Engaging and entertaining stories from the historic Shetland Islands will feature on a special radio documentary produced and presented by Killarney broadcaster and journalist Frank Lewis whose wife, Siubhan Lewis, was the sound technician for the project.
The programme will feature wildlife wardens on the Isle of Noss, Jen Clark and Sally Rea, who will reflect on about a pair of Great Skuas who called every morning for breakfast but died during the pandemic while archaeologist and site manager Lucy Morris will explain that Jarlshof, one of the most important neolithic settlements in Britain, was lived in for over 4,000 years and was uncovered by a sand storm.
Journalist Mark Burgess, meanwhile, will tell how, in Scalloway, the daring Shetland Bus operations carried men and resources across the North Sea in small fishing boats to support the Norwegian resistance during World War II and their bravery helped shorten the war.
The two-hour documentary will start on Radio Kerry at 9.00am next Saturday morning. May 27 and the broadcast can be heard on podcast from the following Tuesday or Wednesday on the same site under podcasts/saturdaysupplement/May 27.
Frank and Siubhan Lewis were in the Shetlands – at the northern-most tip of Scotland – from April 29 to May 13 and they gathered several great stories including how on the Island of Fetlar music was stolen from the trows – the Shetland version of leprechauns and how lighthouse keepers had given a vital eight-minute warning of the loudest explosion ever heard in Britain from the World War II bombing on Scapa Flow 120 miles away on Orkney in 1940.
On the cliffs at the Hermaness National Nature Reserve, on the Isle of Unst, they learn how the gannet population had increased dramatically over decades but was severely hit by bird ‘flu. Puffins have declined, kittiwakes, Arctic terns and Arctic skuas even more so, due to food availability.
Frank and Siubhan’s visit was supported by Promote Shetland, with help from Visit Scotland and Shetland Amenity Trust. They flew Loganair from Dublin to Sumburgh via Aberdeen.
KillarneyToday.com: Be wise and advertise where it’s seen. Email: news@killarneytoday.com or Call 087-2229761
