Highlighting harsh realities of making a living at sea

Marguerite McGrath takes a look at this week’s television.

There is nothing quite like being an island nation. We have relatively easy access to the sea and all the joy that it can bring. However, for every up there is a down and we know all too well the tragedy that the swells of the Atlantic Ocean in particular can bring to our nation and the way in which it can bring rural fishing communities to their knees. A new fly-on-the-wall documentary running on RTÉ at the moment brings home some of the realities of people that fish for a living experience. It looks at the way in which they prepare, survive and cope with one of the most dangerous jobs in Ireland.
It also focuses on the daily struggle these fishermen and their skippers experience in trying to bring home a saleable catch and the effect that this has on their families. While it is easy to dismiss this as Deadliest Catch Irish style, there is a heart and soul in this documentary series that rings truer than its American counterpart. Perhaps it’s because these people don’t live too far away from us or perhaps it is simply because in these harsh economic times it is easy to have an affinity for people who are literally battling against all the odds to make a living and put food in the mouths of their families.
The series tracks four crews around the coast of Ireland. Each crew is similar in make up but with some exceptions. A Donegal-based skipper has his boat docked in Scotland and makes the trip from his home to Donegal each week or fortnight with his mainly eastern European crew, while for a young Cork man this is the first journey he will take as skipper.
What was interesting about the first in this documentary series, apart from the obvious experience of seeing these men at work, was the high praise that the skippers have for their non Irish-born workers. Mainly from Eastern Europe or Egypt, the men at the helm had nothing but praise for these men who had stuck with fishing when many left the profession for seemingly greener pastures in the construction industry. The opinions of the crew were also a feature of the show, which gave it considerable dept. It may have been called Skippers but it is obvious to anyone watching that this is far from a one-man operation. The men on the boat work together not only so that they can make a decent wage but also to ensure each other’s safe return to those families and communities, which are waiting for them on dry land.
Fishing as a profession is under threat in Ireland, despite the fact that we have the greatest area of any European country. It seems young men no longer dream of a life at sea and for those that do it is far from easy.
My only criticism of the show is that I feel it has come too soon on the back of programmes such as Baz’s Extreme Jobs. Perhaps if it had been saved for the winter schedule it would have been better. (But we’ll let the new director general of RTÉ, whomever it may be, sort that one out.) Although the crews are open and honest and it is interesting to watch, I feel I have seen it all before and while the fishing industry must be examined and its plight brought more to the fore of this island nation’s mind, I wonder if it can be done in another way. This series, although important and very well made, with a lulling and rugged voiceover by Liam Cunningham, needs to pack more punch if it is to put fishing rights and the plight of fishermen back on the political agenda. Tune in to RTÉ One at 8.30pm next Sunday to see the next episode in the series.
It seems everyone who’s anyone is getting a reboot for the modern times these days and good old Sherlock Holmes is no exception. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch (who, with a name like that, could have been a villain in the series himself) as the wonderfully brilliant but very flawed and mysterious Sherlock Holmes and ably assisted by Dr Watson, who in this series takes the form of Martin Freeman, known to most of you as Tim in The Office, as well as various other BBC productions. Sherlock Holmes has been given a full Dr Who makeover and is now solving crimes in modern London as opposed to the top-hat-wearing London of yore. Is it any good? Well yes, it is pretty good indeed. As I alluded to, the team behind the regeneration of Dr Who are also behind this and they have put their stamp all over it. It looks amazing, with lots of on-screen visuals and technology as well as some excellent scripting and a pace that may even make Dr Who look slow. This is Holmes for an old and new generation, although I am sure there will be some purists who will have problems. I for one think that Arthur Conan Doyle would be proud of the portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, who is the series describes himself as a “high-functioning socio-path”, very apt to my mind anyway.
There may not be any hounds running around the Baskervilles but there is plenty of intrigue and mystery to satisfy any elementary mind. Watch it on Sunday nights on BBC One at 8.30pm.
One to watch: Kathryn Thomas is on the travel trail again but this time she is sticking to our fair shores. In this new series, Kathryn travels the highways and byways of Ireland in search of the festivals and she uncovers some true delights. Watch it at 9.30pm on RTÉ One on Friday nights.