Deon's project bird feeders are a big hit

Images courtesy the Doyle family.

When 10-year-old Deon Doyle had to do a bird feeder project for his remote class work in Scoil Bhride three weeks ago, he decided he'd build it from wood, writes Brian Byrne.

But his carpentry skills resulted in much more than a successfully completed project — the bird feeder he built has become the foundation of a small business. In these last three weeks, he has built about 20 of them, after his parents posted pictures of his project on a Facebook page.

"Friends, family, and people I didn't know, all wanted to buy one," he told the Diary. As well as through Facebook, the bird feeders are also on sale in the CarryOut off-licence.

Deon says he has always wanted to be a carpenter. Which isn't surprising, as his Dad Levi and Grandad Ger are pretty good with the wood tools too. To make his bird feeders, he's using waste wood offcuts, which would otherwise likely be dumped. So there's also a sustainable element to his project.

His Dad and Grandad are justifiably proud of him, and Deon says both have been showing him 'a few tricks' which have helped improve his work. "When I did the first one it took me a good bit of time, but I'm making them much quicker now."

He's working on some other ideas for the summer holidays, including flower boxes. Which means no idle hands for Deon in the coming months.

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