Mooney Goes Wild

RTÉ
RTÉ
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Derek Mooney and guests explore the natural world in all its forms. Listen live every Monday at 10pm on RTÉ Radio 1.

  1. 14 hr ago

    An Irish Atlantic Rainforest

    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 Peninsula. In 2009, Eoghan purchased a small cottage close to the village of Eyeries in Co. Cork. It came with a plot of tree-covered land, untouched for roughly a century, which he recognised as being genuine rainforest, i.e., a woodland filled with an abundance of plants – such as mosses and epiphytes – which obtain their moisture from the water carried naturally in the air. Having come to this realisation, Eoghan did two simple things: he erected a fence to exclude grazing animals, then he removed the invasive non-native flora – particularly Rhododendron – which had begun to dominate the woodland. The rest he left to nature, without any planting or further active management. Within a short time, a rainforest teeming with life had been restored, bringing back the Ireland of many centuries ago. From his inner-city Dublin upbringing to his life as a stone conservationist, Eoghan is a striking and inspirational figure who now finds himself custodian of one of the finest examples of temperate rainforest in Ireland. He joins us on tonight’s programme to tell us more about his efforts to bring back an Irish rainforest, the importance of this habitat for our native wildlife and what to expect from the forthcoming RTÉ television programme. An Irish Atlantic Rainforest airs on RTÉ One television at 18:30 on Sunday 23rd August and Sunday 30th August. For more information about Eoghan Daltun and his efforts to restore a natural Irish rainforest, visit https://www.rte.ie/news/munster/2022/0917/1323409-rainforest-restore-cork/. Eoghan's book An Irish Atlantic Rainforest was published by Hachette UK in 2024. The ISBN is 9781399705295 and the RRP is £12.99 (approx. €15). For more information, visit https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/eoghan-daltun/an-irish-atlantic-rainforest/9781399705295/. To follow Eoghan on Instagram, visit https://www.instagram.com/irishrainforest/. https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/mooney/2026/0816/1588136-mooney-goes-wild-monday-august-17th-2026/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    An Irish Atlantic Rainforest

  2. 14 hr ago

    Caterpillars Attacking Horse Chestnut Trees

    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 some photos and asked whether we could identify the problem and suggest what might be done to help the trees. Suitably intrigued, we dispatched our roving reporter Terry Flanagan to Co. Kildare to meet up with Nikola and to have a look at the trees. As he tells us in his report for tonight’s programme, the culprits are the caterpillars of a moth called the Horse-chestnut Leaf Miner – just the size of a grain of rice and only discovered to science as recently as 1984 – which burrow into the leaves and eat them from within, causing the damage. This arboreal affliction first reared its head in Ireland in 2013 and appears to be spreading across the country. Happily, although the damage caused by the caterpillar looks severe, it does not result in the deaths of the infected trees, generally coming too late in the growing season to prove fatal. For more information about the Horse-chestnut Leaf Miner moth, visit https://www.mothsireland.com/horse-chestnut-leaf-miner-cameraria-ohridella-present-in-ireland/. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Caterpillars Attacking Horse Chestnut Trees

  3. 14 hr ago

    Roger Casement: An Exploration Of His Deep Love Of Nature

    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 Peruvian Amazon. His reports helped bring global attention to these atrocities and established him as one of the leading human rights campaigners of his time. What is less well-known to the general public is that Casement also had a lifelong fascination with the natural world. During his extensive travels, he took every opportunity to observe and collect plants and animals, carefully documenting the wildlife he encountered in some of the world's most remote regions. In celebration of this aspect of Roger Casement’s life, and to commemorate the 110th anniversary of his execution, on Bank Holiday Monday 3rd August, as part of our Nature on One series, we broadcast a special documentary, presented by Eric Dempsey, about Casement’s life as a naturalist. In case you missed it, we will be repeating this programme next Monday, August 24th , in our regular Mooney Goes Wild slot at 22:00 on RTÉ Radio One. For further information about Eric Dempsey’s Nature on One documentary on Roger Casement, visit https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/mooney/2026/0724/1584965-nature-on-one-casement-03-08-26/. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Roger Casement: An Exploration Of His Deep Love Of Nature

  4. 27 Jul

    Adult Woodpecker Feeding Young

    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.

    Adult Woodpecker Feeding Young

  5. 27 Jul

    Bill Oddie, RIP

    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.

    Bill Oddie, RIP

  6. 27 Jul

    Chasing The Curlew's Call

    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.

    Chasing The Curlew's Call

  7. 27 Jul

    Headstarting Chicks Helps Ireland's Curlew Numbers

    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.

    Headstarting Chicks Helps Ireland's Curlew Numbers

  8. 27 Jul

    Nature On One: Casement

    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.

    Nature On One: Casement
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About

Derek Mooney and guests explore the natural world in all its forms. Listen live every Monday at 10pm on RTÉ Radio 1.

Information

  • Channel
    RTÉ
  • Creator
    RTÉ Radio 1
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2026
  • Episodes
    116
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Mooney Goes Wild

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