Inishturk wedding plans may be ruined by the weather
In episode three of Islanders - TV3's four-part series looking at the lives of residents on three of Ireland's offshore islands - it’s Nathan’s last day at school on Inishturk, Co. Mayo, and from September he must move to the mainland, just two days after his mum’s wedding.
The unstable weather, meanwhile, means that mum Bríd and her fiancé Joe must organise a second ‘back-up’ wedding on the mainland in case the ferry cannot make the crossing to the island on the big day.
Episode three of Islanders airs this Wednesday (April 29) at 9 p.m. on TV3 and opens on 'Turk, where Nathan's impending move to the mainland for school is preying on his mum's mind. The weather is also playing havoc with Bríd’s emotions. Having to organise a 'back-up' wedding on the mainland means it's double the work in a short space of time.
With pressure mounting the couple bring in wedding planner, Rhona Chambers from Hotel Westport. However, it’s the first island wedding Rhona has ever undertaken. As the big day gets closer, the weather worsens and it looks like Bríd’s dream of an island wedding is fading away.
Also in episode three, on Arranmore, Co. Donegal, we meet island fishing legend Andrew Early, who is the first man to have given Daniel O’Donnell his big break in the music business by giving him his first gig in his island pub. Now Daniel returns to perform his first Irish concert following his mother’s passing. It's the first time Daniel has travelled to Arranmore without his late mother Julia, who came from the nearby Owey Island, and he is dedicating a special concert on the island to her.
On Whiddy Island, Co. Cork, the shrimp season reopens at the start of August. For islander Danny O’Leary and his deckhand Curly, it's a crucial time. Before the season closed, their catch of prawn and shrimp was nothing short of disastrous. Now they are praying and hoping for an upturn in fortune.
As they take to the bay, however, it is soon evident that things are not about to improve. To make matters worse, today they must meet their wholesaler to agree a price for the season. With the meagre catch they have it does not bode well for the season or Danny’s future as islander.
With many twists and turns along the way, Islanders follows the lives and stories of a number of characters over a tumultuous year to learn what threatens their survival, to discover a different way of life, and to share in what it means to be an islander.