Lights, Camera, & 6 Minutes Of Local Fame

Irish TV called to ask me to give a guided tour of Céis Caves. I was reluctant and thinking this is for a geologist or archaeologist to do ... But then remembered our local intent to push Keash Tourism.

Above pic courtesy of Keash.ie

Irish TV is an excellent modern style media company that combines production services with satellite channel, fibre cable channel and Internet broadcasts. They produce short films, live broadcasts and audio services that get distributed worldwide to where there is Ireland interest and their productions are also syndicated into several popular programmes around the world.

Overall,, they are like RTE's Nationwide programme spread into an entire channel and syndicated services.

The crew that met up with me for the afternoon were presenter Claire, cameraman Ciaran and sound person Siofra. Directing and props was a team effort by those present and I am not sure who handles the production stage.

I liked their excellent portability. Part of me would love to do this,
starting with Ogma's Tale Of The Trees.

As the Tree Labyrinth is connected to the caves through mythology our filming adventure started here ...

After an intro into the local mythology it's off to the caves ...

Improved but still limited car parking at the base here ...

So we crossed this field ...

Through a small gate ...

Taking a path to a new seat placed here, Claire taking a rest ...

and looking up the steep step path that seems incomplete ...

So, Claire has a go with that ..

Very easy to trip over. It's a bit like a hurdle jump, especially on the way down. There is a rumour that this is to be converted to plank steps like at the new Queen Maeve path from Strandhill.

At the top of the climb the path to the caves is a big improvement though. The path is wider and much easier to walk ...

And into the Giant's Cave, Hag's Cave, Cathedral Cave, Vulva Cave and other names I have heard it called. The biggest one anyway.

Time for action, I am wired with lapel mic so Siofra now becomes a lights person ...

Then writer friend Sandie turns up and tries her hand in a bit of directing :-)

I'm looking in this direction and just think this is a nice shot ...

It turns out that presenter Claire and Sandie know each other,
part of the Hargadon's, Sligo, regulars ...

Listening to them it turns out that I was not cancelled from reading Yeats at Hargadans on Yeats Birthday and Claire filled in for me. Ah well, it was how I wished, for a real Sligo person to do the spot.

Aha, the film crew have left the camera !!!

So I hijack it!

Time to go, and I look out over the Ireland shaped Lough Feenagh as this is where the cover of my next book will be photographed, I think. A clue to the title is connected to something at Lough Feenagh.

I was also asked to read something from my book. Hard to recite about trees from a cave ... but I did do, 'When We Become A Tree'.

The walk back down is so much easier and quicker than it used to be ...

At the bottom, Claire decided she needed to do another take
... looks like she is throwing in a bit of Sean Nos singing and dancing too ...

Time for farewells as my 6 minutes of local fame is over.
Thank you crew, you were a lot of fun and incredibly easy to work with.

To watch my 6 minutes it will be on one future Tuesday at 6:30 pm,
Channel 191 on Sky.
click for Live Broadcast Online
click for viewing on Free To Air boxes
and is being syndicated around the world
and I will post details of that if I know more, but live online is good :-)