Sanctuary

For decades, his family rescued lost and forgotten donkeys in the Irish countryside. He had no idea that one day, the donkeys would rescue him.

Patrick Barrett grew up on the back of a donkey. In the small village of Liscarroll, the young boy helped his family run a sanctuary for abandoned and abused donkeys. Struggling in school, Patrick only felt truly accepted in the presence of these funny, fuzzy, touching animals. It was like magic, how he and the donkeys understood each other. He became a true “donkey whisperer”—reading their body language, communicating with them in ways they could understand, and teaching himself how to “speak” in their distinctive calls.

But when Patrick was of age, he shipped out with the Irish Army and encountered unimaginable wartime horrors in Lebanon and Kosovo. In the aftermath, he returned home a broken man, sinking into the depths of PTSD and addictions. He believed nothing could save him. But he hadn’t counted on the donkeys.

Sanctuary is the remarkable true story of how faith turned one lost man’s life around with the help of the rescue animals who loved him. It’s an antidote to despair and a call to hope, revealing the beauty and wonder of Ireland as you’ve never seen it before.

1. Opening Credits
2. Dedication
3. Foreword by Michael Hingson
4. Prologue: Raised by Donkeys
5. Chapter 1: Dreaming with Jacksie
6. Chapter 2: Aran the Escape Artist
7. Chapter 3: Mam's Leg
8. Chapter 4: Timmy & Tea with Travelers
9. Chapter 5: A Kiss of Faith
10. Chapter 6: A Wild Donkey of a Man
11. Chapter 7: Valentine's Day
12. Chapter 8: Penelope and Peanut
13. Chapter 9: The Man in the Window
14. Chapter 10: Mam and Dad
15. Chapter 11: Guinness the Donkey
16. Chapter 12: Sanctuary
17. Chapter 13: When Donkeys Talk
18. Chapter 14: Tiny Tinsel
19. Chapter 15: New Eyes and Nollaig
20. Chapter 16: The Girl Below the Hill
21. Chapter 17: Jacksie’s Song
22. Chapter 18: O Come Ye Home
23. Afterword by Paddy Barrett
24. About the Donkey Sanctuary
25. About PTSD
26. Closing Credits