Panel: Éanna Ní Lamhna, Richard Collins, and Niall Hatch
Reporter: Terry Flanagan
In addition to listening to us on RTÉ Radio 1 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.
In A Walled Garden In Meath
Walled gardens have a long history in Ireland and Britain. Originally built on grand estates centuries ago to shelter fruit and vegetables from wind, frost and prying eyes and to create highly productive self-contained growing spaces, this one is in Stamullen, in Co. Meath.
Reporter Terry Flanagan has been visiting the garden with Ciarán de Buitléar. Ciarán grows his food in close partnership with wildlife and nature, and has written a book, Nature's Acre, to encourage others to do the same...
Nature's Acre, by Ciarán de Buitléar, is available online and from selected bookshops - for more information, visit https://gardeningwell.ie/natures-acre.
Remarkable Reefs
Did you know that coral reefs are often called the rainforests of the sea? And that they support a third of all the marine life that is visible to the naked eye – from jelly fish to mammals to fish, crabs and seaweeds. But they are also extremely biodiverse in areas that are not visible to the naked eye. A new study published in the journal Nature shows that living reefs host previously unknown biomolecules with potential for future medicine and biotechnology. The research involved scientists at University of Galway, including Professor Olivier Thomas (Professor in Marine Biodiscovery), who spoke to our panel about these remarkable reefs...
To read the paper Coral microbiomes as reservoirs of unknown genomic and biosynthetic diversity, visit https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10159-6.
International Dawn Chorus Day
Yesterday, nature lovers, night owls, early risers and curious minds were invited to experience one of RTÉ's most evocative broadcasts of the year, the Dawn Chorus, which marked International Dawn Chorus Day, on Sunday, May 3rd 2026.
It is a day when millions of people around the world set their alarms, pausing to listen as the planet awakens through birdsong. From midnight to 7.00am, RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ lyric fm joined this global moment, offering seven uninterrupted hours of live birdsong, observation, insight and music, capturing the instant Ireland stirs and daylight gently takes hold.
For more information, visit https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/mooney/2026/0423/1569789-dawn-chorus-2026-sun-may-3rd-0000-0700/.