1980, neglected for years by Church and State, the future viability of Ireland's off-shore communities was hanging in the balance. Tory Island, Co. Donegal was next on the list.
The story of Toraigh Island took a new turn when Father Ó Péicín, a Jesuit priest, took a job on the island.
He set about investigating what was going on and found that the people did not really wish to leave…..this programme will tell the story of how he rallied the community to stand up and fight for their right to stay on their island and helped them to get their rights as Irish citizens, how he used the media as a vehicle for their campaign and how he lobbied officials in Dublin, Strasbourg and the US and gave the Tory people back the power to decide what they wanted……which was to stay on Tory and improve their living conditions….
Fr. Ó Péicín was banished from Tory by the Bishop of Raphoe because he was outspoken and the centre of media attention.
Today, we see a thriving community on Tory and some of the islanders who left during the attempted evacuation have even returned to live on the island.