The lead-up to the wedding of a Connemara fisherman to a nurse unfamiliar with the world of fishing is the subject of a fly-on-the wall bilingual series on TV.

Tarrac na Farraige is a new four-part observational documentary following the highs and lows of life at sea through the eyes of professional fishermen working from ports around the Irish coast.

Among them is MacDara Breathnach from Carna and his wife Aileen O’Donnell, a native of Ballina, Co Mayo.

MacDara fishes the family boat Cruach na Cara for lobster and crab and is a skipper on a Cork-based trawler which lands prawns.

He spends 18 hour solitary days behind the wheel of the Rose of Sharon for two weeks on, two weeks off, while the rest of the crew are on deck.

“I’m sitting on my own most of the time. I love fishing the small boat, it’s more of a hobby than anything. It gives a very small bit of extra income, and I fish with my father who has retired so it gives him something to do. I would love to be able to just fish the small boat but it’s not big enough to make it full-time,” he explains.

“It’s tough being away from my wife for a fortnight, it’s the only downside to be honest.”

MacDara got married last September and the couple live in Renmore in the city. He commutes to Carna and Cork for work. He has worked full-time as a fisherman since 2010 and got his skipper licence five years later.

Apart from a stint in construction, he has been fishing his whole life – like his father Seamus, who also worked for Bord Iascaigh Mhara, uncle Micheál and cousin Paraic.

But it’s getting harder all the time to earn a living.

“It’s grim to be fair. It’s very hard for young people to get into the industry with the cost of boats, the licence, the gear. A lobster pot cost up to up to €100 and you need hundreds – and a fisherman will get €8 per lobster in the summer – it goes up to €12 when they’re less plentiful. The regulations in the fishing industry are also very stringent.”

Despite the hardships, MacDara couldn’t see himself doing anything else and loves working outside even in the harsh elements.

Caption: MacDara Breathnach…cameras capture run-up to his big day.

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