Mooney Goes Wild

Niall Hatch recently saw six dead Pine Martens while driving from Wicklow to Tipperary, highlighting how strongly the once-rare species has rebounded. He later spotted a live one near Loughlinstown, a rare record inside the M50, which particularly interests Éanna Ní Lamhna given past absence reports...

The dawn chorus, nature’s great global sunrise concert, returns for International Dawn Chorus Day on 3 May. Mooney Goes Wild will broadcast live from midnight to 7am, with Derek Mooney in RTÉ and Jim Wilson and Niall Hatch in Cobh, joined by contributors nationwide and listeners’ own birdsong recordings...

Albatrosses, the world’s largest-winged seabirds, face severe declines, with up to 100,000 killed yearly by longline fisheries. UCC researcher Dr Jamie Darby tracked endangered Antipodean Albatrosses on the remote Antipodes Islands, revealing far higher mortality rates that could push the species toward extinction...

The National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin are a free, year-round haven of global plant collections, including remarkable trees often explored on guided tours. For tonight’s programme, Terry Flanagan visits the Gardens to join guide Eoin O’Reilly, who shows him some of the site’s most spectacular arboreal highlights...

Jim Wilson, Cork-based author, broadcaster and wildlife photographer, has captured striking Kingfisher images at Cuskinny Marsh, Co. Cork. On the programme he explains how careful planning, close observation and a dedicated hide made these stunning shots possible...

Early spring is a busy transition for birdwatchers, with summer migrants arriving as winter visitors depart. Brent Geese, iconic in Dublin, are gathering in Ballyfermot’s Le Fanu Park to feed before flying to Arctic Canada. Terry Flanagan meets Eric Dempsey there to explore their habits and migration...

Our food choices can shape how well we sleep. Éanna highlights snacks that disrupt rest, like late-night cheese, and others that make us sleepy. Turkey and lettuce are rich in tryptophan, which helps form serotonin and melatonin, and carbs enhance the effect - hence the classic post-Christmas-sandwich snooze...

New UCD–QUB research reveals the Old Irish Goat has a continuous Irish lineage dating back 3,000 years. Dr Kevin Daly joins the programme to discuss the study, the history of Ireland’s wild goats and the traits that made goats among the earliest animals domesticated by humans...

The Woodcock is one of Ireland’s most elusive birds, its nocturnal habits and superb camouflage making it hard to study. Post-doctoral researcher James O’Neill of UCC has published new findings on its population and joins us to discuss how the species is faring and what can help it thrive - once even appearing on Ireland’s old 50p coin...

Trees are vital for biodiversity, yet many Irish species have declined, including the Wych Elm, devastated by Dutch elm disease. But four mature elms in Rathmines appear to have survived. Arboricultural Consultant Joe McConville is investigating whether their genetics could help restore elms across Ireland...

Last August, we visited Martin in South Dublin, whose garden attracts nightly visits from local badgers and foxes—normally shy animals made bolder by his regular food offerings. In tonight’s programme, reporter Terry Flanagan returns to see how Martin and his nocturnal guests are getting on...

Derek Mulrooney, greenkeeper at Druids Glen, Wicklow, reports a gaggle of Greylag Geese returning after food was put out for ducks. He wonders if they’re from the original flock and how they knew food was back. To investigate, Terry Flanagan visits the course as the panellists consider possible explanations...

Tonight our experts respond to some of your e-mails and queries about ducks in California, Woodpeckers in Cavan, Buzzards in Waterford and the life span of garden birds, including Robins...

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...

Grey Squirrels introduced in 1911 have impacted Ireland’s Red Squirrels, but the Reds are now rebounding due to increased Pine Marten numbers. The 2026 All-Ireland Squirrel and Pine Marten Survey has been launched, and Colin Lawton, Ecology Lecturer at the University of Galway, joins the programme to explain the project...

Nature Nights Live returns to RTÉ Radio 1 from March 9th–13th, at 10–11pm, in partnership with the Tree Council of Ireland for National Tree Week. The programme will share event updates, celebrate native trees and nocturnal wildlife, feature expert guests, and invite listeners to ask questions and share sightings.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

"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...

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...

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?

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...