Filmed over two years, the four-part series portrays the wonders of Ireland’s oldest National Park in Killarney - a living archive of the country’s scenery, plants and wildlife. The show premiere airs this Sunday on TV3.
‘The Park’ gives viewers a rare insight into one of the last wild places in Ireland. The documentary captures footage of wildlife in action on land, in the air, and under water, focusing in particular on endangered species that have found a safe haven in the park.
The series is narrated by Irish environmentalist, writer and broadcaster, Dick Warner. Warner has been involved in several broadcast television documentaries, including double IFTA-winning ‘Irish Waterways’, which he wrote and presented.
Produced by Midas Productions for TV3, ‘The Park’ documents how life in Killarney National Park greatly changes from season to season, and reveals the great variety of flora and fauna that reside within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
The first episode of the series is focused on ‘Summer’, when Killarney National Park is full of life as many of the park’s species mate or take care of newborn. With footage of some of Ireland’s rare and beautiful insects that have never before been caught on camera, the series begins with the busiest time of year for the park’s wildlife. Paudi, who is the first white tailed eagle born in Ireland in over a century, is revealed in this episode.
The series was directed by Tomas Seoige, who also shot most of the series. The crew shot for 150 days for the series in total, with Tomas shooting 105 days on his own. In addition to Tomas’s footage, Domenico Pontillo, Ross Bartley, James Pembroke also shot footage for the series. ‘The Park’ was edited in Reelgood studios by James Dalton. Sound design was by James Daly and Peter Blainey.
Talking about the new documentary series, ‘The Park’ Series Producer, Lucia Gavin said: “It was a privilege to have been given the opportunity to capture the stunning beauty of Ireland's largest National Park over these four seasons. We believe it is a unique portrait of one of the last wild places in Ireland.”
‘The Park’ airs Sunday 16th March 2014 at 8pm on TV3. See a trailer for the series here.
