A short history of geese in Ireland

My boat is moored in Ballinasloe, on the River Suck, and about a week ago I was sitting on deck, soaking up the spring sunshine, when a wild and beautiful sound made me look up into the sky.

A small skein of wild geese was flying in a north-westerly direction and honking.

‘Honking’ is a quite inadequate word to describe the sonorous, musical calls that geese use to communicate with each other in flight.