The forgotten homes of WW1 veterans in Fermanagh are to be explored in a new series starting next week on BBC Two Northern Ireland.

In the series Tréigthe, presenter Cormac Ó hÁdhmaill uncovers the history behind some of Ulster’s forgotten buildings, previously brimming with life, now neglected and reclaimed by nature. All across Ulster, hundreds of places, including castles, places of worship, prisons, at one time vibrant with noise and activity, once pulsing with life, now lie dormant, deserted and desolate. Tréigthe, (Abandoned) starting on Monday, March 22 at 10pm on BBC Two Northern Ireland, is a new three-part Irish language series made for BBC Gaeilge by DoubleBand Films with support from Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund.

While Cormac uncovers the rich and extensive history of these buildings and the lives forgotten spanning decades and centuries, he is joined by architect Ciarán Mackel who explores some of these old buildings that have been granted a new lease of life. Each week, Cormac and Ciarán set out to pull back the ivy, blow off the dust, and rediscover some of these fascinating places and their stories. Their adventure brings us to abandoned, moss-covered railway stations, ancient tumbledown castles, churches reclaimed by mother nature and factories where the sound of industry rang throughout the walls and which now echo quietly, dormant and disused.

In each episode, Cormac explores the stories behind why these formerly lively locations have been abandoned. While architect Ciarán is investigating how some buildings are being restored and repurposed after being neglected for so long. In episode one Cormac surveys forgotten homes of WWI veterans in Fermanagh, explores the now-empty Armagh Gaol, and visits an ancient island castle in Cavan. Ciarán looks at the transformation of the former Ebrington Barracks in Derry. In the second episode Cormac finds out about the abandoned village of Glentornan in Donegal. In Belfast, he hears about the heyday of the now dilapidated Templemore Baths while Ciarán visits a school regeneration in west Belfast. In the final episode Cormac visits an abandoned railway station in the Glens, a derelict mill in Co. Down, and a deserted lighthouse off the Larne coast. Ciarán examines the future of the storied Riddel’s Warehouse in Belfast.