From the top of Croagh Patrick to the top of Croke Park Hector travels backwards in time and forwards along the road in an effort to find out whatever happened to God, whatever happened to going to mass and what exactly have the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church done for us?
Enough with the big dresses and the bare knuckles and the sulky races - what Hector wants to know is whatever happened to the Irish traveller? Are there any left out there? And if there are any out there, well, could they please tell Hector what being an Irish traveller actually means? So circle the wagons, throw another log on the fire, take a seat and listen up. You're about to learn a thing or two.
"The smaller the town, the bigger the crowd". Hector dives into the world of Country and Western music - Irish style - in the company of Mike Denver, Ireland's answer to Garth Brooks. With the help of a few country music giants he prepares for his debut performance in the C&W hotbed that is Castleblayney. Thanks for dancing!
Is it really impossible to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds? Or more exactly to root for the fox and hang with the hounds? Well if anybody can Hector can. From Wicklow to Limerick with gun cocked and horses shod Hector immerses himself in the really rather beautiful world of hunting and shooting. More pheasant anybody?
We're an island race with a very strange attitude to the men and women who fish our waters. They put food on our tables, sure they do, and they sometimes die doing it but really, if we're honest about it, do we give a flying fish who lands the bloody things? Hector goes to sea, talks quotas and even engages with the Spanish trawlers on his seafaring journey.
It seems that quite suddenly we live in a world of speed dating and online match making. How do boys and girls (or any combination of boys and girls) actually meet in the time sink that is 21st century Ireland. In a freshly laundered shirt and with the Blue Stratos splashed on, Hector sets out to find a mate.
So... what are we actually made of? We're not taking about the artistic soul of the warrior Gael here - but rather about the ground beneath his feet. What is Ireland made of? What's under this green and fertile and stony grey soil? And how much of it is there? And who have we sold it to? With his divining rod in one hand, his panning pan in his back pack and the metal detector back in the camper van, Hector will set off to find out about the zinc under Navan, the gold in Croagh Patrick and the water in his own back garden. We'll talk silver, lead, coal, copper and gas and we'll talk fracking (why?), we'll talk turf cutting (why not?) and we'll talk pipelines !
Hector immerses himself in one of the most successful amateur associations, of any sort, in the world. Part sports association, part social services, all about passion and all about parish -- Unless you come from Cavan...Anyone for a game of handball? Or rounders?
Intrepid traveller Hector Ó hEochagáin heads 'Down Under' for an epic adventure across Australia and New Zealand. He dives straight into Melbourne's cultural melting pot, hitching a ride with the city's happiest tram driver. He then teams up with Irish AFL stars Áine McDonagh and Aileen Gilroy to explore Australia's capital of comedy and sports. Beyond the city, he discovers the booming business of snake-catching before heading north to cruise the Murray River by paddle boat. Rounding out his Victorian adventure, Hector tastes life on a bustling sheep station before taking in the thrills of the rodeo.
Hector Ó hEochagáin hitches a ride with an Australian Outback pilot to the town of Coober Pedy, where father and son opal miners share a slice of daily life. In the desert dust, he meets Protein Pete and his gyrocopter, explores the local power station, and checks out an underground hotel. An early morning mail run takes him deeper into the Outback toward the red centre of Alice Springs, where he joins a youth-focused community group, samples ancient bush foods and sends some Irish across the airwaves at the School of the Air
Hector Ó hEochagáin's Western Australian adventure begins in Perth, where he meets the state's most famous Sharon. He discovers why so many Irish workers flock to the region and meets an ex-pat whose career is soaring as a flying doctor. Beyond the city, he rides with a trailblazing female trucker and stargazes in the shadows of ancient astronomers. Further north in Broome, Hector meets a man with deep ties to the region's iconic pearl industry
Hector Ó hEochagáin beefs up his Aussie adventures at a Cloncurry cattle station where Wagyu roam the dusty plains. He then heads to Mount Isa to dig into Queensland's iconic mining town. He joins a local AFL team in Townsville, before visiting Magnetic Island to meet a wildlife warrior nursing koalas back to health. Before departing the Sunshine State, the presenter tracks down Australian rugby union great Stephen Moore
The Irish are out in force as Hector Ó hEochagáin hits Brisbane, crossing paths with Wexford scaffolder Joe and champion jockey Robbie Dolan, still buzzing from his Melbourne Cup win
Hector Ó hEochagáin crosses the Cook Strait from Wellington to the rugged South Island, landing mere minutes from New Zealand's famous Sauvignon Blanc region. Travelling south, he visits Kiwi birds and tracks down an authentic 'West Coaster'. A scenic rail ride carries him to Christchurch, where he casts a line with fly fisherwomen, visits a tattoo artist and views the city from above in a helicopter.
