Báisteach to screen on TG4 this month
TG4 will screen Báisteach (Rain), a new three-part series, starting next Wednesday (April 6th, 2022) at 9:30 pm.
Presenter, Seán Mac an tSíthigh, uncovers how the story of rain is a global one and plays a “pivotal” role in cultures and religions around the world.
Báisteach
Seán Mac an tSíthigh said:
“Given our relationship with it here in Ireland, you might expect a documentary about rain to be a mundane exploration of the familiar.”
“Yet within that familiarity, one can find the extraordinary, from the remarkable engineering feats of early-Christian monks on Sceilg Mhichíl in harvesting rainwater to the cutting-edge technology of cloud seeding in the Middle East where rain is created using planes and rockets.”
Parts of this series look to the past, examining the intimate relationship our ancestors had with rain. He sees how their cultural wisdom can inform us as we face today’s climatic challenges.
While filming in the United Arab Emirates, Sean was struck by the ingenuity of society where huge cities have emerged from the desert.
However, he also became aware of the fragility of such a potentially unsustainable existence.
“Our generation carries a burden of responsibility for future generations. We are temporary custodians of our planet’s climate. I think this series offers food for thought as we face the challenges climate change brings with it.”
Three episodes
The first episode unpacks our understanding of rain and the science of water that falls from our skies.
Seán meets scientist, Cormac Ó hAdhmaill, at Co. Fermanagh’s Marble Arch Caves to see the impact made by rainfall that fell thousands of years ago.
Then, he travels to the United Arab Emirates to discover how countries with very little rainfall are using science to enhance their lot.
In the next episode, Seán explores the impact rain has on cultures worldwide.
He visits a holy well in Ireland which contains water that fell as rain hundreds of years ago.
Then, he explores the cultural significance of rain in countries and he puts the Child of Prague to the test to keep the rain away for an Irish wedding.
In the final episode, he travels from Inis Oírr to Arizona. Here, he learns about how a lack of rainfall impact people’s everyday lives.
He gains an insight into how one Scottish community puts their abundant rainfall to use to regenerate their isolated townland.
Finally, he pays a visit to Skellig Michael. Here, he discovered how the monks built a home on this isolated rock in the ocean and harvested rainwater to survive.
Other articles on That’s Farming:
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