Mooney Goes Wild

Derek Mooney and guests explore the natural world in all its forms. For three decades, Mooney Goes Wild reporter Terry Flanagan has been roaming the highways and byways of Ireland in search of answers to your wildlife queries. He's been up every tree, down every ditch and through every hedge in pursuit of a good story - if there's a mystery in the natural world, Terry is usually the man to solve i...

The secretive, almost supernatural, reputation of the Snow Leopard, which lives high in the mountain ranges of Central and Southern Asia, has led to the species being dubbed The Ghost of the Mountains - which just so happens to be the title of a new book about these remarkable big cats by Dr. Kulbhushansingh (Kullu) Suryawanshi. He joins us on the line to tell us more about these mysterious animal...

Derek Mooney and guests explore the natural world in all its forms. On tonight's show: 🪶Why Woodpigeons are still nest‑building in late August 🐦A listener’s mystery pigeon with extravagant feathered feet ❄️We learn about Snow Leopards with Dr Kullu Suryawanshi — author of The Ghost of the Mountains For more information on tonight's show, visit https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/mooney/2026/0830/158...

From Dastardly & Muttley's "Stop The Pigeon" to "Pigeon Street", there's one bird that's the focus of our first item on tonight's show! Derek recently spotted a Woodpigeon carrying a stick in its beak, something that is a common sight in the spring when nest-building is in full swing... but why in August? And we learn why some fancy pigeons have frilly, feathered legs! See omnystudio.com/liste...

Next week’s programme, which will be broadcast on Monday September 7th, will be a special compilation of some of the very best reports by our intrepid roving reporter, Terry Flanagan. To whet your appetite, we close tonight’s programme with one of Terry’s reports, first broadcast in 2019, from the Wild Ireland nature sanctuary in Co. Donegal, home to a wide array of creatures which once roamed wil...

Did you know that rainforests are not confined to the tropical regions of the world and can even be found in Ireland? To find out more, you will definitely want to tune into the forthcoming RTÉ television programme An Irish Atlantic Rainforest. This two-part series tells the story of how Eoghan Daltun, a sculptor and leading climate activist, resurrected his very own rainforest on the Beara Penins...

Regular Mooney Goes Wild listener Nikola Brady got in touch with us with a query. She regularly walks her dog along a country route close to her house in Kilcock, Co. Kildare and recently noticed a problem with the Horse Chestnut trees lining those back roads. The leaves of many of the trees that they pass seem to have shrivelled up, and Nikola was concerned that they might be dying. She sent in s...

Roger Casement (1864–1916) is best remembered as one of Ireland's most significant historical figures, but before his execution for his role in the 1916 Easter Rising, he earned an international reputation as a humanitarian and diplomat. Serving as a British consul in Africa and South America, Casement exposed the brutal exploitation and abuse of indigenous peoples in the Congo Free State and the...

Mooney Goes Wild listener George captured remarkable footage of an adult great spotted woodpecker feeding its youngster in his Monaghan garden. The species has spread rapidly across Ireland in recent years. George joins Derek, Richard and Terry to discuss his fascinating wildlife encounter... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight, we remember Bill Oddie by ending with The Funky Gibbon. From The Goodies to Springwatch, he inspired generations with his humour, love of birds and passion for conservation. Fittingly, the song was later re-released to support gibbon conservation - a perfect tribute to a remarkable broadcaster and naturalist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Curlew is the star of a new bilingual graphic novel helping young people understand climate change and biodiversity loss. Chasing The Curlew's Call, created by UCC and Met Éireann, uses storytelling to inspire children to connect with nature. Writer Dr Rosa Rogers joins us to discuss the project... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Next Bank Holiday Monday (3 Aug) at midday, Eric Dempsey presents Nature On One: Casement, exploring Roger Casement's often overlooked passion for the natural world. The programme visits the National Museum of Ireland's natural history collections, including his remarkable west African rhinoceros viper... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's curlew-themed programme continues at Clara Bog, Co. Offaly, where visitors can now enjoy a new audio soundwalk. Created by Music Generation Offaly, composer Fiona Linnane and local TY students, it blends wildlife sounds, poetry and music. Terry Flanagan explores the bog with Ger Ralph from Music Generation Offaly... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ireland's curlew population has plummeted, but an ambitious conservation project is offering new hope. Twenty 'headstarted' chicks, hatched from eggs flown in from Yorkshire, were reared at Dublin Zoo before being released at Lough Corrib. Owen Murphy explains how the project is helping save this iconic bird... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Terry Flanagan visits Craddock House Nursing Home in Naas ahead of Nursing Homes Week 2026 (17–23 August). With this year's theme, "Connected With Nature", he meets residents and staff preparing a range of nature-inspired activities, and hears how nursing homes across Ireland can get involved... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MGW listener Sean Geraty joins the programme with questions about "Elvis", the bald robin that's been visiting his garden. Why has Elvis lost his head feathers, and why did a parent bird single out one juvenile for aggression? Derek, Richard and Terry investigate the fascinating behaviour of this robin family... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wallace Line is an invisible boundary in Indonesia marking a remarkable divide in wildlife. West of it, animals are typically Asian; east, they’re Australasian. Richard and Terry explore its story with Derek, while BirdWatch Ireland's Niall Hatch joins from Indonesia to share his encounters with the region’s unique wildlife... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week we featured Sir Edwin Landseer's Scene in Braemar ahead of its Sotheby's auction. The dramatic Highland stag painting has now set a new auction record for the artist, selling for £5.9 million – well above its estimate and around five times the previous record for a Landseer work...

A new global report suggests centuries-old plant collections could help tackle today's biodiversity crisis, with UCC playing a key role. Johan Reyes Chavez, a PhD student at University College Cork and Climate & Innovation Officer with Fundación Ayuda en Acción in Honduras, discusses the report with Derek, Éanna and Terry...

Did you know Ireland is home to 30 species of wild orchids? Terry Flanagan visited St. Theresa's in Mount Merrion, where Larry Gordon and Kate McLoughlin have spent 25 years caring for a meadow now blooming with four different native orchid species.

Invasive Species Week highlighted the growing threat non-native plants pose to Ireland's biodiversity. Garden favourites like Cherry Laurel, Rhododendron and Spanish Bluebells can spread into the wild, displacing native species. Oisín O'Néill of the Irish Wildlife Trust explains why we should "be plant-wise, let nature lead and choose native"...

We love receiving your wildlife photos and videos (send them to mooney@rte.ie). James Morrisroe from Co Monaghan shared footage of a mystery visitor raiding his bins at dawn. Was it a pine marten? Our panel takes a closer look at the video and discusses the likely identity of this clever early-morning scavenger...

Derek, Terry and Eanna chat about nature and wildlife activities that can be enjoyed around Ireland in this lovely sunny weather, including visiting Ireland's Eye, and observing the gannet population there...

Bernie Dennehy from Cork feared she had accidentally poisoned a Blackbird after cleaning her patio with washing soda solution and later finding a dead bird. Our panellists explain washing soda isn't toxic to birds and exposure was minimal. A far more likely cause was a fatal collision with a window...

Sir Edwin Landseer's monumental Scene in Braemar, featuring a majestic Highland stag, goes under the hammer at Sotheby's in London this week with an estimate of £3-4 million. Derek speaks to Sotheby's specialist Julian Gascoigne about the dramatic Highland masterpiece and its significance...