Known as the Redlegs, they are the direct
descendants of the Scots transported to Barbados
by Cromwell after the Civil War. Scottish
author and broadcaster Chris Dolan went to
meet them to discover why they are still here
350 years later, what they know about their
roots, and what their prospects are today
when they are the poorest community on the
island.
Chris speaks to leading historians in Barbados
and Scotland about how their ancestors were
treated when they first arrived. Was their
plight as severe as that of the black slaves
from Africa? Nearly two centuries after emancipation,
this Redleg community has yet to find a role
on the island, where it is damned by association
with the days of slavery. could there yet
be a hopeful future for this lost Scottish
tribe?
For
over 179 years Dublin Zoo has been one of
Europe's largest and busiest ZOOs, now for
the first time the have opened their doors
in an unprecedented way to our cameras. Join
us as we go behind the screens with some of
the men and women who care for the 600 plus
exotic animals. 
"Barbados
has a special place in the Irish imagination
as the fantasy holiday destination. But 15
miles away from the main resorts there's a
community called the 'Redlegs', directly descended
from the Irish, sent by Cromwell in the 1650's
as indentured servants to provide free labor
for the new money-making machine of the sugar
plantations. This documentary tells the story
of the plight of these forced transportees
who were treated at first as badly as the
African slaves" RTE Christmas
guide.
