THE aftermath of a 16th century Spanish shipwreck brought an eve of Millennium gleam to Tommy Cunningham's smiling Irish eyes.

For 50 years Tommy (pictured) has bred canaries, specialising in his beloved rollers for the past 13 of them.

"No bird in the world can sing like a roller because they were man-made," says the Atherton man proudly.

And having this season won the British Roller Canary Association's Champion Bird, News of the World Trophy and McBride Sweepstake Trophy titles with home-bred B8-410-53 Tommy's words are worth listening to.

Just like the amazing 13 note repertoire of his champion song bird.

"Back in the 1500s the Spaniards would only sell cock birds so nobody could breed them. All those years ago they were asking £200 for a canary and people queued-up to buy them,

"But a shipwreck resulted in the Germans getting hold of some and they took them back home to the Harz mountains. The birds learned to mimic the sound of water running down rock faces resulting in their singing range of 13 different notes.

"Rollers are very highly strung, they're prima donnas."

For the uninformed, only cock birds sing, and according to the experts a young bird's best teacher is its father.

Nowadays they're much more affordable than in the days of the Armada. A tenner or less is more likely to be the going rate.

Now retired, ex-miner Tommy worked at the Nook Pit at Blackmoor where canaries had an important but much less glamorous role (gas detecting).

Nowadays he and his wife, Theresa, help run the Wigan Roller Canary Club as treasurer and secretary.

The club, founded before the first world war disbanded in 1995, but Tommy and dedicated canary enthusiasts resurrected it in 1997. They meet at 1pm on the last Sunday of every month in The Seven Stars, at Wallgate, Wigan and anyone with an interest in these super songsters is welcome.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.