Panel: Terry Flanagan & Ken Whelan

Interviewer: Éanna Ní Lamhna

In addition to listening to us on RTÉ Radio One at 22:00 every Monday night, don't forget that you can also listen back to each of our programmes any time you like at www.rte.ie/mooney. There, you will find an extensive archive of past broadcasts, conveniently split into different topics and segments.

Tonight’s programme features a discussion about Ash Dieback Disease, a highly contagious fungal infection which has been ravaging ash trees across the country. With that in mind, and to help you to learn more about this disease, our suggestion from the Mooney Goes Wild archives this week is a segment about ways in which our ash trees might be thrown a lifeline.

First broadcast in March 2023, it features three students from Lorette Convent Balbriggan, namely Olivia O’Shea, Abigail O’Brien Murray and Erica O’Brien Murray, who have been investigating potential solutions to save our ash trees from this terrible disease.

To listen to this segment from the Mooney Goes Wild archives, visit https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22221296/

The impact of water pollution on wildlife

Unfortunately, there have been at least two serious freshwater pollution incidents in Ireland in recent weeks, both of which have had devastating impacts on local wildlife. One of these incidents, which occurred on 16th July, involved the accidental discharge of diesel into the lake at Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s Kilbogget Park, where a family of Mute Swans had to be taken into care and sent to Kildare Wildlife Rescue for cleaning and rehabilitation, with several other waterbirds and other aquatic life also affected.

The other incident occurred the following day at Lough Sheelin in Co. Cavan, where a large quantity of fish, mainly Brown Trout, were found dead, suggesting a serious problem with the water quality.

On tonight’s programme, we discuss the impacts of oil spills and other serious contamination incidents on freshwater habitats and the consequences for the vulnerable flora and fauna which depend on them.

For more information about the diesel spill at Kilbogget Park, visit https://www.rte.ie/news/environment/2025/0718/1524130-oill-spill-animals/

For more information about the fish kill incident at Lough Sheelin, visit https://www.fisheriesireland.ie/news/media-releases/ifi-statement-re-fish-kill-at-lough-sheelin

Ken Whelan discusses his upcoming Nature On One documentary on mayflies

There is much more to mayflies than might meet the eye. These seasonally emerging insects represent a crucial element of our ecosystem, providing food for other insects, for birds and, most importantly of all, for a great many of our native fish species. They are also fascinating creatures in their own right, with a complex lifecycle that is largely hidden from human eyes.

Mayflies have long been a source of wonder and fascination for our fisheries scientist Dr Ken Whelan, so much so that he even did his PhD on their biology and is now making a special programme for us all about these amazing invertebrates.

On tonight’s edition of Mooney Goes Wild, Ken looks forward to his upcoming documentary, which will be broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 at 15:00 on Bank Holiday Monday 4th August as part of our Nature on One series. It will cover the lives of these truly important insects and the impacts that climate change is having on their lifecycle and, as a direct consequence, on the fortunes of many of our freshwater fish.

For more information about mayflies and the consequences of climate change both for them and for the fish that eat them, visit https://www.irelandonthefly.com/p/trout-in-hot-water-ken-whelan-on

For more information about Ken Whelan and his work, visit https://www.kenwhelan.info/

Looking forward to our special programmes about the 2025 Sustainable Futures Forum

On 25th February of this year, delegates convened in The Glucksman art gallery at University College Cork for the Sustainable Futures Forum, a high-level thought leadership forum for discussing critical climate and sustainability issues of national and international importance. The aims were to:

Provide strategic direction on the role of universities in climate action and nature preservation for a sustainable world;

Catalyse collaborative climate action and sustainability at pace and scale; and

Position University College Cork at the forefront of the national and international sustainability and climate conversation with a new platform for shaping policy.

A range of expert speakers and panellists were present to share their research, experience and wisdom, including our own Éanna Ní Lamhna and Niall Hatch, who, along with ornithologist and environmental activist Seán Ronayne, participated in a panel discussion entitled "Towards a Nature-Positive Future", chaired by Prof. John O’Halloran, President of UCC, before a packed house.

Also in attendance on the day was our roving reporter Terry Flanagan, who was on hand to interview some of the presenters and attendees. Why? Well, it was all for two very special bonus episodes of Mooney Goes Wild that will be broadcast at on RTÉ Radio One at 22:30 on Friday 1st and Friday 8th August respectively. Be sure to tune in!

For more information about the Sustainable Futures Forum, visit https://www.ucc.ie/en/sustainable-futures-forum/

Happy birthday!

As you know, here at Mooney Goes Wild we absolutely love to hear from you, our loyal listeners. Sarah Cullahan was in touch to ask if we might wish a very happy birthday to her 87-year-old father, who is an avid birdwatcher and a long-time fan of the programme. Well, we went one better: on tonight’s programme, we let Sarah do it herself!

If you would like to get in touch with Mooney Goes Wild, please email us at mooney@rte.ie

Motherly bat love

Another of our listeners, Joan Mulvany from West Cork, contacted us about a batty situation which thankfully had a happy ending. Last weekend, she was in her garage and saw two strange-looking dark blobs in the sink, one larger than the other. On closer inspection, she saw that the blobs were in fact bats: a mother and her young pup.

VIDEO: You can check out a video of one of the bats on our YouTube channel.

As she tells us on tonight’s programme, Joan realised that the tiny mammals were unable to climb up the slippery surface of the sink to freedom and may have been stuck there for some time. There were clearly in need of help . . . and luckily Joan knew just what to do. She popped mum and baby into a box, then rang veterinarian and wildlife expert Ann Haigh, who put her in touch with Susan Kerwin of Bat Rehabilitation Ireland and David Rees of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

For more information about Bat Rehabilitation Ireland and what you should do if you find a bat in need of help, visit https://batrehabilitationireland.ie/

Gardening for Bats

It seems that more and more people are looking to know what plants are best to grow for wildlife, and in particular our bats. In response to this demand, over the course of the summer Bat Conservation Ireland has been running a series of workshops entitled "Gardening for Bats".

Last year, the NGO launched a series of videos to explain some of the garden features and techniques that can support bats, and this summer they arranged fun-filled, sociable, evening workshops at four venues across the island.

The content of these workshops includes information on Irish bats and what they need; the landscape, discussions about how to improve green spaces for bats, bat-friendly planting, potting up some locally sourced cuttings and seeds for attendees to bring home, and each session finishes up with a short bat walk using special bat detecting equipment in the beautiful surroundings of these great sites.

The first two workshops have already taken place and have been highly successful. The two remaining workshops are:

· GIY HQ in Waterford (Thursday July 31st 2025)

· Sonáirte Eco Centre in Meath (Friday August 8th 2025)

For tonight’s programme, Terry Flanagan, caught up with Dr Niamh Roche of Bat Conservation Ireland to find out more.

If you are interested in attending one of the remaining courses, please visit https://www.batconservationireland.org/get-involved/gardening-for-bats

The clash of the ash

The Common Ash has long been one of Ireland’s most common native trees and is of enormous importance to a whole host of wildlife. As GAA fans will know well, it is also of enormous importance to two of our national sports: ash wood is the premium choice when it comes to hurleys (or hurls, depending on your preference), essential for hurling and camogie.

Sadly, our ash trees have found themselves in serious trouble in recent years, their population utterly devastated by Ash Dieback Disease, an affliction caused by a non-native fungus which has left thousands upon thousands of these trees dead or dying across the country. This poses a severe threat both to wildlife and to hurley production.

On tonight’s programme, Éanna Ní Lamhna tells us more and speaks to Prof. Richard Buggs, Senior Research Leader (Plant Health & Adaptation) at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in England about how complex genetic factors may be helping to ensure the survival of the Common Ash. As Richard explains, the fungal disease appears to be acting as a sudden new natural selective force on the species, driving evolution at a much faster rate than you might expect.

For more information about the Common Ash, visit https://www.treecouncil.ie/native-irish-tree-item/ash

For more information about Prof. Richard Buggs and his work, visit https://richardbuggs.com/