Female Greenpeace 'warrior' to feature in new documentary

A Co Waterford woman who chased fishing pirates in the Mediterranean is being featured in a new TG4 documentary.

Mother-of-three Grace O’Sullivan from Tramore was a crew member of the ill-fated Greenpeace vessel, the ’Rainbow Warrior’, which was bombed by the French secret service in Auckland harbour, New Zealand in 1985.

The six-part series, Mná na Mara (Women of the Sea), shows Ms O’Sullivan on Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise vessel as it tries to counteract the illegal use of driftnets known as ’walls of death’ in the Mediterranean.

The mariner began her work with Greenpeace in 1981 to protest against the killing of baby seals in Scandinavia and has remained active around the world with the group.

The Irish-language documentary also features a swimmer from Co Donegal who hopes to cross the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland and a Co Kerry woman who gives up a high-powered job to become a salmon fisher in Alaska.

Director of the series, Rosie Nic Cionnaith said she hoped to portray the determination of women at sea, an occupation which is generally a man’s world.

“It is a tough life in many ways because you’re at the mercy of the weather and far, far, away from home comforts,” she said.

“These women have to be tough, determined, ambitious – and fearless when you consider several people die at sea every year.

She added: “On a human level, these women are prepared to spend weeks away from their families and friends.

“It is difficult to have any kind of a normal life when you are away at sea for long periods.”

The series, made by Co Cork production company Open Eye TV and funded by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, was filmed using a hand-held high-definition camera which records footage directly onto a memory card.

Also featured in the documentaries, which begin on on TG4 on Friday, is Co Donegal native Anne Marie Ward who attempts to swim the gruelling North Channel between Belfast and Scotland.

The first female chief engineer with the Irish Navy, Niamh Ní Fhatharta also appears in the series.