Newgrange Farm donates new ducks to live on the River Boyne

By TOM REILLY - Drogheda Independent - Wednesday 6th September 2006

LOCAL wild life lovers will be delighted to hear that the owner of Newgrange Farm has come to the rescue of the Boyne duck population by agreeing to donate a number of ducks to Drogheda Borough Council.

The Drogheda Independent has been reporting on the apparent recent decimation of the river duck population over the past few months.

Originally there were over 200 ducks introduced to the river by Drogheda Borough Council two years ago and it is understood that there might only be a handful left.

Concerns had been expressed that the now regular jet ski activity on the river had destroyed the duck population and that they had either been wiped out or they have completely moved off the river.

Animal expert and owner of Newgrange Farm, Willie Redhouse confirmed that he would like to donate the ducks because he has been reading about their plight and he believes that it is important to nurture wild life along the river at every given opportunity.

Newgrange Farm is a 333 acre farm that surrounds the National Monument of Newgrange. It is family owned and run working farm/educational facility, where adults and children can try the 'hands on' experience of bottle feeding, feeding, holding, petting, and seeing all the usual farm animals and poultry.

'The ducks that I am donating are mallard, they are the common indigenous duck and they have an uncanny ability to connect with human beings, even more so than dogs,' said Mr Redhouse.

'I do believe that jet skis are totally inappropriate for that part of the River Boyne and I hope that with this donation the Boyne ducks can start to thrive again.'

Drogheda Borough Council official Darius Messayah has agreed to accept the generous donation of the Newgrange Farm man to replenish the duck numbers.

'I would be delighted to accept the ducks once the Boyne Fishermen agree to install them on to the river. It is they who carried out all the work at the beginning when we first introduced the ducks in the pens and if they agree to accept the ducks then that's fine with me,' said Mr Messayah.

Michael Hodgins of the Boyne Fishermen was the final link in the chain and he was over the moon when he heard the news.

'That's absolutely great,' he said. 'We would be more than happy to take the ducks and put them in the pens so they could acclimatise to the river. We will then feed them and nurture them and hopefully they will integrate with the others,' he said.