Frances Black & Holly Hamilton front NI Episode of RTE Tracks & Trails

The beloved walking series Tracks & Trails returns this spring on RTE for its 13th season, as presenter Doireann Ní Ghlacáin explores Ireland's most beautiful trails alongside a stellar lineup of Irish personalities. NI episode airs RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Friday April 24th at 8:30pm.

This five-part series journeys through Louth, Roscommon, Longford, Antrim, Kildare and Dun Laoghaire combining stunning scenery with compelling conversations about heritage, history, and personal connections to the land.

Ní Ghlacáin travels to Northern Ireland for an episode, commissioned by Tourism NI, that captures its wild spirit and extraordinary landscapes.

BBC Broadcaster Holly Hamilton takes on the iconic Cave Hill above Belfast, a landmark that has watched over the city for centuries and inspired some of its most enduring legends. Starting at Belfast Castle and covering a route of 3km, the duo pass the Devil’s Punchbowl before arriving at Napolean’s Nose, the pinnacle with views over the entire city and as far as the Scottish coastline.

Holly said “We are spoilt. If you want to be quite adventurous you can do Cavehill which has a bit more of an incline and a payoff with the view, that's what you come here for. Or you can go to some of the National Trust sites- I grew up next to Mount Stewart which has a lovely forest”.

Then legendary Irish singer and senator Frances Black joins Doireann on a journey to the remote and hauntingly beautiful Rathlin Island off the Causeway Coast, Ireland's northernmost inhabited island, where history, wildlife, and the raw power of the Atlantic come together in one unforgettable walk. Famed for its wildlife reserve and lighthouses, Frances and Doireann walk a 9km loop along the cliffs from the Harbour to Rue Point Lighthouse.

Having spent her childhood summers on Rathlin Island, Frances said: “I feel like I'm an islander, my father being from here, I have that very strong connection, my spiritual home'.

'When I get on the boat over in Ballycastle and arrive on Rathlin; the minute I step off that boat, I just feel all the anxiety leave me and I feel like I'm home. Its home for me. Walking for me is the most meditative thing that I could possibly do. If I'm on Rathlin I get two walks a day, it is fuel for the soul”.

Series 13 pairs each landscape with voices that bring new meaning to these beautiful walking trails on the island of Ireland. Five Episodes. Six counties. Many stories you haven't heard before.

For more inspiration on tracks and trails, visit discovernorthernireland.com