BBC Radio 3 shines a light on Rathlin Island in special broadcast
National BBC radio is to spotlight a special part of Rathlin Island in a coming broadcast.
That’s because the picturesque outcropping off the Co Antrim coast is join part of a 12-hour “live musical adventure” linking wild coastal locations around the UK that are home to lighthouses with music, storytelling and sound.
On September 26, a series of two-hour broadcasts comes from lighthouses as far apart as Dungeness on the south-east coast of England and the Ardnamurchan Peninsula in the Scottish Highlands.
Among them is Rathlin Island’s West Light, home to the RSPB’s Seabird Centre. Cellist and composer Neil Martin and harpist Una Monaghan are to perform, their pieces inspired by the rhythms, landscapes and histories of the island as its wild birds get ready to leave its dramatic cliffs for the open ocean as autumn draws in.
Called ‘Where The Light Sings’, the UK-wide special event runs live from 8am to 8pm, with the Rathlin broadcast starting at noon.
According to the broadcaster, the day “celebrates the poetry of Britain’s shorelines” by inviting listeners to consider the UK’s shores “not simply as places on a map, but as sources of inspiration, creativity and connection”.
Radio 3 controller Sam Jackson said the event follows from a day of live programmes last year celebrating 200 years of railways.
“Our listeners enjoy opportunities to celebrate the people, places and stories that shape life across the UK,” he said. “Where The Light Sings builds on that spirit, bringing audiences together through music, conversation, and moments of discovery, while exploring the history, heritage and natural beauty of some of the most inspiring and remote locations along our coastline.”