Rapturous topic for young Burren author

ELEVEN-year-old Declan Cairney began volunteering with the Burren Birds of Prey Centre over a year ago and since then, his love of raptors has intensified. The birds eventually proved the inspiration for the fifth-class pupil to write his first book, Raptors – A Pocket Guide to Birds of Prey and Owls, which will be launched at the centre this Saturday.
“I have been with the birds for over a year now and I love them more and more every time I see them. I don’t know if that happens to everyone but I think they are the nicest animal in the world. I volunteer just helping them out generally, cleaning the cages, bringing the birds out on display, helping to fly them and feeding them. I also prepare food for them and help prepare them for their shows,” Declan explained.
At 10, Declan already had ideas about getting published. In Northampton National School, he and his schoolmates had taken part in the Write a Book project, run through Galway Education Centre. Each of the children completed a book, including research, writing, forewords, covers and illustrations, within six weeks. Declan now knew he could write a book, the next thing was to decide a new topic and find a publisher.
“I had already decided that I wanted to write a book and if possible get it published. That seemed a bit far-fetched at the time. It was after that that I started working with the Burren Birds of Prey centre and then I decided that if I am going to write a book, it has to be about these because these are just fantastic,” he told The Clare Champion.
According to the young author, his family’s support has been key to getting the book from his imagination onto the shelves.
“My family has been fantastic. My brother and my dad have helped me on the way. My dad also brings me to the Birds of Prey centre every weekend. My mum took care of most of the business side and contacted the publishers and all that and helped me with the money but I did all the pictures myself and the typing too. My mum and dad gave me some advice on the drawings because they both studied art in school and are both really good,” Declan explained.
“I did all the research myself too. When I started working at the centre, I learned through experience and the people there kept giving me little tips and things to watch out for and when I was there, I saw lots of wild birds. They would help me identify them and then anytime I had a chance, I would buy a book or a spotter’s guide so over time I have learned so much,” he added.
Declan’s favourite bird of prey is the osprey “because it only eats fish” and has “seen loads of types of birds of prey including ones from Africa and South America and ones from all over Ireland”.
Declan has decided to donate the money from the book to the Golden Eagle Trust, a registered charity dedicated to the conservation and restoration of Ireland’s native birds and their habitats.
“I wanted to donate money to them because they are introducing the birds of prey back into Ireland and it costs a lot of money to do that and to have the right equipment to it. My mum contacted Gordon D’Arcy and asked him to read the book. He ended up writing the foreword and he put us in touch with Lorcan O’Toole. My family brought me to Donegal and I met with Lorcan, who is in charge of reintroducing the golden eagle into Glenveagh National Park. I spoke to him and he gave us the go-ahead to donate the money and on Saturday, he is coming to the book launch and is going to do a talk about birds of prey,” he explained.
Declan also spoke to James Irons, a raptor conservationist and falconer at Burren Bird of Prey Centre who supported the book.
While publishing a book is quite expensive, the young raptor enthusiast believes it is worthwhile.
“If a child knows what they are doing and if their parents can help them, it can turn out really, really well. Everyone should think about writing a book, it can be a hard thing to do but if you get it right, then it turns out absolutely brilliant,” Declan concluded.
Raptors – A Pocket Guide to Birds of Prey and Owls will be launched at the Burren Birds of Prey Centre at Aillwee Cave on Saturday at 11am. 
“The event is to celebrate the enthusiasm and talent of Declan and also the support he has pledged for the Golden Eagle Trust (GET), as well as the support and funding provided by the Burren Birds of Prey Centre for the GET’s Red Kite Reintroduction Project in Dublin,” explained Barbara Faulkner of the centre.
Declan will be signing copies of his book, which will be available for sale on the day, in conjunction with talks on Irish Raptors by Lorcan O’Toole and Marc Ruddock of the GET. The day will culminate with a flying display of trained raptors by James Irons, manager of the Burren Birds of Prey Centre at Aillwee Cave.
For more information on Declan’s book, go to: http://originalwriting.ie/bookshop/non-fiction/educational/raptors-a-pocket-guide-to-birds-of-prey-owls/.