloom on Bull island.
The impact of human activity – on litter and in gorse fires – is also a theme, while Joyceans celebrate the special connection between Ulysses and Dublin Bay on Bloomsday, June 16th.
Autumn and winter seasons are captured in the final two episodes of the series, which was produced by Oddboy Media for TG4.
An Cuan is on TG4 from Wednesday November 10th at 9.30 pm