1 00:00:16,290 --> 00:00:18,246 This is Coast! 2 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:24,370 One small sea 3 00:00:24,370 --> 00:00:26,850 Iies at the heart of our islands... 4 00:00:28,030 --> 00:00:29,657 ..and touches us all. 5 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:36,210 We've been crisscrossing it for centuries 6 00:00:36,210 --> 00:00:38,292 to connect with coastal neighbours. 7 00:00:40,770 --> 00:00:43,600 Bounded by Scotland in the north, 8 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:45,490 England in the east, 9 00:00:45,490 --> 00:00:47,320 Wales in the south 10 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:49,850 and Ireland in the west, 11 00:00:49,850 --> 00:00:52,034 I'm on the Irish Sea. 12 00:00:53,530 --> 00:00:56,570 And this is no solo venture. 13 00:00:56,570 --> 00:00:59,210 As I head across the sea to Ireland, 14 00:00:59,210 --> 00:01:03,440 we're also exploring other shores around the Irish Sea. 15 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:07,800 Mark's digging up shared Celtic connections in Cumbria... 16 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:09,600 I'm on a quest to discover 17 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,770 why this outpost of the Roman Empire 18 00:01:12,770 --> 00:01:15,853 was so important as a religious centre. 19 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:21,460 ..Cassie and Miranda are diving into a shipwreck mystery... 20 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,607 There are just eerie bits of wreckage lying around. 21 00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:31,670 ..and Tessa's investigating how one small yacht 22 00:01:31,670 --> 00:01:34,840 determined the future of Ireland... 23 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,380 On-board is an illegal cargo. 24 00:01:37,380 --> 00:01:38,768 900 of these... 25 00:01:39,860 --> 00:01:42,530 ..Mauser single shot rifles. 26 00:01:42,530 --> 00:01:44,771 ..all aboard the Irish Sea. 27 00:02:11,290 --> 00:02:12,803 SEAGULLS CALL 28 00:02:20,131 --> 00:02:23,570 40,000 square miles of water 29 00:02:23,570 --> 00:02:26,520 touching the shores of all four nations 30 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:28,522 that make up the British Isles. 31 00:02:39,771 --> 00:02:43,530 For thousands of years people have traversed the Irish Sea 32 00:02:43,530 --> 00:02:45,570 from coast to coast, 33 00:02:45,570 --> 00:02:48,323 creating a special shared culture. 34 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:52,680 I want to find the many ways 35 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,500 this swirling sea touches our isles 36 00:02:55,500 --> 00:02:57,690 and connects our coast. 37 00:02:57,690 --> 00:03:00,610 This passage of water is awash with stories 38 00:03:00,610 --> 00:03:02,960 I'm itching to explore. 39 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:04,500 I'm starting my journey 40 00:03:04,500 --> 00:03:08,090 on a crossing that has long linked our islands. 41 00:03:08,090 --> 00:03:10,930 Holyhead in Wales to Dublin. 42 00:03:10,930 --> 00:03:12,370 From there, 43 00:03:12,370 --> 00:03:14,170 I'll head north for Belfast 44 00:03:14,170 --> 00:03:15,761 and then Larne, 45 00:03:15,761 --> 00:03:17,680 where I'll hop on another ferry 46 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:19,409 to Cairnryan in Scotland. 47 00:03:21,950 --> 00:03:26,210 Over five million people cross the Irish Sea each year, 48 00:03:26,210 --> 00:03:29,441 but how many know where it starts and ends? 49 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,398 I asked some fellow passengers before we set sail. 50 00:03:35,050 --> 00:03:38,220 I think, actually, it goes right, right up. 51 00:03:38,220 --> 00:03:40,450 Right up to top of Ireland? Yeah. 52 00:03:40,450 --> 00:03:42,970 I would say it stops round about here. 53 00:03:42,970 --> 00:03:45,450 Across there? Yup. In the north, yeah? 54 00:03:45,450 --> 00:03:47,486 And how far down do you think it goes? 55 00:03:51,220 --> 00:03:53,970 Probably down...down about here, I suppose. So all the sea... 56 00:03:53,970 --> 00:03:55,410 It joins the Channel down there. 57 00:03:55,410 --> 00:03:58,021 All the sea that's between mainland Britain and Ireland, 58 00:03:58,021 --> 00:04:00,330 you think is the Irish Sea? I think so, yeah. 59 00:04:02,090 --> 00:04:03,850 On sea charts, 60 00:04:03,850 --> 00:04:06,761 the Irish Sea is demarcated in the south 61 00:04:06,761 --> 00:04:09,370 by a line from Nose of Howth here 62 00:04:09,370 --> 00:04:12,480 across to Carmel Head here, 63 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:16,290 and to the north by a line from Ballyquintin Point here 64 00:04:16,290 --> 00:04:18,690 across the Mull of Galloway here. 65 00:04:21,610 --> 00:04:25,120 But these waters don't recognise boundaries. 66 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:29,210 Most people count the channels at its top and tail 67 00:04:29,210 --> 00:04:31,480 as part and parcel of it. 68 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:34,961 This is a small sea, bursting to break out. 69 00:04:41,761 --> 00:04:46,040 I've washed into Dublin on its tumultuous tides, 70 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:49,851 caused by the very formation of the Irish Sea. 71 00:04:52,021 --> 00:04:54,660 Over 250 million years, 72 00:04:54,660 --> 00:04:58,290 tectonic plates have caused subsidence of the seabed 73 00:04:58,290 --> 00:05:00,485 between Ireland and mainland Britain. 74 00:05:03,610 --> 00:05:05,480 The sea as we know it today 75 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:07,810 was formed by rising sea levels 76 00:05:07,810 --> 00:05:10,120 as major ice sheets melted 77 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:11,974 over 10,000 years ago. 78 00:05:15,130 --> 00:05:17,400 If we look at my chart again, 79 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:19,730 we can see the effects 80 00:05:19,730 --> 00:05:22,761 of the Irish Sea's glacial history. 81 00:05:22,761 --> 00:05:26,731 Its waters are trapped in a deep basin...here. 82 00:05:28,450 --> 00:05:31,810 Twice daily tides flood in from the south, 83 00:05:31,810 --> 00:05:34,690 pulled by the drag of the moon, 84 00:05:34,690 --> 00:05:39,090 but the narrow passage of the north channel prevents the waters from escaping. 85 00:05:39,090 --> 00:05:41,771 So they do a circuit of the Irish Sea, 86 00:05:41,771 --> 00:05:43,970 before trying to escape southwards again, 87 00:05:43,970 --> 00:05:48,930 where they collide head-on with the next incoming tide. 88 00:05:48,930 --> 00:05:52,400 The result is a complex tidal swirl. 89 00:05:55,090 --> 00:05:57,970 And, there's another side-effect, 90 00:05:57,970 --> 00:06:00,621 a unique seasonal phenomenon. 91 00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:06,970 It's called the Irish Sea gyre, 92 00:06:06,970 --> 00:06:09,541 and it's the lifeblood of these waters. 93 00:06:12,130 --> 00:06:16,123 I want to find out what this phenomenon is and how it works. 94 00:06:17,290 --> 00:06:20,891 'I'm meeting Dr Martin White and Dr Glenn Nolan 95 00:06:20,891 --> 00:06:24,031 'from the University of Galway and Marine Institute.' 96 00:06:25,050 --> 00:06:26,940 I think that's about 15 rpm. 97 00:06:26,940 --> 00:06:28,290 That's about what we want. 98 00:06:28,290 --> 00:06:31,650 'They've promised to demonstrate an oceanic gyre 99 00:06:31,650 --> 00:06:33,450 'on dry land...' 100 00:06:33,450 --> 00:06:36,300 Hi. Hello, Nick. Very good to meet you. Nice to meet you. 101 00:06:36,300 --> 00:06:39,011 This is one of the strangest contraptions 102 00:06:39,011 --> 00:06:41,450 I've ever seen set up on a beach. 103 00:06:41,450 --> 00:06:43,600 What exactly is a gyre? 104 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:45,011 OK, Nick. 105 00:06:45,011 --> 00:06:48,530 A gyre is a term, a common term, we use 106 00:06:48,530 --> 00:06:52,560 to describe an enclosed circulation pattern of ocean currents. 107 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,200 In the case of the western Irish Sea, 108 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:59,370 this is a circulation pattern which goes around a dome of dense cold water 109 00:06:59,370 --> 00:07:02,290 sat in the deep part of the western Irish Sea here, 110 00:07:02,290 --> 00:07:04,160 between us and the Isle of Man. 111 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:07,021 The idea to have this spinning is, 112 00:07:07,021 --> 00:07:08,740 if you think about the earth, 113 00:07:08,740 --> 00:07:11,290 everything is spinning around at the same rate, 114 00:07:11,290 --> 00:07:13,303 so we need to set that up first. 115 00:07:16,410 --> 00:07:18,090 As the earth turns, 116 00:07:18,090 --> 00:07:20,330 so does everything on it - 117 00:07:20,330 --> 00:07:22,380 including our oceans. 118 00:07:22,380 --> 00:07:26,480 We see this effect when water drains down a plughole. 119 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:30,416 This circular flow is known as the Coriolis effect. 120 00:07:32,021 --> 00:07:35,330 How is your contraption going to demonstrate how the gyre works? 121 00:07:35,330 --> 00:07:39,200 The green dye contained in the cylinder is dense water 122 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:43,090 and swimming around in the main bowl we have fresh water. 123 00:07:43,090 --> 00:07:44,740 So when we release this, 124 00:07:44,740 --> 00:07:47,490 we'll create that dense dome in the middle 125 00:07:47,490 --> 00:07:49,730 and a cyclonic circulation around that. 126 00:07:49,730 --> 00:07:51,766 Can we try it? I think we can try it now. 127 00:07:57,090 --> 00:08:01,050 The green dye is the cold dome of water, 128 00:08:01,050 --> 00:08:04,771 warmer clear water is swirling around it. 129 00:08:04,771 --> 00:08:07,180 At the boundary where the two meet, 130 00:08:07,180 --> 00:08:09,730 a current is generated, 131 00:08:09,730 --> 00:08:11,766 creating an invisible barrier. 132 00:08:13,380 --> 00:08:14,927 That is the gyre. 133 00:08:16,570 --> 00:08:19,903 Martin adds red dye so we can see the gyre current. 134 00:08:23,450 --> 00:08:27,375 The red dye's hanging like a curtain wrapping itself around the dome. 135 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:31,730 This is small scale. 136 00:08:31,730 --> 00:08:35,170 Out in the deepest basin of the Irish Sea, 137 00:08:35,170 --> 00:08:38,765 the gyre spans 3,600 square miles. 138 00:08:40,810 --> 00:08:44,701 This invisible current creates a unique eco-system... 139 00:08:45,970 --> 00:08:48,280 ..an enclosed feeding ground, 140 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:50,965 where fish and shellfish thrive. 141 00:08:53,460 --> 00:08:57,290 This sea's gyre creates rich pickings, 142 00:08:57,290 --> 00:08:59,269 and not just fish. 143 00:09:03,410 --> 00:09:07,267 Swirling currents can also bring tides of change. 144 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:10,660 Religions, 145 00:09:10,660 --> 00:09:12,050 beliefs, 146 00:09:12,050 --> 00:09:13,820 cultures, 147 00:09:13,820 --> 00:09:15,776 carried around the Irish Sea... 148 00:09:16,740 --> 00:09:20,983 ..transforming our isles over thousands of years. 149 00:09:23,530 --> 00:09:27,330 The Romans were no strangers to these waters, 150 00:09:27,330 --> 00:09:30,618 for them a conduit to coastal conquest. 151 00:09:32,050 --> 00:09:36,120 In the first century, they reached Maryport, Cumbria 152 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:39,210 and named it Alauna. 153 00:09:39,210 --> 00:09:41,826 It became a key garrison of the Roman Empire. 154 00:09:46,610 --> 00:09:50,011 Mark first came here ten years ago, 155 00:09:50,011 --> 00:09:54,619 when archaeologists discovered a huge military fort and settlement. 156 00:09:56,690 --> 00:09:58,170 Now he's back 157 00:09:58,170 --> 00:10:01,120 because an astonishing addition to the story 158 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:02,771 has been unearthed - 159 00:10:02,771 --> 00:10:04,250 Roman temples. 160 00:10:06,641 --> 00:10:10,460 Maryport wasn't just a military fortress. 161 00:10:10,460 --> 00:10:12,930 It had a spiritual side, as well. 162 00:10:12,930 --> 00:10:15,180 I'm on a quest to discover why 163 00:10:15,180 --> 00:10:17,740 this outpost of the Roman empire 164 00:10:17,740 --> 00:10:20,254 was so important as a religious centre. 165 00:10:25,570 --> 00:10:27,610 Archaeologists here 166 00:10:27,610 --> 00:10:31,460 have uncovered two spectacularly rare temples, 167 00:10:31,460 --> 00:10:34,340 one round, probably a mausoleum 168 00:10:34,340 --> 00:10:37,821 and another intriguing rectangular structure. 169 00:10:39,260 --> 00:10:42,021 Tony Wilmott of Historic England 170 00:10:42,021 --> 00:10:44,280 is co-director of the project. 171 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:46,850 This is the so-called rectangular temple. 172 00:10:46,850 --> 00:10:48,460 We've just got this end exposed. 173 00:10:48,460 --> 00:10:50,700 You've just got this side wall running there, 174 00:10:50,700 --> 00:10:53,050 then it comes out into this little square projection, 175 00:10:53,050 --> 00:10:56,560 then the facade was just about under the edge of grass area over there. 176 00:10:56,560 --> 00:10:59,761 Facing the same way as the other one? They're both facing the same way. 177 00:10:59,761 --> 00:11:01,970 We found, on excavating it properly, 178 00:11:01,970 --> 00:11:03,480 that there were four column bases. 179 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:05,641 Gosh, that's smart. Would it have had a pediment? 180 00:11:05,641 --> 00:11:08,410 It would have had the lot - columns, pediment, the whole business. 181 00:11:08,410 --> 00:11:11,560 That's really unusual. You don't get classical temples. Not very often. 182 00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:15,098 Actually this is the furthest northwest classical temple in the Roman Empire so far. 183 00:11:17,090 --> 00:11:19,560 It's a staggering discovery. 184 00:11:19,560 --> 00:11:22,610 This was no everyday temple. 185 00:11:22,610 --> 00:11:24,690 It's size and quality 186 00:11:24,690 --> 00:11:28,290 suggests Maryport was a cult centre, 187 00:11:28,290 --> 00:11:32,226 drawing people from far and wide to worship. 188 00:11:34,940 --> 00:11:37,620 And there's stunning evidence to back this up 189 00:11:37,620 --> 00:11:39,269 in the local museum. 190 00:11:45,180 --> 00:11:46,700 In this museum 191 00:11:46,700 --> 00:11:49,820 is the largest collection of Roman altars in Britain, 192 00:11:49,820 --> 00:11:52,210 18 in total 193 00:11:52,210 --> 00:11:54,576 and all found here at Maryport. 194 00:11:58,010 --> 00:12:01,707 As pagans, the Romans worshipped many gods and spirits. 195 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:06,130 These exquisite altars were dedicated 196 00:12:06,130 --> 00:12:08,891 to Jupiter Optimus Maximus, 197 00:12:08,891 --> 00:12:11,180 I -O-M, 198 00:12:11,180 --> 00:12:13,530 the king of the gods. 199 00:12:13,530 --> 00:12:17,170 They probably would have stood in front of the temples. 200 00:12:20,850 --> 00:12:24,970 But these altars were dug up 100 metres away from the temples. 201 00:12:24,970 --> 00:12:26,641 At some point, 202 00:12:26,641 --> 00:12:29,250 they had been moved to an area 203 00:12:29,250 --> 00:12:33,370 where the team discovered a series of mysterious pits. 204 00:12:33,370 --> 00:12:36,410 Professor Ian Haynes of Newcastle University 205 00:12:36,410 --> 00:12:38,911 is the dig's co-director. 206 00:12:38,911 --> 00:12:41,290 These pits were actually dug 207 00:12:41,290 --> 00:12:44,771 to allow for a large timber structure 208 00:12:44,771 --> 00:12:47,180 to be built on this spot. 209 00:12:47,180 --> 00:12:50,210 Timber posts set up to 1.3 metres into the ground 210 00:12:50,210 --> 00:12:52,130 and packed around with stone, 211 00:12:52,130 --> 00:12:54,370 including sometimes altars. 212 00:12:54,370 --> 00:12:58,260 So they reused the altars as packing. 213 00:12:58,260 --> 00:13:00,651 Absolutely. So if we look at this one, 214 00:13:00,651 --> 00:13:03,180 you can actually see the packing stone 215 00:13:03,180 --> 00:13:05,820 that's gone into one of these pits. 216 00:13:05,820 --> 00:13:09,210 And at the bottom of it, there, you can see the top of another altar. 217 00:13:09,210 --> 00:13:11,360 Once that's been taken away, 218 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:12,771 yet again there it is - 219 00:13:12,771 --> 00:13:14,341 Jupiter Optimus Maximus. 220 00:13:15,450 --> 00:13:18,360 'What was this extraordinary structure 221 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:21,340 'that used Roman altars as building material? 222 00:13:22,500 --> 00:13:25,850 'Clues were revealed by the excavations.' 223 00:13:25,850 --> 00:13:27,661 What's that at one end? 224 00:13:27,661 --> 00:13:30,730 Well, absolutely, this is key here, as you rightly point out. 225 00:13:30,730 --> 00:13:33,930 We've got an apse here, there's no doubt about it. 226 00:13:33,930 --> 00:13:36,340 There is a very clear semi-circular feature 227 00:13:36,340 --> 00:13:40,260 as one would find on the end of certain types of basilicum buildings. 228 00:13:40,260 --> 00:13:42,010 Well, basilicums can be churches. 229 00:13:42,010 --> 00:13:43,910 They can be, indeed. 230 00:13:45,300 --> 00:13:49,180 'This is another astounding discovery. 231 00:13:49,180 --> 00:13:51,420 'It seems the Roman altars 232 00:13:51,420 --> 00:13:53,860 'had become the foundations 233 00:13:53,860 --> 00:13:56,374 'for a colossal Christian church. 234 00:13:58,620 --> 00:14:00,620 'In the 1st century, 235 00:14:00,620 --> 00:14:04,730 'the Romans invaded Britain as emphatic pagans. 236 00:14:04,730 --> 00:14:07,340 'Yet, within 300 years, 237 00:14:07,340 --> 00:14:10,210 'they would destroy the symbols of that belief 238 00:14:10,210 --> 00:14:13,054 'and embracing a brand-new faith.' 239 00:14:14,420 --> 00:14:18,220 Christianity spread throughout the Empire 240 00:14:18,220 --> 00:14:21,060 and by the beginning of the 3rd century AD 241 00:14:21,060 --> 00:14:23,278 it may well have reached Roman Britain. 242 00:14:24,450 --> 00:14:27,901 Not that the Roman authorities approved. 243 00:14:27,901 --> 00:14:30,540 The faith of the first English martyr, 244 00:14:30,540 --> 00:14:32,190 St Alban, 245 00:14:32,190 --> 00:14:35,057 sealed his fate in the late 3rd century. 246 00:14:37,980 --> 00:14:40,140 In 314 AD, 247 00:14:40,140 --> 00:14:44,130 the Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity 248 00:14:44,130 --> 00:14:46,980 as the official religion of the Roman Empire 249 00:14:46,980 --> 00:14:49,426 and the first public churches were built. 250 00:14:55,370 --> 00:14:59,290 This extraordinary building unearthed at Maryport 251 00:14:59,290 --> 00:15:03,450 dates to the late 4th or early 5th century, 252 00:15:03,450 --> 00:15:07,068 one of the earliest churches ever discovered in Britain. 253 00:15:11,260 --> 00:15:15,370 We now realise that Maryport sits in the centre of a whole cluster 254 00:15:15,370 --> 00:15:17,980 of early Christian sites. 255 00:15:17,980 --> 00:15:20,330 Across the Solway was Whithorn, 256 00:15:20,330 --> 00:15:22,641 just behind the wind farm over there. 257 00:15:22,641 --> 00:15:25,690 Across the Irish Sea, we have the Isle of Man. 258 00:15:25,690 --> 00:15:28,800 Then beyond that, Nendrum in Northern Ireland 259 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:30,870 and Iona in the Scottish islands. 260 00:15:33,270 --> 00:15:35,500 The emergence of Maryport 261 00:15:35,500 --> 00:15:37,580 as a Christian powerhouse 262 00:15:37,580 --> 00:15:39,460 in the north of England 263 00:15:39,460 --> 00:15:41,730 adds serious weight to a theory 264 00:15:41,730 --> 00:15:44,450 that's intrigued me for years. 265 00:15:44,450 --> 00:15:47,090 Because just 30 miles from here, 266 00:15:47,090 --> 00:15:48,910 a famous saint was born. 267 00:15:53,060 --> 00:15:55,260 This man - Saint Patrick, 268 00:15:55,260 --> 00:15:57,012 the apostle to the Irish. 269 00:16:01,540 --> 00:16:03,980 According to his own life, 270 00:16:03,980 --> 00:16:06,700 a document known as the Confession, 271 00:16:06,700 --> 00:16:11,490 Patrick says that he was born in a town called Bannaventa, 272 00:16:11,490 --> 00:16:13,810 which I think is this place, 273 00:16:13,810 --> 00:16:15,983 which the Romans called Glannaventa. 274 00:16:17,730 --> 00:16:21,370 Glannaventa is so close to Maryport 275 00:16:21,370 --> 00:16:23,380 it raises the possibility 276 00:16:23,380 --> 00:16:26,350 that St Patrick had a physical connection 277 00:16:26,350 --> 00:16:29,217 with this spiritual stretch of the Cumbrian coast. 278 00:16:31,620 --> 00:16:35,140 If St Patrick was indeed from this place, 279 00:16:35,140 --> 00:16:38,700 it may well be from this very spot that he set off 280 00:16:38,700 --> 00:16:42,818 and took Christianity across the Irish Sea to the Irish. 281 00:16:45,620 --> 00:16:49,140 Romans established a pagan centre of worship 282 00:16:49,140 --> 00:16:51,290 here at Maryport 283 00:16:51,290 --> 00:16:53,349 on the edge of the Irish Sea. 284 00:16:55,260 --> 00:16:59,290 With the arrival of Christianity and St Patrick, 285 00:16:59,290 --> 00:17:01,771 there came a new sea of faith, 286 00:17:01,771 --> 00:17:04,340 creating fresh sites of pilgrimage 287 00:17:04,340 --> 00:17:06,069 on our isles. 288 00:17:17,580 --> 00:17:18,990 The Irish Sea. 289 00:17:20,620 --> 00:17:23,370 Awash with opportunities 290 00:17:23,370 --> 00:17:25,980 that connect our coasts 291 00:17:25,980 --> 00:17:28,062 and our fishing ports. 292 00:17:30,460 --> 00:17:32,542 New Quay in Wales... 293 00:17:33,820 --> 00:17:35,993 ..Whitehaven in England... 294 00:17:37,860 --> 00:17:39,634 ..Portpatrick in Scotland... 295 00:17:42,220 --> 00:17:46,668 This small sea binds together a big industry. 296 00:17:49,140 --> 00:17:51,791 Dublin Bay is famous for one particular catch... 297 00:17:53,340 --> 00:17:54,580 ..the Dublin Bay Prawn. 298 00:17:56,220 --> 00:17:59,980 A product of the swirling gyre current. 299 00:17:59,980 --> 00:18:02,995 Over 16,000 tonnes are landed in Ireland each year... 300 00:18:04,980 --> 00:18:09,370 ..but this crunchy crustacean knows no boundaries. 301 00:18:09,370 --> 00:18:13,210 Stocks are spreading throughout the Irish Sea... 302 00:18:13,210 --> 00:18:15,030 and have reached Belfast Lough. 303 00:18:16,531 --> 00:18:20,510 It's where I've come to find out more about this delicacy, 304 00:18:20,510 --> 00:18:22,944 exported and eaten on our shores. 305 00:18:24,500 --> 00:18:26,593 But the name's a bit of a red herring. 306 00:18:29,510 --> 00:18:33,230 Because these prawns are also known as scampi and langoustine... 307 00:18:35,911 --> 00:18:39,020 ..which is less of a mouthful than their scientific name, 308 00:18:39,020 --> 00:18:40,430 Nephrops norvegicus. 309 00:18:42,661 --> 00:18:47,870 I'm heading out with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, 310 00:18:47,870 --> 00:18:52,140 whose experts monitor Nephrops stocks for the Government. 311 00:18:52,140 --> 00:18:54,661 Principal scientist Richard Gowen 312 00:18:54,661 --> 00:18:59,150 has plotted on a chart how far the gyre spreads them. 313 00:18:59,150 --> 00:19:01,140 The main population is retained here 314 00:19:01,140 --> 00:19:03,140 because of the physical environment, 315 00:19:03,140 --> 00:19:05,070 but, as these arrows show, 316 00:19:05,070 --> 00:19:07,170 when the Nephrops larvae are in the surface waters 317 00:19:07,170 --> 00:19:09,370 they will be dispersed elsewhere. 318 00:19:09,370 --> 00:19:12,300 There's a population here in the eastern Irish Sea, 319 00:19:12,300 --> 00:19:14,420 there's a population in the Clyde, 320 00:19:14,420 --> 00:19:18,990 and the general flow through the Irish Sea is from the south, through, 321 00:19:18,990 --> 00:19:23,740 so the small populations like the one here in Belfast Loch are spin-offs 322 00:19:23,740 --> 00:19:26,140 from the main population centres. 323 00:19:26,140 --> 00:19:28,140 Cousins of the gyre population. 324 00:19:28,140 --> 00:19:29,255 Yes. 325 00:19:30,860 --> 00:19:33,791 'The gyre is the optimum environment 326 00:19:33,791 --> 00:19:35,793 'to nurture newly hatched Nephrops. 327 00:19:37,260 --> 00:19:40,388 'It retains most of the larvae and the plankton they feed on. 328 00:19:42,500 --> 00:19:44,900 'When larvae reach a certain size, 329 00:19:44,900 --> 00:19:47,140 'they drop back to seabed burrows 330 00:19:47,140 --> 00:19:49,381 'to metamorphose into adults. 331 00:19:52,710 --> 00:19:56,305 'Until now, I've never been up close and personal with a Nephrops... 332 00:19:57,460 --> 00:20:01,100 '..unlike senior scientist Steven Beggs.' 333 00:20:01,100 --> 00:20:02,990 Wow, they're enormous! 334 00:20:02,990 --> 00:20:07,170 Yes, these are big Dublin Bay prawns, Nick. 335 00:20:07,170 --> 00:20:09,570 Dublin Bay prawns or Nephrops 336 00:20:09,570 --> 00:20:12,500 can live up to 15 years. 337 00:20:12,500 --> 00:20:15,014 These feisty examples are about five. 338 00:20:16,781 --> 00:20:18,340 Ooh! 339 00:20:18,340 --> 00:20:20,260 They're dangerous, aren't they? 340 00:20:20,260 --> 00:20:21,990 Yeah, they can give you a nasty nip. 341 00:20:21,990 --> 00:20:25,080 Would you like to feel the weight of it? Sure. 342 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:27,110 Oh, right. 343 00:20:27,110 --> 00:20:28,590 Absolutely stunning. 344 00:20:28,590 --> 00:20:30,630 Translucent pinks and oranges, 345 00:20:30,630 --> 00:20:34,990 with these very fine, fine fronds on the back of the tail, 346 00:20:34,990 --> 00:20:38,990 and this overlapping exoskeleton down the back here. 347 00:20:38,990 --> 00:20:42,220 It's like armour plating on an armadillo. Yes, indeed. 348 00:20:42,220 --> 00:20:45,380 And they're very muscular - I've noticed that, flicking around, 349 00:20:45,380 --> 00:20:47,531 they've got a lot of power, very beautiful. 350 00:20:47,531 --> 00:20:50,090 I'm going to put him back in. There you go. 351 00:20:50,090 --> 00:20:53,370 And just take me through their very complicated bodies. 352 00:20:53,370 --> 00:20:56,090 Yeah, they have this triple-fanned heel, 353 00:20:56,090 --> 00:20:58,500 which they use for propulsion. 354 00:20:58,500 --> 00:21:02,260 They are decapods - they have ten legs 355 00:21:02,260 --> 00:21:04,940 and they have these large front claws, 356 00:21:04,940 --> 00:21:08,944 which they use for scavenging and protecting themselves. 357 00:21:11,390 --> 00:21:15,430 But their claws are little protection against one predator - 358 00:21:15,430 --> 00:21:17,380 man. 359 00:21:17,380 --> 00:21:20,260 To prevent overfishing and to set quotas, 360 00:21:20,260 --> 00:21:23,500 it's vital the team know how many of these colourful crustaceans live 361 00:21:23,500 --> 00:21:25,252 in the Irish Sea. 362 00:21:27,420 --> 00:21:30,070 A camera sledge records them. 363 00:21:30,070 --> 00:21:31,791 Towed behind the ship, 364 00:21:31,791 --> 00:21:35,610 it's designed to slide over the soft sea floor. 365 00:21:35,610 --> 00:21:37,740 On the bottom! 366 00:21:37,740 --> 00:21:40,620 'Pictures are fed to the ship's computers, 367 00:21:40,620 --> 00:21:44,460 'where principal scientist Matt Service has the unenviable task 368 00:21:44,460 --> 00:21:46,390 'of counting each burrow.' 369 00:21:46,390 --> 00:21:49,310 So this is a live feed from the seabed 370 00:21:49,310 --> 00:21:51,580 and the sledge shot we've just deployed. 371 00:21:51,580 --> 00:21:54,380 There's no way that I'd be able to spot a burrow in that! 372 00:21:54,380 --> 00:21:56,500 It looks like green soup. 373 00:21:56,500 --> 00:21:58,610 Can you show me a picture of a burrow close-up 374 00:21:58,610 --> 00:22:01,860 so I know what to look for? Yes. If we go over here to the computer. 375 00:22:01,860 --> 00:22:03,220 Here we are. 376 00:22:03,220 --> 00:22:06,020 Classically it's got this crescent shape at the front 377 00:22:06,020 --> 00:22:08,610 and then an escape entrance at the back. 378 00:22:08,610 --> 00:22:10,170 That must be so difficult. 379 00:22:10,170 --> 00:22:13,580 That means you can't count an escape entrance, only the front door. 380 00:22:13,580 --> 00:22:15,820 That's easy - you've got one or two burrows, 381 00:22:15,820 --> 00:22:17,730 but it's not all that easy. 382 00:22:17,730 --> 00:22:20,430 So if we just click through a few slides... 383 00:22:20,430 --> 00:22:22,460 Here's a shot from the middle of the Irish Sea, 384 00:22:22,460 --> 00:22:25,145 and you can see it's a lot of burrows, not so easy now. 385 00:22:26,380 --> 00:22:28,380 This is a bit like breaking open a chocolate bar 386 00:22:28,380 --> 00:22:30,580 and seeing all the bubbles. 387 00:22:30,580 --> 00:22:33,070 'And to make things more complicated, 388 00:22:33,070 --> 00:22:34,799 'not every hole is a Nephrops burrow.' 389 00:22:37,300 --> 00:22:39,234 So can I have a go at counting, Matt? On you go. 390 00:22:40,330 --> 00:22:41,830 Is that one? Yes. 391 00:22:41,830 --> 00:22:44,270 OK. One, two, three... 392 00:22:44,270 --> 00:22:46,310 four... Yeah. 393 00:22:46,310 --> 00:22:48,541 Just missed one there, I think. Oh, dear. 394 00:22:48,541 --> 00:22:50,510 Five... 395 00:22:50,510 --> 00:22:52,980 There you go, six, seven! That was one, wasn't it? 396 00:22:52,980 --> 00:22:56,150 Oh, my eyeballs are getting tired already. Nine... 397 00:22:56,150 --> 00:22:58,310 It's really difficult. It's really difficult. 398 00:22:58,310 --> 00:23:01,080 We would do this for maybe five minutes on a go, 399 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:03,310 but you're getting the point, it can be done. 400 00:23:03,310 --> 00:23:06,030 How many burrows have you counted in a single shift? 401 00:23:06,030 --> 00:23:09,070 I guess probably...oh, certainly thousands. 402 00:23:09,070 --> 00:23:11,430 But if you look at the Irish Sea as a whole, 403 00:23:11,430 --> 00:23:13,510 we reckon that in 2013, 404 00:23:13,510 --> 00:23:16,070 the figure was 4.3 billion Nephrops burrows. 405 00:23:16,070 --> 00:23:18,880 4.3 billion burrows in the Irish Sea? Yes. 406 00:23:20,510 --> 00:23:21,795 That's mind-boggling. 407 00:23:23,940 --> 00:23:28,810 The burrows are complex structures offering protection from predators. 408 00:23:28,810 --> 00:23:32,500 Each one a bio-engineering marvel 409 00:23:32,500 --> 00:23:35,663 that oxygenates the sediment and regenerates minerals. 410 00:23:36,950 --> 00:23:39,157 They're also a natural work of art. 411 00:23:43,030 --> 00:23:45,870 Although it's flat boring mud on the surface, 412 00:23:45,870 --> 00:23:48,750 when you get below it, it's a bit of a complex. 413 00:23:48,750 --> 00:23:52,750 So although the camera is seeing lots and lots 414 00:23:52,750 --> 00:23:54,470 of little burrow entrances, 415 00:23:54,470 --> 00:23:56,620 beneath those entrances, 416 00:23:56,620 --> 00:23:58,740 the entire Irish Sea is sort of excavated 417 00:23:58,740 --> 00:24:00,671 by these tiny little prawns. Yeah. 418 00:24:00,671 --> 00:24:01,945 Absolutely amazing. 419 00:24:04,310 --> 00:24:06,541 In the depths of the Irish Sea, 420 00:24:06,541 --> 00:24:08,390 the humble Nephrops 421 00:24:08,390 --> 00:24:11,820 is a crucial part of a vibrant eco-system, 422 00:24:11,820 --> 00:24:13,799 the gyre its lifeblood. 423 00:24:15,090 --> 00:24:17,470 Thanks to the burrow counters, 424 00:24:17,470 --> 00:24:21,031 the flourishing future for Nephrops is one we all share. 425 00:24:31,020 --> 00:24:35,434 Life thrives in the whirling currents of the Irish Sea. 426 00:24:37,380 --> 00:24:39,940 And so do stories. 427 00:24:39,940 --> 00:24:42,870 As people cross from coast to coast, 428 00:24:42,870 --> 00:24:45,111 they swap songs and traditions... 429 00:24:46,873 --> 00:24:48,943 ..tales and superstitions. 430 00:24:51,570 --> 00:24:55,040 These wild waters create legends of their own. 431 00:24:57,541 --> 00:25:00,021 They swirl around the sea's Celtic heart, 432 00:25:02,531 --> 00:25:04,294 ..the Isle of Man. 433 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:11,810 Singer and story teller Ruth Keggin 434 00:25:11,810 --> 00:25:14,651 recalls the tale of the mythical monarch 435 00:25:14,651 --> 00:25:18,771 of this magical place, the Sea God Manannan. 436 00:25:18,771 --> 00:25:22,531 # Manannan Beg Mac y Leir 437 00:25:22,531 --> 00:25:27,450 # Manannan Beg Mac y Leir 438 00:25:27,450 --> 00:25:31,450 # Bannee orrin as nyn maateyn 439 00:25:31,450 --> 00:25:35,531 # Manannan Beg Mac y Leir. # 440 00:25:35,531 --> 00:25:38,010 Manannan Mac y Leir was a sea god, 441 00:25:38,010 --> 00:25:40,320 a king, a warrior, 442 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:43,820 known in the Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. 443 00:25:43,820 --> 00:25:45,610 And, legend has it, 444 00:25:45,610 --> 00:25:48,860 he was the first ruler of the Isle of Man. 445 00:25:48,860 --> 00:25:52,690 Manannan lived in a castle at the summit of South Barrule, 446 00:25:52,690 --> 00:25:55,450 which is one of the high peaks of the Isle of Man 447 00:25:55,450 --> 00:25:57,460 in the south of the island. 448 00:25:57,460 --> 00:25:59,050 And, standing up at the top, 449 00:25:59,050 --> 00:26:02,144 you really get a sense of the island, with the sea all around you. 450 00:26:17,140 --> 00:26:19,781 Some of the people of the Isle of Man 451 00:26:19,781 --> 00:26:23,330 would travel up to the top of South Barrule on Midsummer's eve 452 00:26:23,330 --> 00:26:26,868 in order to pay a straw tax to Manannan of rushes. 453 00:26:29,330 --> 00:26:32,330 Part of what really appeals to me about Manannan 454 00:26:32,330 --> 00:26:36,290 is the idea that he was a shape-shifter, a magician, 455 00:26:36,290 --> 00:26:38,970 he was able to protect the island, 456 00:26:38,970 --> 00:26:40,521 not just with a sword, 457 00:26:40,521 --> 00:26:44,090 but by making one man appear like 100 men 458 00:26:44,090 --> 00:26:47,867 and by sending down a cloak of mist to shroud the island to defend it. 459 00:27:00,980 --> 00:27:04,340 Manannan's very name is associated with the sea, 460 00:27:04,340 --> 00:27:06,900 and you can think of it as his realm. 461 00:27:06,900 --> 00:27:12,300 He was supposed to have had a great horse named Embar of the Flowing Mane, 462 00:27:12,300 --> 00:27:14,870 who was able to ride just as well 463 00:27:14,870 --> 00:27:17,691 over the waves as over the land. 464 00:27:26,900 --> 00:27:31,100 I think the story of Manannan has to have travelled across the Irish Sea. 465 00:27:31,100 --> 00:27:34,300 When you think about it, the sea was a pathway. 466 00:27:34,300 --> 00:27:37,580 We know this because Manannan is known in other places 467 00:27:37,580 --> 00:27:39,690 apart from the Isle of Man. 468 00:27:39,690 --> 00:27:41,531 According to the myth, 469 00:27:41,531 --> 00:27:45,170 Manannan no longer resides on the summit of South Barrule, 470 00:27:45,170 --> 00:27:48,220 but instead lives on an underwater island 471 00:27:48,220 --> 00:27:53,010 15 or 16 miles off the most southerly tip of the Isle of Man. 472 00:27:53,010 --> 00:27:55,411 And who knows, perhaps he's there still... 473 00:27:55,411 --> 00:27:59,293 # Manannan Beg Mac y Leir 474 00:27:59,293 --> 00:28:03,733 # Bannee orrin as nyn maateyn 475 00:28:03,733 --> 00:28:09,296 # Manannan Beg Mac y Leir. # 476 00:28:18,683 --> 00:28:23,963 Coast is exploring how the Irish Sea touches us all 477 00:28:23,963 --> 00:28:26,614 and shapes our islands' story. 478 00:28:35,673 --> 00:28:39,723 Cargoes carried across these waters have built cities. 479 00:28:42,404 --> 00:28:46,647 Granite from the Mountains of Mourne paved Liverpool... 480 00:28:47,973 --> 00:28:50,021 ..today a megaport. 481 00:28:51,093 --> 00:28:56,213 30 million tonnes of freight sails in each year, 482 00:28:56,213 --> 00:29:00,943 while leviathan cruise ships docking at Holyhead have made this place 483 00:29:00,943 --> 00:29:03,059 an unlikely tourist trap. 484 00:29:07,534 --> 00:29:12,453 The Irish Sea is a highway connecting our shores. 485 00:29:12,453 --> 00:29:15,223 But sometimes what washes in 486 00:29:15,223 --> 00:29:17,771 can change the bonds between our coasts. 487 00:29:19,693 --> 00:29:21,524 In Ireland's capital, 488 00:29:21,524 --> 00:29:24,573 Tess is investigating a troubled relationship... 489 00:29:27,373 --> 00:29:31,654 Dublin, a coastal city linked to Britain by the Irish Sea. 490 00:29:31,654 --> 00:29:33,683 But when it comes to politics, 491 00:29:33,683 --> 00:29:35,969 things haven't always been plain sailing. 492 00:29:38,213 --> 00:29:41,973 After generations of demands for Irish independence, 493 00:29:41,973 --> 00:29:46,183 the pivotal event that would eventually achieve it erupted here, 494 00:29:46,183 --> 00:29:48,606 on Easter Monday, 1916. 495 00:29:51,823 --> 00:29:56,023 At noon, a group of Irish nationalists seize a number of official buildings. 496 00:29:56,023 --> 00:29:59,813 They call on fellow Irishmen to resist the bonds of British control 497 00:29:59,813 --> 00:30:03,173 and establish an independent Irish Republic. 498 00:30:03,173 --> 00:30:05,483 After six days of fighting, 499 00:30:05,483 --> 00:30:08,483 450 are dead and thousands injured. 500 00:30:08,483 --> 00:30:10,337 Dublin is brought to her knees. 501 00:30:14,613 --> 00:30:19,824 The General Post Office became the nationalist rebels' target and HQ. 502 00:30:21,573 --> 00:30:26,021 Here they hoisted the Republican flag and proclaimed independence. 503 00:30:28,013 --> 00:30:30,803 Riddled with bullet-holes, it's where I'm meeting 504 00:30:30,803 --> 00:30:34,170 Dr Conor Mulvagh from University College Dublin. 505 00:30:35,473 --> 00:30:39,534 So this is the spot, where we're standing, where it all kicked off? 506 00:30:39,534 --> 00:30:41,383 Absolutely. The Republic, in 1916, 507 00:30:41,383 --> 00:30:43,293 was declared right in front of us here. 508 00:30:43,293 --> 00:30:45,303 So what we have here is a bullet hole. 509 00:30:45,303 --> 00:30:48,583 We can see the clear entry point, and then the wide exit point. 510 00:30:48,583 --> 00:30:51,023 This would've come from the south and travelled north, 511 00:30:51,023 --> 00:30:52,534 so we can see a large shattering. 512 00:30:52,534 --> 00:30:53,943 They're shooting from over there? 513 00:30:53,943 --> 00:30:56,773 This was the British forces shooting from the south. 514 00:30:56,773 --> 00:30:59,203 It was the British who eventually won, 515 00:30:59,203 --> 00:31:03,378 but they executed the rebel leaders making them martyrs. 516 00:31:05,023 --> 00:31:08,093 So this was a catalyst for independent southern Ireland. 517 00:31:08,093 --> 00:31:11,333 Irish nationalism probably has its most transformative, 518 00:31:11,333 --> 00:31:12,733 it's most immediate shift, 519 00:31:12,733 --> 00:31:14,689 in the weeks after the 1916 rising. 520 00:31:16,373 --> 00:31:19,213 The Easter Rising was a watershed moment. 521 00:31:19,213 --> 00:31:24,936 A bloody armed battle, between rebel volunteers and British forces. 522 00:31:27,943 --> 00:31:32,093 But how had a war of words over the so-called Irish question 523 00:31:32,093 --> 00:31:33,811 become a war with weapons? 524 00:31:35,243 --> 00:31:37,655 And where had the rebels got their guns? 525 00:31:40,733 --> 00:31:44,203 To find out, I need to go back two years in time, 526 00:31:44,203 --> 00:31:47,047 and head for Howth, just north of Dublin. 527 00:31:51,183 --> 00:31:53,973 It's the 26th of July, 1914, 528 00:31:53,973 --> 00:31:57,053 a 49-foot pleasure yacht named Asgard 529 00:31:57,053 --> 00:31:59,213 sails into this harbour. 530 00:31:59,213 --> 00:32:04,573 On board is an illegal cargo - 900 of these... 531 00:32:04,573 --> 00:32:07,463 Mauser single-shot rifles 532 00:32:07,463 --> 00:32:10,443 that went on to arm the rebels at the Easter Rising. 533 00:32:11,714 --> 00:32:14,493 I want to know where the guns came from. 534 00:32:14,493 --> 00:32:16,823 Come aboard, come aboard. 535 00:32:16,823 --> 00:32:18,859 I'm meeting local sailor Pat Murphy. 536 00:32:20,203 --> 00:32:23,123 He's studied the Asgard's gun-running mission, 537 00:32:23,123 --> 00:32:26,053 codenamed Picnic. 538 00:32:26,053 --> 00:32:28,613 So, Pat, tell me about their journey. 539 00:32:28,613 --> 00:32:29,853 It was a 23-day journey. 540 00:32:29,853 --> 00:32:31,693 They left from North Wales 541 00:32:31,693 --> 00:32:33,303 on the 3rd of July, 542 00:32:33,303 --> 00:32:35,183 and they headed down the Irish Sea 543 00:32:35,183 --> 00:32:37,693 and then across the Bristol Channel, 544 00:32:37,693 --> 00:32:39,323 around Land's End, 545 00:32:39,323 --> 00:32:41,923 and they rendezvoused with the German tug the Gladiator 546 00:32:41,923 --> 00:32:43,823 off the Belgium coast. 547 00:32:45,563 --> 00:32:47,534 They picked up the guns off the German tug. 548 00:32:47,534 --> 00:32:49,414 Asgard took 900. 549 00:32:49,414 --> 00:32:51,103 I mean, that must've been a challenge - 550 00:32:51,103 --> 00:32:53,253 getting that many guns onto a sailing boat. 551 00:32:53,253 --> 00:32:55,853 Yes, it was. They, in fact, had to unpack them all 552 00:32:55,853 --> 00:32:57,333 from the bales of straw. 553 00:32:57,333 --> 00:32:59,693 They were stowed up to two-and-a-half feet high, 554 00:32:59,693 --> 00:33:00,843 all over the boat. 555 00:33:00,843 --> 00:33:03,563 This was just weeks before the outbreak of the First World War, 556 00:33:03,563 --> 00:33:06,373 The sea must have been chock-a-block with naval vessels. 557 00:33:06,373 --> 00:33:08,534 Wasn't there a fear they'd be spotted? 558 00:33:08,534 --> 00:33:10,493 It was a big fear. 559 00:33:10,493 --> 00:33:13,203 In fact, as they were sailing passed Devonport, 560 00:33:13,203 --> 00:33:16,203 they sailed right through the British Navy on exercise. 561 00:33:16,203 --> 00:33:19,313 Well, did nobody sort of think this is a bit odd? Nobody, nobody. 562 00:33:19,313 --> 00:33:21,933 We have a picture taken from Asgard. 563 00:33:21,933 --> 00:33:24,213 Here we are. Right. Look at that. 564 00:33:24,213 --> 00:33:25,544 That's very menacing, isn't it? 565 00:33:25,544 --> 00:33:27,664 Yes! You've got the warships in the background, 566 00:33:27,664 --> 00:33:29,664 and the gloom, the sense of foreboding. 567 00:33:29,664 --> 00:33:31,063 Exactly. Yes. 568 00:33:33,493 --> 00:33:37,023 They arrived into Howth harbour just outside Dublin, 569 00:33:37,023 --> 00:33:38,547 in broad daylight. 570 00:33:39,664 --> 00:33:44,664 Awaiting them, 1,000 volunteers to unload the illegal haul. 571 00:33:44,664 --> 00:33:47,664 But it wasn't the martyrs of the Easter Rising 572 00:33:47,664 --> 00:33:50,613 who were delivering these guns. 573 00:33:50,613 --> 00:33:53,463 The ring leaders weren't obvious revolutionaries, 574 00:33:53,463 --> 00:33:57,043 they were well-connected pillars of the Anglo- Irish aristocracy, 575 00:33:57,043 --> 00:34:01,093 but they were still whole-hearted supporters of home rule for Ireland. 576 00:34:03,093 --> 00:34:07,383 Erskine Childers, an English-born veteran of the Boer War, 577 00:34:07,383 --> 00:34:10,823 he'd had spectacular success a decade earlier 578 00:34:10,823 --> 00:34:15,463 as author of the first-ever spy novel Riddle of the Sands. 579 00:34:15,463 --> 00:34:19,103 Ironically, in it, he warned of the threat to Britain 580 00:34:19,103 --> 00:34:22,103 from an increasingly powerful Germany. 581 00:34:22,103 --> 00:34:24,483 Now he was skippering his own yacht, 582 00:34:24,483 --> 00:34:26,773 bringing weapons from Germany 583 00:34:26,773 --> 00:34:29,571 to overturn British rule in Ireland. 584 00:34:32,483 --> 00:34:37,813 His conversion was due in no small part to his wife, Molly Childers - 585 00:34:37,813 --> 00:34:39,693 an American-born writer, 586 00:34:39,693 --> 00:34:42,013 she was a staunch Irish nationalist 587 00:34:42,013 --> 00:34:44,414 with a distaste for Imperialism 588 00:34:44,414 --> 00:34:45,824 and England. 589 00:34:47,893 --> 00:34:52,183 But the linchpin in the whole operation was Mary Spring Rice, 590 00:34:52,183 --> 00:34:55,843 a liberal Anglo-Irish aristocrat, 591 00:34:55,843 --> 00:34:58,643 born and bred in County Limerick, 592 00:34:58,643 --> 00:35:01,464 and a passionate advocate of Irish culture. 593 00:35:03,103 --> 00:35:04,983 I'm meeting Mary's nephew, 594 00:35:04,983 --> 00:35:07,263 Charles Spring Rice, to find out 595 00:35:07,263 --> 00:35:09,983 how a landed lady of the gentry took centre stage 596 00:35:09,983 --> 00:35:12,497 in this revolutionary operation. 597 00:35:13,853 --> 00:35:17,503 What part did she play in the mission itself? 598 00:35:17,503 --> 00:35:20,333 She was partly to do with organising the money 599 00:35:20,333 --> 00:35:22,813 to fund the guns that they were going to collect, 600 00:35:22,813 --> 00:35:25,443 and she, also, was the person who first thought up the idea 601 00:35:25,443 --> 00:35:26,933 of using private yachts. 602 00:35:26,933 --> 00:35:29,383 Because she felt they're more likely to escape detection 603 00:35:29,383 --> 00:35:31,173 if they took it in private boats - 604 00:35:31,173 --> 00:35:34,493 particularly, in Cowes Week, as they were going to be going passed that. 605 00:35:34,493 --> 00:35:36,284 One of her letters here talks about 606 00:35:36,284 --> 00:35:39,043 how she worked at finding the right boat. 607 00:35:39,043 --> 00:35:41,703 "I've heard from someone in Berlin who might be helpful. 608 00:35:41,703 --> 00:35:44,863 "We have a bigger boat which might go under Childers' captaincy." 609 00:35:44,863 --> 00:35:47,753 Right, so here she is sending off missives to all her contacts 610 00:35:47,753 --> 00:35:51,013 trying to get her... All her contacts she's working, 611 00:35:51,013 --> 00:35:53,983 internationally, to try and find a solution. 612 00:35:53,983 --> 00:35:55,632 And succeeds. Yes. 613 00:35:57,013 --> 00:35:59,103 Mary Spring Rice's hard work 614 00:35:59,103 --> 00:36:01,373 drummed up £1,500 - 615 00:36:01,373 --> 00:36:04,649 the equivalent of £150,000 today. 616 00:36:05,853 --> 00:36:08,833 Enough to buy the guns, and fund the trip. 617 00:36:10,183 --> 00:36:13,414 Republicans weren't the only ones arming themselves. 618 00:36:13,414 --> 00:36:17,333 Just months earlier Loyalist volunteers in Northern Ireland 619 00:36:17,333 --> 00:36:20,823 had also landed guns from Germany - 620 00:36:20,823 --> 00:36:23,063 25,000 of them. 621 00:36:23,063 --> 00:36:25,111 The clock was ticking. 622 00:36:27,463 --> 00:36:30,253 Asgard and her cargo lit a touchpaper 623 00:36:30,253 --> 00:36:33,654 that put the burning Irish question centre stage. 624 00:36:37,613 --> 00:36:40,294 Two years elapsed between the arrival 625 00:36:40,294 --> 00:36:42,103 and the firing of the guns 626 00:36:42,103 --> 00:36:44,003 at the Easter Rising. 627 00:36:44,003 --> 00:36:47,103 because nine days after the weapons came to this coast 628 00:36:47,103 --> 00:36:50,095 World War One was declared. 629 00:36:53,643 --> 00:36:57,830 And under cover of war, the rebels had time to plan their strike. 630 00:37:00,693 --> 00:37:06,623 So what did Asgard mean to those fighting for an independent Ireland? 631 00:37:06,623 --> 00:37:09,786 Was her role forgotten in the passage of time? 632 00:37:11,383 --> 00:37:12,903 To answer that, 633 00:37:12,903 --> 00:37:14,939 I've come to Kilmainham Gaol. 634 00:37:17,573 --> 00:37:19,853 Here Easter Rising rebels 635 00:37:19,853 --> 00:37:21,832 were held and executed. 636 00:37:23,333 --> 00:37:25,703 Oppressive cell walls are covered 637 00:37:25,703 --> 00:37:27,853 with political-prisoner graffiti. 638 00:37:27,853 --> 00:37:30,173 It's just this cell here. 639 00:37:30,173 --> 00:37:32,723 Archaeologist Dr Laura McAtackney 640 00:37:32,723 --> 00:37:35,414 has unearthed one extraordinary scribbling. 641 00:37:35,414 --> 00:37:37,294 It's very, very small, 642 00:37:37,294 --> 00:37:38,653 and very faint. 643 00:37:38,653 --> 00:37:41,133 It's a little bit of pencil under whitewash. 644 00:37:41,133 --> 00:37:42,693 So what do you think this is? 645 00:37:42,693 --> 00:37:44,544 If you look at this picture here... 646 00:37:44,544 --> 00:37:47,297 We think it's probably supposed to be the Asgard. 647 00:37:52,373 --> 00:37:54,544 Yes. And, actually, now you come to mention it, 648 00:37:54,544 --> 00:37:57,853 it does have the sort of flamboyant double-sail sketched on the wall. 649 00:37:57,853 --> 00:38:01,363 Isn't it? It's very specific looking to the Asgard, we think. 650 00:38:01,363 --> 00:38:03,773 It could've even had a picture that it was replicating, 651 00:38:03,773 --> 00:38:05,373 because it's very detailed. 652 00:38:05,373 --> 00:38:09,133 And if it is the Asgard, what does that actually tell us? 653 00:38:09,133 --> 00:38:10,463 Well, it links into the idea 654 00:38:10,463 --> 00:38:13,823 that Kilmainham Gaol was already becoming a nationalist icon. 655 00:38:13,823 --> 00:38:17,383 So this is tying into that with another kind of nationalist icon 656 00:38:17,383 --> 00:38:20,863 Iinking to the gun-running in Howth. 657 00:38:20,863 --> 00:38:24,503 For the people imprisoned and killed in their fight for independence, 658 00:38:24,503 --> 00:38:28,223 Asgard had become the symbol of their struggle. 659 00:38:30,213 --> 00:38:32,738 She's now at the National Museum of Ireland. 660 00:38:38,633 --> 00:38:42,424 It is incredible to finally see this 28-tonne yacht, 661 00:38:42,424 --> 00:38:45,552 named the Harbinger of Liberty by Republicans. 662 00:38:54,833 --> 00:38:58,573 For some, Asgard started and epitomised 663 00:38:58,573 --> 00:39:00,373 a bloody conflict 664 00:39:00,373 --> 00:39:02,983 that rumbles on to this day. 665 00:39:02,983 --> 00:39:05,983 For others, this vessel is the symbol of independence 666 00:39:05,983 --> 00:39:08,013 and the struggle to achieve it. 667 00:39:08,013 --> 00:39:10,003 Either way, 668 00:39:10,003 --> 00:39:11,853 this is an exquisite yacht 669 00:39:11,853 --> 00:39:15,013 clearly not built for military purposes, 670 00:39:15,013 --> 00:39:19,363 but which facilitated a mission with revolutionary intent. 671 00:39:19,363 --> 00:39:22,183 One voyage, one boat 672 00:39:22,183 --> 00:39:25,380 that changed the course of Irish and British history. 673 00:39:34,663 --> 00:39:37,712 Coast is exploring the Irish Sea... 674 00:39:40,453 --> 00:39:44,023 ..a small body of water that touches 675 00:39:44,023 --> 00:39:45,456 and binds our nations. 676 00:39:50,493 --> 00:39:53,940 Ferries ply a profitable trade across this sea... 677 00:39:55,573 --> 00:39:57,097 ..Dublin to Holyhead... 678 00:39:59,073 --> 00:40:00,461 ..Cairnryan to Larne... 679 00:40:03,453 --> 00:40:07,708 ..but some have found novel ways to cross from coast to coast. 680 00:40:15,783 --> 00:40:17,373 It's nothing new. 681 00:40:17,373 --> 00:40:21,343 This sea has long-inspired creative thinking. 682 00:40:22,544 --> 00:40:24,143 In the 18th century, 683 00:40:24,143 --> 00:40:27,373 plans were afoot at the tiny town of Whitehead, 684 00:40:27,373 --> 00:40:29,580 to permanently bridge the gap. 685 00:40:33,493 --> 00:40:36,703 Without the haze, Scotland would be clearly visible 686 00:40:36,703 --> 00:40:41,063 across this 25-mile gulf between here and the Mull of Galloway. 687 00:40:41,063 --> 00:40:45,215 Linking these two coasts must surely have seemed possible. 688 00:40:48,053 --> 00:40:52,133 I'm meeting Exeter University Professor Nick Groom. 689 00:40:52,133 --> 00:40:54,583 He's studied some of the more eccentric ideas 690 00:40:54,583 --> 00:40:57,023 to bring our coasts together. 691 00:40:57,023 --> 00:41:01,093 In 1722, an anonymous satirist published a pamphlet 692 00:41:01,093 --> 00:41:04,223 called Thoughts of a Project for the Draining of the Irish Channel. 693 00:41:04,223 --> 00:41:06,503 Drain the Irish Sea? Drain the Irish Sea. 694 00:41:06,503 --> 00:41:08,863 What do you think Britain and Ireland would have gained 695 00:41:08,863 --> 00:41:11,063 had we done away with all this water? 696 00:41:11,063 --> 00:41:14,193 The suggestion was to recover treasure from shipwrecks, 697 00:41:14,193 --> 00:41:16,583 also the seasoned timbers from shipwrecks 698 00:41:16,583 --> 00:41:18,993 that could then be used to build fishing traps 699 00:41:18,993 --> 00:41:21,273 for some of the larger sea creatures that are there. 700 00:41:21,273 --> 00:41:23,023 And what sea creatures would we find? 701 00:41:23,023 --> 00:41:26,663 Well, we're talking about "Sea-Goats, Kids, Apes, Baboons, 702 00:41:26,663 --> 00:41:30,013 "Sea- Bitches Babies, Foxes and their Cubs." 703 00:41:30,013 --> 00:41:32,703 So you'd lose the sea and gain a land of opportunity. 704 00:41:32,703 --> 00:41:34,903 That's one of the implications of this pamphlet. 705 00:41:34,903 --> 00:41:38,633 It's to get its readers thinking about the definition of Britain, 706 00:41:38,633 --> 00:41:40,223 its relationship with Ireland. 707 00:41:40,223 --> 00:41:43,583 So the Irish Sea isn't necessarily something that separates, 708 00:41:43,583 --> 00:41:46,313 it's something which actually brings the isles together. 709 00:41:51,373 --> 00:41:53,493 The notion was tongue-in-cheek, 710 00:41:53,493 --> 00:41:57,304 but the desire to connect was deep-rooted. 711 00:41:57,304 --> 00:42:00,703 It emerged again during the 1890s 712 00:42:00,703 --> 00:42:04,213 in another idea to link Britain and Ireland. 713 00:42:04,213 --> 00:42:09,094 It would've made little Whitehead the mighty gateway to the Irish Sea. 714 00:42:10,653 --> 00:42:13,783 If I'd been sitting here in the early 1900s, 715 00:42:13,783 --> 00:42:16,863 I might have been right beside the railway tunnel entrance 716 00:42:16,863 --> 00:42:18,623 of a steam railway line 717 00:42:18,623 --> 00:42:21,304 emerging from beneath the Irish Sea. 718 00:42:21,304 --> 00:42:24,783 This is the front cover for a proposal for four railway tunnels. 719 00:42:24,783 --> 00:42:27,213 They hadn't yet decided which one they wanted to build. 720 00:42:27,213 --> 00:42:29,583 One of them went from Donaghadee to Portpatrick, 721 00:42:29,583 --> 00:42:31,943 the second one from Whitehead - where I'm sitting now - 722 00:42:31,943 --> 00:42:33,533 across to Portpatrick. 723 00:42:33,533 --> 00:42:37,273 A third one, from Whitehead across to Stranraer, 724 00:42:37,273 --> 00:42:39,943 and a fourth one further north from Cushendun 725 00:42:39,943 --> 00:42:42,070 across the Mull of Kintyre. 726 00:42:44,463 --> 00:42:47,863 The tunnels were the brainchild of civil engineer 727 00:42:47,863 --> 00:42:49,535 Luke Livingston Macassey. 728 00:42:50,623 --> 00:42:54,174 Recognising the Irish Sea's importance to trade, 729 00:42:54,174 --> 00:42:59,053 he wanted to tap into the ever-expanding railways. 730 00:42:59,053 --> 00:43:02,523 This proposed line was linking places that were further afield, 731 00:43:02,523 --> 00:43:06,223 through trains between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, 732 00:43:06,223 --> 00:43:08,145 Belfast and Londonderry. 733 00:43:10,383 --> 00:43:12,993 Pros and cons were debated in Parliament. 734 00:43:12,993 --> 00:43:17,873 Unfortunately, the grand plans came with a hefty price tag - 735 00:43:17,873 --> 00:43:21,453 up to £200 million. 736 00:43:21,453 --> 00:43:24,503 The scheme was reluctantly shelved, 737 00:43:24,503 --> 00:43:27,023 so no tunnel. 738 00:43:27,023 --> 00:43:29,708 But generations have still made the crossing. 739 00:43:35,413 --> 00:43:39,442 The Irish Sea is not so much a gulf, 740 00:43:39,442 --> 00:43:43,208 more a bridge connecting neighbours. 741 00:43:45,283 --> 00:43:49,002 It's long been a route to new shores, 742 00:43:49,002 --> 00:43:53,273 from those fleeing famine in 19th century Ireland, 743 00:43:53,273 --> 00:43:55,980 to those escaping further afield. 744 00:43:58,872 --> 00:44:01,682 But these waters are tinged with tragedy. 745 00:44:03,792 --> 00:44:06,443 Lambay, off the coast of Dublin. 746 00:44:07,562 --> 00:44:11,566 A sleeping giant whose Gaelic name is Island of the Shipwrecks. 747 00:44:14,122 --> 00:44:16,332 It's lured Miranda and Cassie 748 00:44:16,332 --> 00:44:18,972 to investigate a coastal calamity 749 00:44:18,972 --> 00:44:21,008 that shocked Victorian society. 750 00:44:23,762 --> 00:44:26,122 Behind me, looming out of the water, 751 00:44:26,122 --> 00:44:29,602 are the sheer and jagged cliffs of Lambay Island. 752 00:44:29,602 --> 00:44:34,122 A 150 years ago, these rocks claimed an unsuspecting prey - 753 00:44:34,122 --> 00:44:38,122 a ship that was heralded as a symbol of the modern era, 754 00:44:38,122 --> 00:44:40,772 a ship that was on her maiden voyage, 755 00:44:40,772 --> 00:44:43,802 and a ship were hundreds of people died. 756 00:44:43,802 --> 00:44:46,202 This was the Royal Mail ship Tayleur, 757 00:44:46,202 --> 00:44:48,648 the Titanic of the Victorian age. 758 00:44:52,652 --> 00:44:57,082 And like Titanic, the RMS Tayleur was hailed as the biggest, 759 00:44:57,082 --> 00:44:59,163 finest vessel in the world - 760 00:44:59,163 --> 00:45:01,370 pride of the White Star Line. 761 00:45:02,972 --> 00:45:05,566 She was one of the first iron-hulled ships. 762 00:45:07,332 --> 00:45:11,562 On-board for her maiden voyage in the winter of 1854, 763 00:45:11,562 --> 00:45:15,492 were 700 excited travellers - 764 00:45:15,492 --> 00:45:20,054 entire families immigrating to a new world, Australia. 765 00:45:22,682 --> 00:45:26,163 But eager hopes for a new life were dashed. 766 00:45:27,403 --> 00:45:32,079 The Tayleur now rests in a watery grave 18 metres below the waves. 767 00:45:33,682 --> 00:45:37,492 The murky details of her fateful voyage have never been 768 00:45:37,492 --> 00:45:39,572 fully pieced together. 769 00:45:39,572 --> 00:45:42,612 So I'm going to be heading into the water to investigate 770 00:45:42,612 --> 00:45:45,642 this enigmatic wreck to find out how much of her is left 771 00:45:45,642 --> 00:45:48,418 and see if I can find any clues as to why she sank. 772 00:45:49,802 --> 00:45:53,442 Helping me by scrutinising the evidence on land 773 00:45:53,442 --> 00:45:55,332 is Cassie Newland. 774 00:45:55,332 --> 00:45:57,413 I want to trace the ship's maiden voyage, 775 00:45:57,413 --> 00:45:59,938 so I'm starting where RMS Tayleur was built. 776 00:46:01,212 --> 00:46:04,332 An unlikely spot for ship-building, Warrington, 777 00:46:04,332 --> 00:46:05,993 19 miles up the River Mersey. 778 00:46:07,772 --> 00:46:10,132 It's where I'm meeting historian Gill Hoffs, 779 00:46:10,132 --> 00:46:12,862 who's spent years researching the story. 780 00:46:16,293 --> 00:46:19,163 Hiya, Gill. How you doing? Hello. I'm Cassie. Nice to meet you. 781 00:46:19,163 --> 00:46:21,212 So what's the Tayleur like? 782 00:46:21,212 --> 00:46:23,562 She's glorious - look. 783 00:46:23,562 --> 00:46:27,134 Can you imagine this beauty sailing down here? 784 00:46:33,132 --> 00:46:36,082 She was enormous, she was luxurious, 785 00:46:36,082 --> 00:46:38,202 and she was revolutionary. 786 00:46:38,202 --> 00:46:40,492 She was one of the first iron clippers 787 00:46:40,492 --> 00:46:43,403 and she was meant to be the fastest, the safest 788 00:46:43,403 --> 00:46:45,692 and most splendid vessel afloat. 789 00:46:45,692 --> 00:46:48,482 She had two flush toilets. In the 1850s? 790 00:46:48,482 --> 00:46:49,926 In the 1850s. Oh, very posh! 791 00:46:51,952 --> 00:46:55,202 The Tayleur made her way down the Mersey to Liverpool. 792 00:46:55,202 --> 00:46:59,764 The burden of expectation on this supposedly safe ship, immense. 793 00:47:01,202 --> 00:47:04,362 She and her eager passengers left the coast 794 00:47:04,362 --> 00:47:07,957 amid great fanfare on the 19th of January, 1854. 795 00:47:10,322 --> 00:47:12,132 Just 48 hours into her maiden voyage, 796 00:47:12,132 --> 00:47:13,562 she was enveloped in thick mist 797 00:47:13,562 --> 00:47:17,522 and veering drastically off course, 798 00:47:17,522 --> 00:47:19,661 heading for Lambay. 799 00:47:21,492 --> 00:47:23,141 "SAILOR": Land-ho on the lee bow! 800 00:47:24,702 --> 00:47:26,452 Swept towards the island, 801 00:47:26,452 --> 00:47:28,500 winter winds caught the sails. 802 00:47:30,212 --> 00:47:33,692 Ropes jammed around the rigging and the mast. 803 00:47:33,692 --> 00:47:35,882 The crew were unable to pull in the sails 804 00:47:35,882 --> 00:47:37,492 against the power of the wind. 805 00:47:37,492 --> 00:47:39,212 The rocks rose like a mountain 806 00:47:39,212 --> 00:47:40,802 out of the middle of the sea, 807 00:47:40,802 --> 00:47:42,702 as the tide pushed them inland. 808 00:47:44,202 --> 00:47:46,952 The captain ordered the anchors to be dropped, 809 00:47:46,952 --> 00:47:48,886 the chains snapped like glass. 810 00:47:50,932 --> 00:47:53,132 The mid-section smashed into the rocks, 811 00:47:53,132 --> 00:47:57,052 and she started sinking by the stern within minutes. 812 00:47:57,052 --> 00:48:00,163 At this time the scene was one of the most appalling description, 813 00:48:00,163 --> 00:48:02,322 people ran wildly to-and-fro 814 00:48:02,322 --> 00:48:04,529 uttering the most piercing cries of distress. 815 00:48:06,002 --> 00:48:08,202 One man convinced hope was lost, 816 00:48:08,202 --> 00:48:10,136 wrote a message in a bottle. 817 00:48:11,722 --> 00:48:14,283 "Many passengers and crew are now drowning before my eyes, 818 00:48:14,283 --> 00:48:16,562 "and there's no assistance. 819 00:48:16,562 --> 00:48:18,792 "My wife is also lost." 820 00:48:18,792 --> 00:48:22,171 Around 380 passengers and 30 crew perished. 821 00:48:25,772 --> 00:48:28,762 Cassie's got hold of the ship's plans and cargo list 822 00:48:28,762 --> 00:48:30,972 to investigate the disaster. 823 00:48:30,972 --> 00:48:33,242 I want to find out why the Tayleur sank 824 00:48:33,242 --> 00:48:36,002 when she's supposed to be a cutting-edge ship. 825 00:48:36,002 --> 00:48:38,293 And I'm hoping my interest in Victorian engineering 826 00:48:38,293 --> 00:48:40,249 is going to help me do that. 827 00:48:42,082 --> 00:48:44,852 Weaknesses are clear immediately. 828 00:48:44,852 --> 00:48:46,283 The wide gap between the masts 829 00:48:46,283 --> 00:48:49,252 would affect the centre of gravity and, therefore, handling. 830 00:48:50,372 --> 00:48:53,722 The tiny rudder is built for speed not sharp manoeuvre. 831 00:48:53,722 --> 00:48:57,322 But I think the key factor is what the boat's made of - 832 00:48:57,322 --> 00:48:58,932 it's an iron hull, 833 00:48:58,932 --> 00:49:02,140 and we know that that can disrupt your compass readings. 834 00:49:03,572 --> 00:49:05,232 To work out how much, 835 00:49:05,232 --> 00:49:07,842 I'm doing a little experiment. 836 00:49:07,842 --> 00:49:11,222 Now this is a compass as we know it - it points north. 837 00:49:11,222 --> 00:49:12,782 But it's a very simple system. 838 00:49:12,782 --> 00:49:16,602 All you need is a magnetised needle like this one, 839 00:49:16,602 --> 00:49:18,242 on a freely rotation axis 840 00:49:18,242 --> 00:49:20,303 which we can make like this. 841 00:49:20,303 --> 00:49:22,293 And with any luck... 842 00:49:22,293 --> 00:49:24,532 Yeah - it's really simple - 843 00:49:24,532 --> 00:49:25,962 it's now pointing north. 844 00:49:25,962 --> 00:49:28,142 The iron in our magnetised needle 845 00:49:28,142 --> 00:49:30,772 is drawn to the strongest magnetic force. 846 00:49:30,772 --> 00:49:34,652 In this case, that is the natural magnetic force created by the Earth. 847 00:49:34,652 --> 00:49:37,012 So, now, if we take these chains 848 00:49:37,012 --> 00:49:39,522 and pretend that they are the iron hull of the boat 849 00:49:39,522 --> 00:49:42,322 and wrapping it around the bowl... 850 00:49:42,322 --> 00:49:45,962 the needle moves. It's not pointing to the north any more. 851 00:49:45,962 --> 00:49:48,642 Instead, it's drawn to the iron that its nearest to it, 852 00:49:48,642 --> 00:49:50,932 and if you think about the hull of the Tayleur - 853 00:49:50,932 --> 00:49:53,842 that is 1,750 tonnes of iron, 854 00:49:53,842 --> 00:49:56,283 the deflection can be quite substantial, 855 00:49:56,283 --> 00:49:57,966 and that's very dangerous. 856 00:49:59,163 --> 00:50:01,012 It was a well-known issue, 857 00:50:01,012 --> 00:50:04,891 and iron-clad ships usually re-set their compasses to compensate. 858 00:50:06,322 --> 00:50:09,522 But the Tayleur had an additional problem. 859 00:50:09,522 --> 00:50:13,852 More iron was loaded into the ship in the form of cargo - 860 00:50:13,852 --> 00:50:18,322 things like great coils of barbed wire, 861 00:50:18,322 --> 00:50:20,212 plough shears, pots and pans... 862 00:50:20,212 --> 00:50:22,602 And most importantly for our disaster, 863 00:50:22,602 --> 00:50:24,206 a full-sized river ship. 864 00:50:26,672 --> 00:50:28,283 The compass, vital on the boat, 865 00:50:28,283 --> 00:50:30,012 is no longer pointing north. 866 00:50:31,762 --> 00:50:34,092 It might only be a few degrees out, 867 00:50:34,092 --> 00:50:36,002 but when you're crossing the Irish Sea 868 00:50:36,002 --> 00:50:38,452 it's the difference between going down here, 869 00:50:38,452 --> 00:50:40,295 or ending up on the rocks here. 870 00:50:46,862 --> 00:50:49,173 We've got special permission to dive the wreck 871 00:50:49,173 --> 00:50:51,852 and I'm hoping that I can find out just a little bit more about her 872 00:50:51,852 --> 00:50:53,962 by getting a bit closer. 873 00:50:53,962 --> 00:50:56,362 Today the wreck is a protected site, 874 00:50:56,362 --> 00:50:59,183 so nothing can be removed or disturbed. 875 00:51:04,293 --> 00:51:07,132 It's so eerie down here. 876 00:51:07,132 --> 00:51:08,975 Very poor visibility. 877 00:51:10,572 --> 00:51:12,972 Oh, I see the first bit of wreckage. 878 00:51:16,722 --> 00:51:19,498 The ship's obviously lying on her side. 879 00:51:22,882 --> 00:51:25,407 This is the site of one of the portholes. 880 00:51:30,642 --> 00:51:34,082 Is this the chain here? Yes, look at this. 881 00:51:34,082 --> 00:51:36,175 This is the anchor chain. 882 00:51:37,402 --> 00:51:39,609 Look at the size of the links there! 883 00:51:41,572 --> 00:51:45,652 Something that thick, actually snapped. 884 00:51:45,652 --> 00:51:48,212 That is how powerful the winds and the waves and the tides were 885 00:51:48,212 --> 00:51:49,861 on the day she was wrecked. 886 00:51:54,293 --> 00:51:57,173 This ship was carrying hundreds of young families, 887 00:51:57,173 --> 00:52:00,495 who'd eagerly packed all their worldly goods. 888 00:52:02,242 --> 00:52:04,922 Can you see these stacked one on top of another? 889 00:52:04,922 --> 00:52:07,492 These are roof slates, believe it or not! 890 00:52:07,492 --> 00:52:10,002 So they were travelling with all the equipment they'd need 891 00:52:10,002 --> 00:52:12,402 to set- up a new life. 892 00:52:12,402 --> 00:52:15,735 Chillingly, they even took their own gravestones. 893 00:52:18,452 --> 00:52:20,056 And it feels very spooky. 894 00:52:22,972 --> 00:52:24,462 Oh, my God, there's a bit of pottery! 895 00:52:25,762 --> 00:52:27,492 Look at this! 896 00:52:27,492 --> 00:52:29,372 It's just here... 897 00:52:29,372 --> 00:52:31,502 I can't touch it, but just here... 898 00:52:31,502 --> 00:52:34,300 you can see the white of a piece of pottery. 899 00:52:36,662 --> 00:52:38,173 Now, that's some sort of bowl 900 00:52:38,173 --> 00:52:39,765 or maybe the top of a jug. 901 00:52:41,682 --> 00:52:43,411 It's all just coming alive now. 902 00:52:48,762 --> 00:52:52,212 Underwater I can only get tantalising glimpses of the cargo, 903 00:52:52,212 --> 00:52:55,242 so local diver Harry Breslin 904 00:52:55,242 --> 00:52:58,502 who was among the first ever to explore the wreck, 905 00:52:58,502 --> 00:53:01,221 has brought some stunning artefacts to show me. 906 00:53:03,322 --> 00:53:05,372 SHE GASPS Yeah, so this is, erm... 907 00:53:05,372 --> 00:53:06,602 Oh, my goodness! 908 00:53:06,602 --> 00:53:08,572 A little pepper canister. 909 00:53:08,572 --> 00:53:10,922 Look at that...! That's absolutely beautiful. 910 00:53:10,922 --> 00:53:13,542 And it's perfectly intact. Yes, indeed. 911 00:53:13,542 --> 00:53:17,812 I like to feel it's something special, you know, and, er... 912 00:53:17,812 --> 00:53:20,762 It's a real personal thing, isn't it? A personal item. 913 00:53:20,762 --> 00:53:24,332 It sat on their table, this is what they used to flavour their food with. Indeed. 914 00:53:24,332 --> 00:53:26,022 Oh, look at that. 915 00:53:26,022 --> 00:53:29,892 I mean, that looks like you've just bought it from the shop, doesn't it? 916 00:53:29,892 --> 00:53:31,772 That is absolutely beautiful. 917 00:53:31,772 --> 00:53:34,047 There's not a chip or a scratch on it. 918 00:53:35,932 --> 00:53:38,862 These incredible finds are a direct connection 919 00:53:38,862 --> 00:53:41,572 with the ordinary families on board, 920 00:53:41,572 --> 00:53:44,222 all with their own stories. 921 00:53:44,222 --> 00:53:46,972 But one statistic baffles me. 922 00:53:46,972 --> 00:53:49,242 Just 3% of women and children 923 00:53:49,242 --> 00:53:51,122 survived this tragedy, 924 00:53:51,122 --> 00:53:53,222 compared with 70% of men. 925 00:53:53,222 --> 00:53:54,496 Why? 926 00:53:55,862 --> 00:53:58,732 Author Gill Hoffs has a theory. 927 00:53:58,732 --> 00:54:01,652 The clothing that women wore at that time was very heavy, 928 00:54:01,652 --> 00:54:03,442 it was incredibly restrictive, 929 00:54:03,442 --> 00:54:05,962 and they could wear at least 16 layers, easy. 930 00:54:05,962 --> 00:54:08,012 16 layers?! 16 layers. 931 00:54:08,012 --> 00:54:10,652 And you'd be very constricted. 932 00:54:10,652 --> 00:54:13,932 So are these the clothes that they would've worn? These are similar. 933 00:54:13,932 --> 00:54:19,542 This is a very, very heavy velvet overskirt. 934 00:54:19,542 --> 00:54:21,612 If you feel the weight of that. Oh! Yeah! 935 00:54:21,612 --> 00:54:24,053 If you can imagine that drenched in water. 936 00:54:24,053 --> 00:54:26,972 And the thing is, on board the ship you'd maybe get 937 00:54:26,972 --> 00:54:29,452 to access your clothing maybe once a fortnight. 938 00:54:29,452 --> 00:54:31,572 Once a week if it was excellent weather. 939 00:54:31,572 --> 00:54:34,372 And it's January. Yes. And it's freezing. 940 00:54:34,372 --> 00:54:35,812 Yes. And it's damp. 941 00:54:35,812 --> 00:54:37,814 Yes. I'd be wearing everything. 942 00:54:39,163 --> 00:54:43,252 Passengers were advised to stitch valuables into their undergarments. 943 00:54:43,252 --> 00:54:46,972 One corset had 200 sovereigns sewn into it. 944 00:54:48,293 --> 00:54:49,812 Must weigh an absolute ton! 945 00:54:49,812 --> 00:54:52,452 A sovereign is, what, eight grams? Something like that? 946 00:54:52,452 --> 00:54:54,043 It's quite a hefty coin, isn't it? 947 00:54:54,043 --> 00:54:56,942 It is a hefty coin. Yes. It's like wearing a diver's weight belt. 948 00:54:56,942 --> 00:54:59,293 One woman had £3,000. 949 00:54:59,293 --> 00:55:01,303 Yes. She perished. 950 00:55:01,303 --> 00:55:04,852 These tragic losses appalled a Victorian society 951 00:55:04,852 --> 00:55:09,742 which championed the notion of "women and children first". 952 00:55:09,742 --> 00:55:11,942 But even if they had gone first, 953 00:55:11,942 --> 00:55:14,763 did their clothing condemn them to their deaths? 954 00:55:16,532 --> 00:55:19,962 I've volunteered to test the theory. 955 00:55:19,962 --> 00:55:22,842 My Victorian dress is heavy 956 00:55:22,842 --> 00:55:26,293 and layered, and I've added a weight-belt. 957 00:55:26,293 --> 00:55:28,452 But I'm wearing a wetsuit underneath 958 00:55:28,452 --> 00:55:30,386 and have two lifeguards on standby. 959 00:55:31,742 --> 00:55:34,256 That said, I'm still petrified! 960 00:55:41,582 --> 00:55:44,132 Actually, moving anywhere, 961 00:55:44,132 --> 00:55:46,868 in a direction, is really hard 962 00:55:46,868 --> 00:55:48,449 cos you're just a giant sail. 963 00:55:51,126 --> 00:55:53,806 I always think of myself as a very strong swimmer, 964 00:55:53,806 --> 00:55:58,037 but when it starts getting caught around your feet it makes you panic 965 00:55:58,037 --> 00:56:01,336 cos you can't do what you'd normally do to save yourself. 966 00:56:02,886 --> 00:56:05,177 It's like dragging an anchor. 967 00:56:05,177 --> 00:56:07,008 It's really knackering. 968 00:56:09,096 --> 00:56:10,756 As time ticks by, 969 00:56:10,756 --> 00:56:13,016 it's ever harder to stay afloat. 970 00:56:13,016 --> 00:56:16,122 I wouldn't be able to keep this up for more than a few minutes. 971 00:56:21,406 --> 00:56:24,536 You really feel for them as humans and families, 972 00:56:24,536 --> 00:56:29,736 because there is so little you could possibly do to rescue the situation, 973 00:56:29,736 --> 00:56:32,726 and some of them are travelling with 12 kids, and there's... 974 00:56:32,726 --> 00:56:34,102 there's no way in hell... 975 00:56:36,476 --> 00:56:39,366 There's no way in hell you can physically do it - you're beaten. 976 00:56:39,366 --> 00:56:40,845 It's awful. 977 00:56:45,686 --> 00:56:48,126 Less than half the passengers 978 00:56:48,126 --> 00:56:50,116 managed to scramble ashore. 979 00:56:50,116 --> 00:56:52,493 Only three women survived. 980 00:56:54,206 --> 00:56:57,806 An inquest concluded the ship was under-crewed, 981 00:56:57,806 --> 00:57:01,236 and White Star had made fatal mistakes. 982 00:57:01,236 --> 00:57:04,566 But it now appears there were many more reasons for this shipwreck, 983 00:57:04,566 --> 00:57:07,167 and her tragic death toll. 984 00:57:07,167 --> 00:57:10,656 A combination of factors sealed her fate - 985 00:57:10,656 --> 00:57:14,016 tides, winds, engineering... 986 00:57:14,016 --> 00:57:16,446 But whilst the wreck of the Tayleur remains on the seabed, 987 00:57:16,446 --> 00:57:19,483 at least the story is raised from the depths. 988 00:57:28,126 --> 00:57:33,406 I've reached the end of my journey up the western Irish Sea coast. 989 00:57:33,406 --> 00:57:36,887 But it's not quite the end of my time on this sea. 990 00:57:38,596 --> 00:57:42,726 I'm catching a ferry back to another coast connected by this water. 991 00:57:42,726 --> 00:57:46,016 I've visited Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland - 992 00:57:46,016 --> 00:57:48,052 I'm finishing bound for Scotland. 993 00:57:54,406 --> 00:57:58,486 The Irish Sea touches us in surprising ways, 994 00:57:58,486 --> 00:58:01,489 and defines our island story. 995 00:58:02,966 --> 00:58:06,016 A sea that takes 996 00:58:06,016 --> 00:58:09,196 as it provides 997 00:58:09,196 --> 00:58:12,526 people and ideas still carried 998 00:58:12,526 --> 00:58:15,484 on the tides and currents of these waters. 999 00:58:23,177 --> 00:58:24,596 Like the gyre, 1000 00:58:24,596 --> 00:58:26,806 the Irish Sea continues to swirl 1001 00:58:26,806 --> 00:58:29,126 with identities and connections 1002 00:58:29,126 --> 00:58:32,196 supporting life old and new - 1003 00:58:32,196 --> 00:58:35,616 produce, culture, tragedy and change 1004 00:58:35,616 --> 00:58:39,256 have all washed across the Irish Sea from coast to coast. 1005 00:58:39,256 --> 00:58:41,927 Perhaps we're not so much a collection of different countries 1006 00:58:41,927 --> 00:58:43,686 sharing the Irish Sea, 1007 00:58:43,686 --> 00:58:46,132 but, rather, people OF the Irish Sea. 1008 00:59:13,976 --> 00:59:14,600 HE BARKS