Mooney Goes Wild

It's a special live programme this Bank Holiday Monday as the Mooney Goes Wild team broadcasts from Bloom at Dublin's Phoenix Park.

On this Bank Holiday Monday, enjoy a repeat of this special documentary celebrating 30 years of Mooney Goes Wild, presented by Colm Flynn.

Last week, the very sad news reached us that Michael O’Meara, a luminary in the world of Irish wildlife and a wonderful chronicler and custodian of the flora and fauna of Co. Waterford, had died. Éanna pays tribute.

We know that a great many of you happen to have a fear of spiders, so you might not be thrilled to learn that Ireland now has “zombie spiders” to contend with! Found living in a cave between Cavan and Fermanagh, speleologists Tim and Pam Fogg are the husband-and-wife team who first discovered them so Michele Browne went to meet them.

Waders are amongst the most threatened breeding species in Ireland. Serious conservation work is underway to support them including The Breeding Waders European Innovation Partnership. Terry Flanagan travelled to the shores of Lough Ree to speak to Owen Murphy, Senior Project Manager with the EIP, and Nest Protection Officer Dana Neill.

Recently, we received an email from Rosaleen Bourke in Bellharbour, Co. Clare, about a rare sighting of a Hazel Dormouse in that part of Ireland. We talk about the newest rodents to call Ireland home, how they differ from “true” mice, and whether their spread across Ireland will continue.

Vera Lynn once sang about the Nightingale, and while they may no longer sing in Berkeley Square, they certainly do still sing in the south of France. As Niall tells us, they are actually still fairly common there and he has a recording to share.

A quick reminder that National Biodiversity Week is currently underway, running this year from May 16th to 25th. Catherine O'Toole, Development Officer with the Irish Environmental Network, tells us more.

The new Dublin Port Tolka Estuary Greenway has become a haven for wildlife in the heart of our capital city. On a recent sunny morning, we dispatched the inimitable Éanna Ni Lamhna to meet with Eamon McElroy, Port Engineer with Dublin Port Company, to find out more.

Lys Duff, one of our loyal listeners, sent us a lovely email recently with several photos attached of the rare Lime Hawk-moth. Needing further investigation, naturally we sent Terry Flanagan off and he spoke with lepidopterist Jesmond Harding.

Eric Dempsey has sent us a report for tonight’s programme all about a bird that happens to share his deep interest in moths: the Cuckoo. Eric happened to be out and about in the Midlands recently and heard one singing, and thankfully he managed to record it for us.

Ónagh Kelly recently sent us a recording of a very striking bird sound captured in Phoenix Park. It was none other than the territorial “drumming” sound of a Great Spotted Woodpecker. Ónagh joins us to talk about the various birds that frequent the iconic park.

For tonight’s programme, Niall Hatch joins us from the delightful town of Mandelieu-La Napoule on the French Riviera, close to Cannes. Niall is on the lookout for butterflies (with France home to around 250 types), birds and moths such as the Hummingbird Hawk-moth.

The Great Tit is a common and widespread species across Ireland and beyond. For 77 years now in the UK, researchers have been studying the many Great Tits which breed at a location called Wytham Woods near Oxford, England. We speak to Professor Ben Sheldon, Director of the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology at the University of Oxford.

For the next segment of tonight’s programme, we stay with the theme of Invasive Species Week. The spread of invasive species is a major issue in both marine and inland waters around the world. Terry Flanagan went to meet Rory Keating, Fisheries Officer with Inland Fisheries Ireland, on the banks of the Royal Canal.

Over the years, we have spoken many times on the programme about the threats posed by alien invasive species. Invasive Species Week will take place from May 12th to 18th May. John Kelly is Invasive Species Programme Manager with the National Biodiversity Data Centre and speaks to the show.

Right now, we are at the peak of the bird-nesting season in Ireland. If you have ever wondered what exactly goes on inside birds’ nests, we’re pleased to let you know that we’ve got you covered! You can watch three separate live camera streams from nests on our website, just visit the page titled Nestwatch 2025.

The island of Inishbofin, off the coast of Galway, is well-known for its rich birdlife. Former Mooney Goes Wild researcher John Bela Reilly happened to be there last week with his son and they heard the distinctive songs of two of Ireland’s most elusive and evocative bird species: the Corncrake and the Cuckoo.

Sunday 4th May was International Dawn Chorus Day and the day when we broadcast this year’s annual Dawn Chorus Live programme on RTÉ Radio One and RTÉ Lyric FM. To kick off tonight’s show, Derek and Niall look back on what turned out to be another wonderful live event.

In this special edition of Nature on One, celebrating thirty years of Mooney Goes Wild, Colm Flynn meets the people behind the voices and revisits some of the moments that made this nature programme a household favourite.