The Great Western lakes village of Tourmakeady is the focus of a TV programme on TG4 this week.
The programme presented by Síle Nic Chonaonaigh is part of a series entitled Bailte which explores the resilience within townlands and rural communities.
Tourmakeady or Tuar Mhic Éadaigh, the village nestled between the shores of Lough Mask and the Partry Mountains in south Mayo, is one of over 60,000 such communities on the island.
“A picture postcard scenic area of gently rolling hills and lake views disguise a turbulent history of local persecution and our nation's fight for independence,” TG4 says.
“The world-renowned Lough Mask has for generations sustained the local community and Síle learns of the immense local pride connected with the lake,”it says.
She also “explores the generational effects of emigration but also meets with a younger generation who intend to once again return to their native village”.
The series is billed as a “celebration of hard-working and vibrant communities working to ensure their community is more than just a mere layby and a pretty spot on the Wild Atlantic Way”.
As well as the many advantages of living in rural townlands, the series also “shares the difficulties living in remote area, rural depopulation, lack of basic services, unemployment and the uncertain futures of both the farming and the fishing industries”, TG4 says.
Bailte’s profile of Tourmakeady/ Tuar Mhic Éadaigh is presented by Síle Nic Chonaonaigh this Thursday, March 30th, at 8 pm on TG4.
