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Open Country

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Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of Britain

Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of the British Isles

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Open Country: Belfast Hills

Belfast Hills

04/12/2014

BBC Radio 4 - Open Country, Belfast Hills

Helen Mark is in the Belfast Hills to hear from the people who live and work there.

Helen Mark is in the Belfast Hills to hear from the people who live and work in the landscape.

Helen Mark makes a trip to the Belfast Hills and hears from the people who live and work in the landscape to discover how their lives have been shaped by the tough environment.

The Belfast Hills form an arc around the edge of the city, visible from virtually anywhere in Northern Ireland's capital.

Largely ignored by many of those living just a few miles in the city, the hills have always been a bustling centre of life. In fact without the linen industry that thrived in the Belfast Hills, the city would not have prospered.

Farming was common, mainly dairy and beef cattle, along with pigs and sheep, and the flax that grew in the hills fed the linen industry. Mills sprung up along with vast 'bleaching greens' to weave and finish the linen before it was taken down to the city to be sold.

Helen Mark meets with several local voices that have contributed to the Belfast Hills Spoken History Project: Roy Thompson has farmed in the area all his life; Joan Cosgrove and Rosalind Shaw provide memories of their childhood growing up and running riot in the Belfast Hills.

And how has the area changed? Helen finds out how the Belfast Hills are now a destination for those hoping to enjoy walking and the views across the whole of the city.

Presenter: Helen Mark
Producer: Martin Poyntz-Roberts.

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