Features
Nature as it was intended
Many of us are silent witnesses to the destruction of our environment. Few of us have the vision to reverse the march of environmental degradation in any real or practical way. Fortunately for us there are men like William Kingston - men who not only dream, but have the talent to make their dreams a reality.
Natural creation
Long before it was fashionable to show concern for the environment, William became worried that nature was in danger of being destroyed. In 1984 he set about dedicating over forty acres of his 140 acre dairy farm at Ballymountain North, Inishannon, in Co. Cork as a natural wildlife area. As a personal project for its own sake rather than as a commercial enterprise, he created ponds and lakes to attract wildlife. He planted native trees for shelter. He introduced ducks, swans, peacocks, deer, emus and a host of other species into the area. To maintain a link with our disappearing past he even built a full-sized round tower from which he can view the teeming variety of wildlife that inhabits his natural haven. He invited artists to contribute sculptures of wood and stone.
Sanctuary
But perhaps the most striking feature of William's ambitious project is the little church he built. Complete with pews and altar it sits on a tiny island in the middle of a lake. Approached by means of a wooden bridge which spans the lake, this stained-glassed stone building is a symbol of William's belief that it is both possible and desirable for man to live in harmony with nature. 'My wildlife area contains all of creation - all living in harmony without fear of each other', says William. 'It cost me my life's work. But it's repaid me a million times. Every morning as I walk around I see something different.' Hundreds of wild duck are attracted every day to his land. William goes out to feed them every morning and evening with a five-gallon drum of rolled barley. It's a colossal amount of work maintaining such a large wildlife area. Forty acres of wild garden takes a lot of minding. But for William it's a labour of love to maintain an area in the way that he believes nature intended it to be.
Silent candles
There's a place for humans, too, in William's haven. There's an underground tunnel which, when you crawl through it, leads to an underground cave large enough to accommodate half a dozen people. It's an extraordinarily peaceful sensation to be below ground with only the sound of flickering candles to break the silence. But it's not always quiet underground. Sometimes William invites in musicians for a session of traditional music. Leaving nearly one third of his land producing no financial return and yet costing years of investment of both labour and money flies in the face of all economic wisdom. But this doesn't bother William Kingston. 'We are the only species that uses money', he says. 'Yet you can't eat it or wear it. If something was to make money valueless or if something happened to the supply of oil, most people wouldn't be able to survive - except for the hippies. That's why I've great admiration for them. All we really need is food, warmth, craic and somewhere to sleep at night.'
Building madness
Since William first fenced off his wildlife garden nearly twenty years ago, the pressures on the environment have increased. The building boom has seen concrete advancing in all directions as machines tear at the heart of the countryside. Displaying a short-sighted lack of vision, our society values roads and buildings more than nature itself, so that today's children have even greater reason to fear for the future of our planet than when William was first moved to create his dream. As he says, 'If the countryside continues to be destroyed at the rate it is now being destroyed then, in time to come, we will have no wild birds, wild animals, wild flowers, no butterflies, moths, insects or mammals. There will be no dawn chorus when we wake in the morning and the countryside will be a much duller place to live in.'
Private
It's a privilege to be shown round William's creation. It's not open to the public. As we walk and talk, William is almost casual about his life's work. 'All I'm doing is giving back to nature what nature has given to me.'
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