We have a very busy week ahead, with four different programmes from the Mooney Goes Wild team - all starting with our epic seven-hour Dawn Chorus programme!
Dawn Chorus 2026
Sunday, May 3rd, 00:00 - 07:00 (simulcast on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ Lyric fm)
Join Derek Mooney, Eanna ni Lamhna, Dr. Richard Collins, Jim Wilson, Niall Hatch, Eric Dempsey, Terry Flanagan, Ken Whelan, Vincent Hyland, plus Rory Cobbe and our colleagues in YLE, Finland, as present one of the most evocative broadcasts of the year, the Dawn Chorus, marking International Dawn Chorus Day. For more information, click here.
Nature On One: Talking Birds
Monday, May 4th, 12:00 (midday)
Produced and presented by Derek Mooney
Corkonians Jim Wilson and Seán Ronayne share a lifelong passion for birds and for the wild places that shaped them. Both grew up in Cobh on the Great Island, just a short stroll from each other and only minutes from Cuskinny Marsh Nature Reserve, the place that first sparked their fascination with the natural world. In this Nature on One special, Jim and Seán guide listeners on a walk through Cuskinny, exploring its mosaic of habitats and revealing the rich web of birdlife that thrives there.
Along the way, Seán talks about his ongoing project to eavesdrop on the creatures of the reserve. Over the course of a year, he will attempt to record all its natural sounds and capture the unique acoustic fingerprint of this oasis of wilderness in the heart of Cork Harbour. Together, Jim and Seán reflect on why Cuskinny became their gateway into nature and why precious places like this matter now more than ever.
Mooney Goes Wild
Monday, May 4th, 22:00 - 23:00
David Attenborough At 100
Friday, May 8th, 22:00 - 23:00
To celebrate his 100th birthday, Mooney Goes Wild looks back to a special moment when Sir David Attenborough dropped into the studio. First broadcast in March 2008, when he was in Ireland to promote his new series Life In Cold Blood, the conversation ranged far wider. From gorillas and lyrebirds to killer whales, we remembered classic water‑cooler television that sparked thoughtful conversations well beyond the screen and reshaped how people viewed the natural world.