Live from Rathlin West

One by one, the lights come on…

In the week of World Maritime Day, Radio 3 embarks on a unique live journey around Britain’s coastline, marking the 200th anniversary of Longstone Lighthouse and celebrating the lights that have guarded our shores for generations.

Across twelve hours of live broadcasting, Where the Light Sings travels the length and breadth of the UK in a lighthouse relay, broadcasting from wild and remote places rarely heard on national radio. Presenters around the coast will pass the baton from Dungeness in Kent to Ardnamurchan in Scotland, Strumble Head in Wales, Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland and St Aidan's Church in Bamburgh, where the legendary Victorian lighthouse heroine Grace Darling is buried, before the journey heads towards the far south-western edges of Britain.

Petroc Trelawny anchors the adventure with a special journey of his own - providing updates along the way - to reach his location for the final broadcast of the day as the sun goes down.

Music provides the soundtrack to the journey, from great classical works inspired by the sea, islands and lighthouses, to music rooted in the landscapes and communities around them. Live performances from around the coastline sit alongside the elemental sounds of the sea - crashing waves, wind, gulls and bells - and voices of lighthouse keepers, engineers, lifesavers, sailors, and those whose lives have been shaped by these extraordinary places.

From the first broadcast on the shingle landscape of Dungeness to a final destination on the Atlantic edge of Britain as darkness falls, Where the Light Sings is a shared adventure and a celebration of light, music and our enduring relationship with the sea.

The third light of the day flickers on at the West Light on Rathlin Island, six miles north of the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland, where music, storytelling and nature meet at the edge of the Atlantic. Gathering at the island's extraordinary 'upside-down' lighthouse, built below the cliff line so its beam could shine beneath sea mist and low cloud, musicians Neil Martin and Una Monaghan perform live, inspired by the rhythms, landscapes and histories of this remarkable place.

John Toal presents live from the RSPB Seabird Centre at the Lighthouse as autumn arrives and the seabirds leave Rathlin's cliffs for the open ocean. Joined by storytellers, musicians and local guests, he explores how the island has been shaped by migration, weather and the sea. Through music and local voices, John discovers stories of lighthouse keepers, folklore, island life and the enduring connections between Scotland and Ireland that have flowed through these waters for centuries.

A journey through music, stories and island life, live from Rathlin's iconic West Light.