Ronan Keating takes to the Derry Walls for new BBC adventure series
Joined by comedian Diona Doherty, the singer tries his hand at competitive sheep herding in his final stop along the North West
Ronan Keating is trading the world stage for the Derry Walls in a brand-new BBC series, Ronan Keating’s Wild Atlantic, premiering on BBC One NI and iPlayer on Monday, March 16.
The former Boyzone frontman will take audiences on an epic journey around the west coast of Ireland.
This surprising, fun and at times emotional series offers an insight into Ronan’s childhood and family life as he visits Cork, Kerry, Mayo, Sligo, Donegal and Derry.
Throughout the series Ronan will be joined by family members and special guests including Westlife's Shane Filan, artist Terry Bradley and comedian Diona Doherty.
Ronan begins his journey along the Wild Atlantic Way in County Cork, where he is joined by nephew Ruairí as the pair go head to head in the traditional Irish sport of road bowling. The next stop is County Kerry, where Ronan fulfills some sporting dreams on the hurling pitch and catches up with his brother Gary to head out for some fishing on Killarney's Lough Leane.
Ronan also travels from County Mayo to Sligo where he meets up with fellow boyband veteran Shane Filan of Westlife for some horse riding on Strandhill Beach. He then sets sail with his nephew Conall to visit Clare Island, a special place for the entire Keating family.
As he heads north, Ronan explores the northwest coast on his motorbike with longtime friend Terry Bradley before taking to the stage for an impromptu performance in one of Donegal’s popular country music venues. The last stop on the journey is Derry, where Ronan visits the Derry Walls with Diona Doherty and hits a farm to find out just what it takes to be a competitive sheepherder.
Ronan says: “It’s felt really special making this series, rediscovering magical places that have meant so much to me and my family. I was 16 when I left Ireland, and there was so much of the west coast I hadn’t seen. Now, I’m coming home, and I can’t wait for viewers to share all the laughter and tears along the way.”
Ronan Keating’s Wild Atlantic is a BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Daytime co-commission, as part of the Hot House initiative with support from Northern Ireland Screen and Tourism Ireland. The series is produced by Alleycats TV.
The series will air on BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC iPlayer from Monday, March 16 and on BBC Two from Monday, April 6.