English academics leave behind their city lives for the rural tranquility of the south west of Ireland.
In 1979, Ed and Winifred Harper bought a small holding on the island of Cape Clear in pursuit of their dream of living a more practical and rewarding way of life.
Because of its insularity, Cape Clear has escaped many of the pressures which have weakened the language and the cultural tradition elsewhere.
In this excerpt from the series 'Breathing Space' Ed Harper talks about his desire to learn Irish as one of his motivations for moving to Ireland.
'Breathing Space' featured six half hour documentaries originally broadcast in 1979. The programmes were filmed at locations which, at that time, were remote and where there was time and space to breathe.
This episode of 'Breathing Space' titled 'Away From It All' was broadcast on 17 December 1979.
