Hannah and Ireland make perfect math

IN the very first episode, Hannah goes back to her roots.

- MEG JORSH

The Cambridge academic, whose mother is Irish, already visits regularly to see her family in Cork.

Now she considers how the nation has been shaped by its tragic past. Events like the Great Famine, which killed more than a million people in the 1800s, have left their mark on the national character.

Many fled the country on dangerous “coffin ships,” leaving via Donegal - where Hannah meets surfer Easkey Britton.

Hannah says: “I hadn't fully grasped Ireland's historic relationship with the Atlantic — the fear, that darker past. Easkey told me some fishers once avoided learning to swim so, if they fell overboard, their end would be faster.

“Today, you have huge surf competitions on those same coasts - a profound reshaping of the ocean relationship.”

SPAIN

IT might seem like Spain has a strong national identity - but according to Hannah, the reality is slightly more complicated.

The mountainous country sits at a “world crossroads” - with Europe to the north, Africa to the south and the Atlantic to the west.

It's created a nation split into distinct regions, each with their own traditions, food and even languages.

Thanks to that unique geography, Hannah says Spain was the hardest country to capture.

She adds: "It's mountainous with strong distinct regional identities, yet to the outside world it reads as a single coherent story especially given its global legacy and language.

"Reconciling that internal diversity with the external image was the challenge.