The Bundoran zoologist with a passion for Wildlife

Anyone who caught a glimpse of the spectacular ‘Ireland’s Wild Islands’ television series on RTÉ last Sunday would have been impressed by the amazing images that were captured for the audience, in what took three years to complete.

The new three part documentary series will see imagery from Rathlin Island in Antrim to Cork, while exploring the wildlife found on our offshore islands.

The first episode, which aired on Sunday last, is now available on RTÉ Player, and focused on Malin Head, Inishtrahull and Tory Island.

But all of this just doesn't happen magically as Eoin Dillon from Bundoran knows very well. He was the production manager for the company ‘Crossing the Line’ that brought it all together, in a co-production with RTÉ and ARTE, the European culture channel.

Eoin is the son of Bernie and the late Commandant Jim Dillon of the 28 Inf Batt, who passed away in 2006, when Eoin was just 11 years of age.

He has an older brother, Thomas and a younger sister, Áine.

And with the beautiful coastal backdrop of the resort’s undulating waves near his West End home, close to myriad assorted little sea creatures, it drew the young Eoin to the coast like a magnet, starting a journey that led him to where he is today.

The budding scientist was later awarded a first class honours science degree from Trinity College Dublin, specialising in Zoology, having earlier received his secondary school education at the local Magh Ene College.

Magh Ene College Bundoran where the young Eoin was a past pupil

He said that the school’s involvement in the Young Scientists Exhibition had been a big plus, while a student there.

He now has more than five years experience working as a researcher and production coordinator on multiple science documentaries.

This has included researching for the likes of the Smithsonian Network and even National Geographic, where he initially honed his skills at finding reliable and interesting information at a fast pace.

It also gave him opportunities to mix with some of the greatest leaders in the field including the legendary naturalist, David Attenborough.

Basking Shark Ireland Episode 1 - © George Karbus 2023

He joined the Crossing the Line team in late 2019 for a number of exciting projects for the BBC, RTÉ and International Broadcasters.

Eoin is now Drumcondra, Dublin based, with the company he works for, based in Mayo.

He said: “My interest has always been in animals. Growing up in Bundoran, I would have spent half my summers down at the rock pools. The biology teachers in Magh Ene were great and I had an interest in the subject and they were able to nurture that well.

When he did his Science degree, Eoin specialised in Zoology and initially his first idea was to continue within the academic field and further studies.

He explained what happened next: “Two months after I finished my degree in 2017, an email was circulated to all the zoology graduates about a British production company, looking for a couple of new graduates to work on a wildlife documentary and I was one of the fortunate ones to get it.”

That was over a 17 month period and was for a Canadian broadcasting company.

“You do not need a zoology degree to work in a wildlife documentary but it really helps in the pre and post production stage, just to make sure that the science is right. But there would be many other things required, including logistics and that can cover anything from scoping out a potential for a shoot area, movement of camera equipment or ensuring the correct licences were applied for, to film.

Eoin Dillon out on one of his many reconnaissance missions as part of his job

“This documentary series has been years in the making. Being in Ireland there is a limited window of opportunity as you obviously want to shoot during the better and sunnier weather. Of course trying to film on the islands made the challenges even more so, because you could go out to an offshore island in a storm.”

While his earlier experiences saw him having to relocate ‘across the pond’ to Britain which has a total industry dedicated to wildlife, which is based around Bristol and London, his more recent work has a very Irish feel to it.

“Crossing the Line, the company I am with now, they do a lot of excellent stuff for Irish audiences. I have been with them on and off since 2019 because of Covid.

“Last year we had the Wild Gardener which featured in October on RTÉ, with renowned wildlife cameraman and presenter Colin Stafford Johnson.

“He transformed a plot of land into a wild garden over two years and they also were involved with ‘Note for Nature’ which also delved into some of the pressing environmental issues that abound around nature and this was aired over the Christmas.”

“The first episode of this new ‘Ireland’s Wild Islands’ has a lot of Donegal content, so I would highly recommend people to watch it on RTÉ Player, if they didn't get the chance to view it on Sunday last already.”

No doubt, we will still have much more to see from the young Eoin, who still has to reach his 30th birthday.

Ireland’s Wild Islands airs on 6:30pm, Sundays on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player

Episode 2 this Sunday sees Eoin Warner, the Corkonian presenter (not to be confused with our Eoin) continue his journey south from Mayo to Clare - featuring the extraordinary battles of breeding Grey Seals on the Inishkea islands; a wondrous native woodland on Clare Island and as he sails his Galway Hooker through Connemara’s turquoise waters - he finds deserted islands home to Skylarks and on the Aran Islands - Ireland’s only native reptile.

Then he experiences the most remarkable wild experience of his life - dozens of Basking Sharks off the Clare coast engaged in an extraordinary breeding display - a truly amazing encounter being seen nowhere else on the planet.