Mooney Goes Wild

Mooney Goes Wild

Derek Mooney and guests explore the natural world in all its forms. Listen live every Monday at 10pm on RTÉ Radio 1.

Episodes

July 27, 2026 2 mins
Tonight, we remember Bill Oddie by ending with The Funky Gibbon. From The Goodies to Springwatch, he inspired generations with his humour, love of birds and passion for conservation. Fittingly, the song was later re-released to support gibbon conservation - a perfect tribute to a remarkable broadcaster and naturalist.
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Mooney Goes Wild listener George captured remarkable footage of an adult great spotted woodpecker feeding its youngster in his Monaghan garden. The species has spread rapidly across Ireland in recent years. George joins Derek, Richard and Terry to discuss his fascinating wildlife encounter...
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July 27, 2026 10 mins
This week's curlew-themed programme continues at Clara Bog, Co. Offaly, where visitors can now enjoy a new audio soundwalk. Created by Music Generation Offaly, composer Fiona Linnane and local TY students, it blends wildlife sounds, poetry and music. Terry Flanagan explores the bog with Ger Ralph from Music Generation Offaly...
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July 27, 2026 7 mins
The Curlew is the star of a new bilingual graphic novel helping young people understand climate change and biodiversity loss. Chasing The Curlew's Call, created by UCC and Met Éireann, uses storytelling to inspire children to connect with nature. Writer Dr Rosa Rogers joins us to discuss the project...
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Ireland's curlew population has plummeted, but an ambitious conservation project is offering new hope. Twenty 'headstarted' chicks, hatched from eggs flown in from Yorkshire, were reared at Dublin Zoo before being released at Lough Corrib. Owen Murphy explains how the project is helping save this iconic bird...
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July 27, 2026 4 mins
Next Bank Holiday Monday (3 Aug) at midday, Eric Dempsey presents Nature On One: Casement, exploring Roger Casement's often overlooked passion for the natural world. The programme visits the National Museum of Ireland's natural history collections, including his remarkable west African rhinoceros viper...
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Terry Flanagan visits Craddock House Nursing Home in Naas ahead of Nursing Homes Week 2026 (17–23 August). With this year's theme, "Connected With Nature", he meets residents and staff preparing a range of nature-inspired activities, and hears how nursing homes across Ireland can get involved...
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July 13, 2026 12 mins
MGW listener Sean Geraty joins the programme with questions about "Elvis", the bald robin that's been visiting his garden. Why has Elvis lost his head feathers, and why did a parent bird single out one juvenile for aggression? Derek, Richard and Terry investigate the fascinating behaviour of this robin family...
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July 13, 2026 28 mins
The Wallace Line is an invisible boundary in Indonesia marking a remarkable divide in wildlife. West of it, animals are typically Asian; east, they’re Australasian. Richard and Terry explore its story with Derek, while BirdWatch Ireland's Niall Hatch joins from Indonesia to share his encounters with the region’s unique wildlife...
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July 6, 2026 2 mins
Last week we featured Sir Edwin Landseer's Scene in Braemar ahead of its Sotheby's auction. The dramatic Highland stag painting has now set a new auction record for the artist, selling for £5.9 million – well above its estimate and around five times the previous record for a Landseer work...
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A new global report suggests centuries-old plant collections could help tackle today's biodiversity crisis, with UCC playing a key role. Johan Reyes Chavez, a PhD student at University College Cork and Climate & Innovation Officer with Fundación Ayuda en Acción in Honduras, discusses the report with Derek, Éanna and Terry...
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July 6, 2026 15 mins
Did you know Ireland is home to 30 species of wild orchids? Terry Flanagan visited St. Theresa's in Mount Merrion, where Larry Gordon and Kate McLoughlin have spent 25 years caring for a meadow now blooming with four different native orchid species.
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July 6, 2026 19 mins
Invasive Species Week highlighted the growing threat non-native plants pose to Ireland's biodiversity. Garden favourites like Cherry Laurel, Rhododendron and Spanish Bluebells can spread into the wild, displacing native species. Oisín O'Néill of the Irish Wildlife Trust explains why we should "be plant-wise, let nature lead and choose native"...
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July 6, 2026 5 mins
We love receiving your wildlife photos and videos (send them to mooney@rte.ie). James Morrisroe from Co Monaghan shared footage of a mystery visitor raiding his bins at dawn. Was it a pine marten? Our panel takes a closer look at the video and discusses the likely identity of this clever early-morning scavenger...
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July 6, 2026 2 mins
Derek, Terry and Eanna chat about nature and wildlife activities that can be enjoyed around Ireland in this lovely sunny weather, including visiting Ireland's Eye, and observing the gannet population there...
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June 29, 2026 9 mins
Bernie Dennehy from Cork feared she had accidentally poisoned a Blackbird after cleaning her patio with washing soda solution and later finding a dead bird. Our panellists explain washing soda isn't toxic to birds and exposure was minimal. A far more likely cause was a fatal collision with a window...
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Sir Edwin Landseer's monumental Scene in Braemar, featuring a majestic Highland stag, goes under the hammer at Sotheby's in London this week with an estimate of £3-4 million. Derek speaks to Sotheby's specialist Julian Gascoigne about the dramatic Highland masterpiece and its significance...
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A feasibility study is exploring the culling of invasive Grey Squirrels in Dublin and Wicklow to help native Red Squirrels return to urban areas. Led by Dr Emma Sheehy, the proposal has prompted public consultation and debate over balancing conservation goals with animal welfare concerns. She joins Derek and panel to tell us more about the study...
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Donegal Bay is witnessing an exceptional gathering of Basking Sharks, with dozens of the world's second-largest fish feeding, travelling in groups and even breaching near Mullaghmore Head. Mark O’Connor of Donegal Bay Conservation Trust also discusses a visiting Humpback Whale, known as "Humpback 102", now delighting observers in the bay...
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June 22, 2026 11 mins
Reporter Terry Flanagan visits East Wall in Dublin to meet listener Carol Corri and her unusual garden guest, Paddy the Grey Heron. While herons typically feed on fish, frogs and other aquatic prey, Paddy has developed a taste for chicken legs and rashers, making him a regular and much-loved visitor to Carol’s garden...
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