Mooney Goes Wild

Grey Squirrels, introduced to Ireland in the early 1900s, are now widespread and have impacted the population of native Red Squirrels. They are long believed to descend from a dozen released in Longford in 1911. Our panel discusses whether later deliberate or accidental introductions also added to their numbers and genetics...

The Brent Goose, which breeds in High Arctic Canada, arrives in Dublin each autumn, gathering in estuaries, parks and green spaces to graze on grass. Ireland is crucial to this far-northern breeder. Ornithologist Kendrew Calhoun explains how public sightings help track populations, migration and breeding success for conservation...

Recent weeks have seen severe, localised flooding across Ireland, especially in counties Wicklow, Wexford and Dublin. Yet, as Éanna notes, Met Éireann says it was only the wettest January since 2018. Our panel discusses climate change, extreme weather and nature-based flood solutions...

Naturescapes is a European project using nature-based solutions at landscape scale to tackle socio-economic challenges, boost biodiversity and address climate change. Along the River Dodder, innovations like pocket forests are underway. Terry Flanagan met Mairéad O’Donnell of Trinity College Dublin to learn more...

Residents in parts of Co. Clare have been suffering a spate of power outages. The culprit: recently arrived Great Spotted Woodpeckers that have been excavating holes in wooden electricity poles, causing some of them to weaken and then snap in bad weather, bringing the power lines down with them. Derek and the panel discuss this unusual problem...

The Peregrine Falcon, the world’s fastest animal at 389 km/h, nearly went extinct due to the pesticide DDT but has recovered strongly in Ireland and worldwide. In recent years, a pair nested in the 300-ft belfry of St. Colman's Cathedral, successfully breeding in 2024. On tonight’s programme, Jim Wilson tells us more...

Ireland’s first Living Seawall at Kennedy Pier, Cobh Harbour, was developed by UCC, Research Ireland and the Port of Cork. Featuring habitat-rich panels with unique patterns of cups, ridges and depressions, it boosts marine life and water quality. Naturalist Jim Wilson speaks with marine ecologist Dr. Louise Firth from UCC BEES about the project...

While on holiday recently in Valencia, Spain, Derek noticed a species of bird that has become one of the staple performers in the Irish Dawn Chorus each year: the Collared Dove. First breeding in Ireland in 1959, they now consistently feature each winter in the Top 20 of BirdWatch Ireland’s Irish Garden Bird Survey...

Dr. Matthias Sinnesael, Assistant Professor in Geology at Trinity College Dublin, is one of the participants in a study trying better to understand the dinosaur extinction event and whether it was caused purely by the asteroid, or if extreme volcanic activity may also have played a role. He joins Richard, Eanna and Niall in studio to explain...

Dr. Peter Moonlight is the Curator of the Herbarium at Trinity College Dublin's School of Botany, which holds half a million dried plant specimens, including possibly the world’s oldest shamrock specimen! Who else would we send to chat to Peter about all of this but our resident botanist Éanna Ní Lamhna?

"Biophilia", or "love of life", is used to describe the innate tendency of humans to connect with nature. At the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, guide Eoin O’Reilly organised a tour entitled Biophilia. We sent Terry Flanagan and Richard Collins along to learn more...

The EU has added Sika deer to the list of invasive alien species of concern in Ireland. But what does this mean in practice for deer management here? Damien Hannigan of the Irish Deer Commission joins us on tonight’s programme to tell us more...

Derek, Richard, Eanna and Niall are joined by recently retired Director of the National Botanic Gardens, for a panel discussion about Lime trees: their characteristics, their ecology and their place in the Irish landscape...

Jim Wilson introduces us to his neighbour, retired naval officer Richie Ryan, who has become famous on social media for his charming videos of wild Robins feeding from his hand...

Naturalist, broadcaster, author and wildlife photographer Eric Dempsey explains in a special reflection why immersion in the natural world plays such an important role in the maintenance and improvement of both mental and physical health...

Terry Flanagan visits Éanna ní Lamhna in her garden in Terenure, Dublin, to chat about Éanna’s time working as a wildlife recorder in An Foras Forbatha and the importance of "citizen science" projects...

Throughout the day on RTÉ Radio 1, as part of our celebration of RTÉ 100 (marking 100 years of radio in Ireland), we have been discussing the comings and goings of the various different birds visiting Jim Wilson’s bird tables and bird feeders...

As he retires as Director from the National Botanic Garden, we're joined in studio by friend of the programme Dr. Matthew Jebb, to chat about some of the highlights of his three decades of working at "The Bots", and the importance of botanical gardens as powerhouses for conservation and genetic diversity...

The latest book from naturalist and author Conor W. O’Brien, entitled The Living and the Dead, is an account of his travels both to seek the traces of Ireland’s extinct wildlife and to discover our country’s greatest conservation success stories. He joins us tonight to explain more...

Last night, Sunday January 25th, was Burns Night, a key celebration in Scotland’s calendar which commemorates the nation’s most famous poet and proponent of the Scots language, Robert Burns (1759 – 1796). As mother-in-law of a proud Scotsman, our Eanna hosted a very special dinner party last night in celebration of the great Scottish poet...

On Bank Holiday Monday, Feb 2nd, RTÉ Radio 1 will celebrate The Great Big Garden Birdwatch, as our experts feature across programmes on the station throughout the day. The highlight will be our Nature On One Garden Bird Special at 12 noon. Jim Wilson joins us to tell us what we might expect to see on his garden bird feeder live stream...

MGW listener and 6th Year Belvedere student Yuming Lian sent us some fantastic photos of Kingfishers that he had taken recently, and posed some questions for our panel about their feeding habits, which prompts plenty of discussion on tonight’s programme...

Our colleague Rory Cobbe sent us a video of a pod of 6 Common Dolphins swimming in the River Lee in Cork. We speak to Dr. Simon Berrow, CEO of the Irish Whale & Dolphin Group, about the increase in Common Dolphin numbers in Irish waters over the past decade...

Ecologist Donna Mullen bought a farm with the intention of converting it into a haven for flora and fauna. She created Golashane Nature Reserve, which is home to hundreds of plants, birds, mammals, insects and amphibians. Reporter Terry Flanagan, recently travelled to the reserve to see for himself what Donna has achieved...

Listener Ger Deering from Co. Wexford got in touch with us about a Great Spotted Woodpecker that has taken to pecking loudly, not on wood, but rather on the PVC facia of his house. Ger has had to spend considerable money and time repairing the damage and would like to know whether there is anything he can do to deter the misguided bird...