Cílán Doyle

Well now I'm joined in studio by marine biologist Cílán Doyle who has waited some 35 years to tell me this story.

Cílán, good morning and welcome.

Good morning Pat, how are you?

I'm very well.

Now you and I had a conversation about 35 years ago.

What were the circumstances?

About 35 years ago and I waited all these years to tell you the story and

Now we're not just telling you, but we're getting to tell all your listeners.

We had a conversation on air about a proposed adventure of yours.

Yeah, so I was, and you have to sort of picture the scene.

I was this 17-year-old young marine biologist, and I'd heard this story that there was a part of Ghana that the Americans wanted to set up a hydroelectric power station, and they were going to flood an area the size of Wales, right?

Bui National Park.

And this area had never been investigated scientifically, so nobody knew what was in this area.

A, because it was remote, but it was plagued by the black fly, which causes river blindness.

So all men over 30 were actually blind in this area.

My goodness.

So I got it into my head, 17, full of the energies and enthusiasm for life that we would like to try and do something about it and where else to go but contact Pat Kenny and of course, you know, there's no emails, there's no, you know, social media so I think we rang a switchboard expecting to be told to take a long jump and next thing we were on live radio with yourself and

the nerves and the fear, but you just made us feel so relaxed.

And I think the enthusiasm and the passion came across.

Now, this was a trip of you and one other person.