Panel: Richard Collins, Éanna Ní Lamhna & Niall Hatch

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 an interview with Dr. Alan McCarthy about The Secret Lives of Owls in Ireland. To help you to get to know more about these truly amazing birds, our suggestion from the Mooney Goes Wild archives this week is segment about the Short-eared Owl, the rarest of Ireland’s three regularly occurring owl species. First broadcast in December 2023, on foot of a particularly large influx of these fascinating birds of prey into Ireland, it features Alan in conversation with our good friend, ornithologist Jim Wilson.

To listen to this segment from the Mooney Goes Wild archives, visit https://www.rte.ie/radio/podcasts/22329500-birds-that-never-fail-to-turn-heads-all-about-owl/

Éanna’s Wild Dublin book: second edition out now

Hidden within the hustle and bustle of Dublin city is a secret world of wildlife. From Otters and Kingfishers in the rivers to Harbour Porpoises and jellyfish in the bay, and from Peregrine Falcons swooping overhead to Pyramidal Orchids by the roadside, when Éanna Ní Lamhna’s wonderful book Wild Dublin: Exploring Nature in the City was first published in 2009, it opened many people’s eyes to the surprising natural riches of our capital.

A lot can change in 16 years, of course, and since Éanna’s book came out we have learned even more about the rich flora and fauna of Dublin, with new species taking up residence and more people than ever before contributing their sightings to citizen science projects, increasing our understanding of the city’s natural heritage.

High time for a second edition to be published, you might think. Well, as usual, Éanna is way ahead of you. Her new, fully updated version of Wild Dublin has just hit bookstores and is a must-read for anyone with an interest in urban wildlife or Ireland’s natural history. On tonight’s programme, the lady herself tells us more about what to expect from the second edition of this brilliant publication.

For more information about Wild Dublin: Exploring Nature in the City, published by The O’Brien Press, visit https://obrien.ie/wild-dublin

Celebrating National Tree Day

Last Thursday, 2nd October, was National Tree Day, a special day organised every year by the Tree Council of Ireland for primary school pupils (and the rest of us) to discover how amazing trees are, why they are so important for our planet and the simple things we can all do to care for nature. It’s an opportunity for schools across Ireland to come together to learn fascinating facts about trees, to explore the great outdoors, to enjoy fun tree-themed activities and to celebrate our wonderful, varied biodiversity.

We all know how excited Éanna Ní Lamhna, former President of the Tree Council of Ireland, gets about trees, their vital importance for a healthy environment and their key role in the protection of biodiversity. On tonight’s programme, she tells us more about this year’s celebrations, why Ireland urgently needs more trees and what she got up to herself on the big day.

For more information about National Tree Day, visit https://www.treeday.ie/

The "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" is upon us

October is here and autumn, the "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness", as John Keats put it, is well and truly with us. Have you happened to notice the vast amounts of fruits, seeds and berries around this year? That’s because it’s a mast year. Look at any woodland floor right now and you will find it’s floor covered with acorns, conkers and beechmast.

Mast years occur about once every five years or so. During mast years, plants – and trees, in particular – produce huge quantities of seeds and nuts. Why do they do this, and what advantage does it give to the trees? For tonight’s programme, our roving reporter, Terry Flanagan, headed to the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin to meet up with our good friend Dr. Matthew Jebb, Director of the gardens, to find out more.

For more information about mast years, visit https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/10/what-is-a-mast-year/

For more information about the National Botanic Gardens, visit https://www.botanicgardens.ie/

Seed-collecting with Jeremy Turkington

Collecting seeds is something that Jeremy Turkington, Seed Collector and Seed Bank Coordinator with Hometree, is truly passionate about. Each year, he and his colleagues collect seeds from native Irish plant species in order to propagate them and ensure their future and their genetic diversity in Ireland. For tonight’s programme, our Researcher Michele Browne went to meet him in order to find out more.

For more information about Hometree, visit https://www.hometree.ie/

Killarney National Park Autumn Talks Series 2025

This year marks the 37th year of the annual Killarney National Park 'Autumn Talks Series’ 2025, set to return to Killarney House commencing Thursday, 9th October and continuing each Thursday night for six weeks. The popular weekly event will take place at Killarney House Auditorium at 8.00pm. Attendance at each of the talks is free, but as seating is limited, they will also be streamed live via the Killarney National Park Facebook page.

On tonight’s programme, we speak to long-standing organiser of the annual series of talks, Padruig O’Sullivan, Conservation Ranger with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, about what he and his colleagues have in store for nature-lovers over the coming weeks.

List and dates of Killarney National Park Autumn Talks Series 2025

- 9th October: Julian Friers, Artist – Wild Ireland: Past, Present, Future

- 16th October: Alan McCarthy – The Secret Lives of Owls in Ireland

- 23rd October: James Flynn – Killarney Arbutus Furniture History 1825-1953

- 30th October: Chris Barron – Killarney National Park Education Centre: 40 Years of Conservation

- 6th November: John Casey – The History of Irish Forests from Tudor to the early 20th Century

- 13th November: Éamonn Meskell – Killarney National Park Projects and Operational Works update 2025

For more information about the Killarney National Park Autumn Talks Series 2025, visit https://www.nationalparks.ie/killarney/autumn-talks-series-2025/

For the latest updates keep in touch with the @killarneynationalpark Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/KillarneyNationalPark/) or Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/killarneynationalpark/).