Revealing insight to shift in attitude to basking shark on Mayo island

An astounding and highly original show is coming to Westport next Saturday, November 15, at 6 p.m.

It's The Basking Shark Fishermen of Achill island, created by the son of a man who worked with the shark hunters.

Using real life testaments from former shark hunters, the show traces how the islanders’ attitudes shifted.

It demonstrates how we can change our relationship with an endangered species so it, and we, benefit.

Just one generation ago, the men on Achill Island were working as basking shark hunters. When the sharks arrived in early May each year, the bays of the island were turned red with their blood.

Wielding harpoons from their curraghs, the shark hunters butchered these mighty beasts for their liver to be used as oil.

But within one generation, the hunted have become revered.

Now the arrival of the basking sharks each Spring brings a flock of tourists to the island, providing much needed income outside of the busy summer season.

The same families who once hunted, now protect the shark and ward off any tourists who dare to trespass too close and disturb them.

The show tells this triumphant ecological tale in film, archive footage and interviews with those involved, accompanied by original live music by Achill Sound band, composed by Achill Islander Graham Sweeney whose father John worked with the hunters as a boy.

Graham said: "My family had a large involvement in the industry, which is why I viewed it with a heavy heart and anger. It is only in recent years that I see both sides of the story; on a quiet island with little industry, forcing many people to leave home for work, you cannot blame them for wanting to survive and support their families.

"There was not a great understanding of damaging a species towards extinction. All that the local people knew was survival.

"I want to shine a light on the days gone by by recording as many first-hand accounts and stories as possible. While some community members recall 'the glory days of the shark fishing', others mourn the loss of these magnificent, harmless giants of the ocean.’

The show is part of Circus Science by the Sea Festival. Booking here.