Documentary to zoom in on Shannon wildlife

Bats, squirrels and the humble Irish pike will be seen in high-definition glory in a ground-breaking documentary set to hit our screens tomorrow.

Using technology previously employed by director Christopher Nolan in his movie Inception, a small Irish film company has captured an intimate portrait of Irish wildlife in slow-motion detail.

Snapping kingfishers and dragonflies at 1,000 frames per second, the two-part documentary to be shown on RTÉ uncovers surprising secrets about the private lives of Ireland’s wildlife.

The series reveals details about animal behaviour, showing for the first time water bats hunting at night and remarkable underwater footage of the mating dance of Shannon’s great predator, the pike.

Wicklow filmmakers, Crossing the Line, hit the international stage last year with an Emmy nomination for their film about tigers in India and are currently filming gorillas in the Congo for the BBC — but they are delighted to be bringing it all back home for The Secret Life of the Shannon.

“We have filmed on seven continents and honed our techniques and technology over the past 20 years,” says camera man and director John Murray.

“So it’s great to be bringing all that knowledge back to the banks of the Shannon, where we’ve found just as much mystery and beauty as anywhere around the world.”

Emmy-award winning wildlife presenter Colin Stafford-Johnson explored the little-known islands, lakes and tributaries of the Shannon over two years, paddling his canoe to discover the teeming life of Ireland’s largest river.

The two-part film follows the river from dawn to dusk through four seasons and captures its changing moods and atmosphere — as well as the acrobatic antics of red squirrels, magnificent whooper swans ending their migration, and the exquisite orange-tipped butterfly.

The filmmakers also gain access to a series of remote places that few ever experience, shooting high in the tree canopy for weeks, following the intimate goings-on of a little egret colony as parent birds brood their young in a giant nesting platform some 30ft in the air.

Broadcast as part of the RTÉ Goes Wild Season — a month-long season of wildlife-themed programmes, The Secret Life of the Shannon is set to cast a whole new light on the struggles and surprising domestic dramas of Ireland’s rich riverside wildlife.

- The Secret Life of the Shannon will be broadcast tomorrow on RTÉ 1 at 6.30pm, with the second episode on June 2.