Brian’s first flight of golden eagle chick in Ireland

The first golden eagle chick born in captivity anywhere in Ireland was bred by a Dundalk man, the Argus has learned.

Brian McCann, who is originally from Park Street, featured in a special RTE report last week about his fascinating dedication to falconry, and the delicate task of creating new life in the eagle world!

‘It was a much loved hobby for me for 25 years said Brian,’ a retired firefighter with Louth Fire and Rescue Service.

‘Something that was a passion more than a business, but gradually I started getting a lot of requests for falconry shows and events, and it has become a lot busier.’

His fascination with the Golden Eagle, a bird of prey whose numbers have been under threat across Ireland in recent years, saw Brian take on the challenging task of ‘ breeding new life’ into the population.

‘It is a very delicate procedure, done by artificial insemination. The idea came to me really after I had bought a male eagle from Scotland, and it turned out he was a donor bird.’

Brian began the search for a female, and eventually found ‘Olga’ so named after her Russian heritage. At the beginning of 2015, the winter mating season for eagles, he began the process.

‘I couldn’t believe it, but this time it worked and we found there were three chicks on the way.’

Although one did not survive, the constant care and attention to the mother bird helped in the successful birth of two chicks, the first to be born in captivity in Ireland.

‘We have been very, very lucky this year. It is an extremely challenging task, but one that I enjoyed every step of the way.’

Along with helping to save the eagle’s threatened population in Ireland, Brian has been sharing his love of the bird of prey with the masses, through his business Newgrange Falconry.

‘We have been getting bookings from across the country, for all types of events, from corporate days to wedding receptions.’

His beloved birds have also introduced him to some well known showbiz names.

‘I had a booking in a hotel down the country during the summer, and when I turned up I thought I recognised this man who was there, obviously on holiday with his family.

It took me a bit to figure out who he was, but then I realised, it was Jon Bon Jovi!

The superstar rocker was indeed on a low key family holiday in Ireland. ‘ They had a great day with the eagle, I carried on as normal with the exhibition, and they had great fun.’