Mooney Goes Wild

In her wonderful new book The Keeper of the Bees: Bees and Beekeeping in Irish Folklore, beekeeper’s daughter and a student of folklore Eimear Chaomhánach weaves folktales about bees with her memories of growing up in a beekeeping household, collecting swarms with her father and learning how to harvest honey.

A recently published book that really caught our eyes is On Land and Water by acclaimed wildlife photographer Sheena Jolley. This superb book differs from most of the other nature photography books on the market, in that it incorporates the poetry of the late D.J. O’Sullivan alongside Sheena’s photographs.

The mysterious Nightjar is one of Ireland’s most elusive birds. With only sporadic records of breeding over recent decades, the general consensus was that we had effectively lost Nightjars from Ireland. However, a new survey coordinated by BirdWatch Ireland has confirmed that this species still survives in the southeast of the country.

Recently, Jesmond Harding from Butterfly Conservation Ireland was in-studio and brought a surprise guest...the (extremely large) pupal stage of the Death’s-head Hawk-moth. This extremely striking creature is not a common insect in Ireland.Terry Flanagan went to see this incredible creature before it was released into the wild.

All of us here in the Mooney Goes Wild team would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to our esteemed colleague and friend Éanna Ní Lamhna, who last month was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Science by the University of Galway.

Last, but by no means least, we bring you Derek's Christmas pick. A great many listeners will have grown up inspired about wildlife by legendary artist, author and broadcaster Don Conroy. His latest book is a timely reminder of the simple wonders of Ireland’s natural environment, with exquisite illustrations and thoughtful words.

Staying with the avian theme, the Christmas recommendation of Richard Collins is a book about one of the most impressive and captivating aspects of ornithology. Written by Tim Birkhead, it is the perfect one-stop-shop for everything you have ever wanted to know about avian reproduction.

Up next, we have the recommendation of Niall Hatch, which, as you might expect, is a book about birds. It’s not a run-of-the-mill bird book, however, rather a tongue-in-cheek look by Matt Kracht at the ways in which our feathered friends can frustrate and irritate even the most dedicated of birdwatchers.

Lichens expert Paul Whelan has been working on his latest book for the past four years and it is Terry Flanagan's Christmas recommendation this year. For tonight’s programme, Terry travelled to Midleton, Co. Cork to meet Paul, to observe some of the local varieties of lichen and, of course, to chat about his book.

Next we have the selection of Eric Dempsey, who, in addition to his passion for birds is also a great fan of moths. It’s very fitting, therefore, that his choice of book this Christmas is Meetings with Moths: Discovering their Mystery and Extraordinary Lives by Katty Baird. In it, Katty roams Scotland seeking out, documenting and observing moths.

First up this evening is Éanna Ní Lamhna, who has chosen a wonderful book by Irish botanist and environmentalist Peter Wyse Jackson. It is the first ever comprehensive account of the historical and present-day uses of wild plant species in Ireland.

Every Christmas, the team here at Mooney Goes Wild likes to bring you some of our recommendations for wildlife-themed gifts for your nearest and dearest. This year, we have chosen to focus on natural history books, with Derek and panel each focusing on their own preferred title and interviewing the authors.

Back in October, our former researcher Michele Browne took a trip south to Our Lady’s Island in Co. Wexford, where she met up with some of the people who have been instrumental in saving one of Ireland’s most critically endangered plant species, the diminutive Cottonweed.

In a very sad development, a once-abundant species has formally been declared extinct. A highly migratory member of the wader family, the Slender-billed Curlew was a close relative of the Eurasian Curlew that we know and love here in Ireland. The last confirmed sighting was of a single individual at Merja Zerga, Morocco in 1995.

We recently received an email from one of our loyal listeners, Conor Cunnane. Conor, who lives in Co. Kildare, noticed that Magpies are nesting in his garden. It's unusual for these birds to build their nests so early so we sent Terry Flanagan there to find out more.

Of all of the ornithological surveys carried out by conservation charity BirdWatch Ireland, its annual Irish Garden Bird Survey is far and away the most popular. Monday 25th November marks the start of the survey’s 36th consecutive season, which will run until the end of February 2025.

Niall has primarily been in Rome to record segments for a special documentary called 'Pope Leo's Elephant', which will be broadcast this coming Christmas Day. It tells the story of an extraordinary diplomatic gift - a magnificent Asian Elephant named Hanno - that was sent to Pope Leo X by King Manuel I of Portugal in 1514.

Niall was recently in Rome and met up with our former RTÉ colleague Colm Flynn, who is now Vatican Correspondent for EWTN. While strolling around Vatican City, their walk was interrupted by the noisy calls of parakeets.

Tonight’s programme is a repeat of Eric Dempsey’s fantastic Nature on One documentary all about his quest to track down one of Ireland’s rarest insects, the White Prominent moth.

After working at Dublin Zoo for 36 years, Gerry Creighton continues to advocate and consult on better conditions for elephants worldwide. He speaks to Richard Collins about how best to keep elephants in captivity, or rewild them.