A pair of rare golden eagles has started nesting in Donegal - nearly a century after zealous gamekeepers and Victorian trophy-hunters drove the species to extinction on the island.
Under a scheme to bring back the huge birds of prey, six were re-introduced to the wild and remote Donegal hills in 2001 using chicks from Scotland.
"It is extremely encouraging that two of these six birds have paired up and attempted to breed at the earliest possible stage," said Lorcan O'Toole, manager of the Golden Eagle Reintroduction Project.
"The birds built a small eyrie, made from heather twigs, old dried-out thistle stalks, woodrush, rushes and grasses."
Golden eagles, so-called because of their yellowish-brown head and neck, were common in Ireland - and a feature of Celtic poetry and art - until the late 1700s when the country's human population began to grow.
Game-shooting parties, popular on country estates in the late 19th and early 20th century, helped kill off the last few pairs and gave Ireland the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world where the birds have become extinct in modern times.
Mr O'Toole said the golden eagles' attempts to breed had so far been unsuccessful but this was not unusual.
The nest's location is being kept secret to protect the birds and any future eggs or chicks. Some 35 golden eagles - electronically tagged to monitor their movements - have been released in Donegal since the initial six were reintroduced four years ago.