ON an autumn day four years ago the former Taoiseach, Mr Charles J. Haughey, began an experiment on his private island off the Co Kerry coast. To Inis Mhicileain one of the Blasket Islands he brought two sea eagles, Maeve the female, and Aillil, the male.
The immature pair had been coaxed in the art of feeding themselves off the south west coast where once the magnificent species had soared and roamed free.
This was before, at the turn of the century, they were shot and poisoned to extinction by farmers, who regarded them as a sheep killing menace.
Mr Haughey's vision was to reintroduce the eagle. He called in Mr Claus Fentzloff, a leading German expert, and on that famous day we watched as the exTaoiseach, with leather gauntlets on, called the massive birds to his arm. "Are you nervous?" asked Mr Fentzloff. "Let them come," Mr Haughey replied, adding "I've dealt with Maggie in my day."
The eagles came, first Maeve, then Aillil. The successful trial flight was repeated several times, and at last the tethers were removed. The eagles flew out over the Atlantic calling to one another, over the nearby Great Blasket, and were seen no more that day. But their movements were monitored closely by radio beacons fitted to them.
For some weeks afterwards it was clear from the signals that the eagles were doing fine, riding the thermals over the islands and fishing for themselves.
Then silence. Mr Haughey, philosophically, said that the introduction of the pair to the island had been worthwhile, that there was always a danger of failure, given the young age of the birds, and that he could always try again.
But, mirabile dictu, last month, as he was holidaying with his family on the island, Maeve soared into view once more. Four years after her release, she was still alive, although there was no sign of her mate.
"We were so excited that I didn't even think of taking a photograph," Mr Haughey said yesterday. "It was remarkable, and it's of major importance in terms of conservation.
"Now we must set about the task of finding a mate for Maeve. It means that all this time she's been living in the wild and coping alone. We had all written the pair off but we were wrong.
"It means that the experiment has been a success. I saw her three times during August. She was flying well, in a businesslike manner, all along the cliff tops. It was fantastic," Mr Haughey said yesterday.
He added that several avenues would be explored in the search to find a suitable mate for the surviving sea eagle. It is expected that contact will be made with the Fota Island Wildlife Park in Cork, as well as other areas of expertise in the management and handling of the majestic birds.
"There was a fear that manmade hazards, etc, would be their downfall, but Maeve's survival shows that the island habitat is ideal. Now we can go on from here," Mr Haughey said.