In writing his memoirs, Eamon de Buitlear has caught quite brilliantly the mood of a half-century of Irish life during which Irish life itself was transformed. His work has brought him to mingle with poachers and politicians, common folk and celebrities for more than fifty years. His acute observations and hilarious anecdotes carry his story along and explain how this essentially modest man has achieved so much and is so widely admired. A childhood spent beside the River Dargle in Wicklow introduced the young Eamon to the mysteries of wild life. His recollection of those idyllic days leads to an early introduction to traditional music. Nature and music were to inspire the rest of his life. His passion for nature was eventually to lead to an outstanding career as filmmaker. The television series Amuigh Faoin Speir has been acknowledged as the most successful bi-lingual programme ever shown on Irish television. He has continued to make countless other award-winning films and programmes in the intervening thirty years. His passion for music was forged in the West Cork Gaeltacht where he came to know and work with Sean O Riada, and was a founder member of the legendary Ceoltoiri Cualann and later founder of Ceoltoiri Laighean.