The return of ospreys to Ireland — and their rightful place in our ecosystems

Once paired up, ospreys stay together for life and also remain loyal to the same nest site each year, so they are portrayed in folklore across the world as an icon of continuity and fidelity

Osprey have evolved especially to eat fish, so spend most of their time near lakes, bays, and sea inlets. Their legs are longer than most raptors so that they can stand or dip their talons into shallow water without getting their feathers wet

In the Mesolithic period, which in Ireland occurred between 8000 BC – 4000 BC, hunter-gatherers here believed that everything was infused with spirit. One could take on the properties of a particular plant or animal by eating them. This seems to be the only reasonable explanation as to why our Mesolithic forbears ate birds of prey.

Owls, eagles, falcons and osprey would have been difficult to hunt. The calorific gains from consuming the flesh would be easily outweighed by the effort of catching such a predator. And by all accounts, they taste awful. But by eating a falcon, an owl, or an eagle, people likely believed that they could take on the spirit properties of that animal... the speed of a peregrine falcon, the night vision of the owl, or the strength and agility of an eagle.