Everyday heroes from across Donegal are set to feature in a new documentary series on TG4 this October.
Tarrthálaithe na hÉireann will feature Mulroy Bay and Bunbeg Coast Guard Units as well as the Coast Guard helicopter R118.
In a TV first, the eight-part series follows the remarkable people who drop everything to come to the aid of people in need across Ireland at sea, on the ground and in the air.
Since Covid, Ireland’s mostly voluntary rescue teams are now busy all year round. Their training, equipment and rate of call-outs is of a very professional standard. They are hugely committed people, rooted in their communities, ready to search and rescue at a minute’s notice.
Over the Summer and early Autumn of 2022, teams from Big Mountain Productions gained unparalleled access to the men and women of the Irish Coast Guard, mountain rescue teams and community rescue boats across Ireland. User-generated content (UGC) was created through wearable tech and drones to bring these stories alive. Access to all these community volunteer organisations is a TV first.
Having access to the coast guard co-ordination centre in Valencia, filmmakers followed one of the four full time Coast Guard rescue helicopters based around the country – R118 stationed in Strandhill, Sligo.
At the heart of the series is the extraordinary commitment and work of volunteers the length and breadth of Ireland. These men and women make up the unpaid coast guard units along our coast from Malin to Greenore, the mountain rescue teams to the community inshore lifeboats.
Cameras witness the training, fundraising and local characters who make up the voluntary Coast Guard units from Mulroy and An Bun Beag in Donegal, Ros an Mhíl in Conamara to Wexford’s Cahore point. Viewers are also given an insight into the skills and training needed to become a member of the Mountain Rescue teams. Among the teams featured are Sligo/Leitrim, Kerry, Dublin/Wicklow and the South East Mountain Rescue team based in Clonmel.
The show also meets volunteers from the specialist dog rescue unit SARDA who demonstrate the invaluable work they and the rescue dogs carry out while searching for missing people.
Tarrthálaithe na hÉireann airs Thursdays from 5th October at 8pm on TG4. Available on TG4 player.
