Mooney Goes Wild

RTÉ

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

  • 54 minutes 17 seconds
    Wildlife Stories From Sweden
    Derek, Richard, Niall and Eanna are joined by Sweden-based Irish journalist Philip O'Connor to chat about edible road salt, wild animals in traffic and the Great Moose Migration! For more, see rte.ie/mooney.
    22 December 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 13 minutes 25 seconds
    Batman and Robin!
    Most European bats eat insects, but one hunts birds. Researchers led by Aarhus University found the Greater Noctule catching small songbirds mid-air. Tagged bats revealed a three-minute chase of a night-flying robin, which was caught, dismembered and eaten, as Niall Hatch explains...
    15 December 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 5 minutes 13 seconds
    Weir-y seals!
    After a recent report of a grey seal in Dublin’s River Liffey, listener Barry McCarthy shared evidence of seals hauling themselves over the Islandbridge weir. He even filmed it with his kids. Éanna returns to discuss Barry’s observations and how well seals move on land...
    15 December 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 13 minutes 23 seconds
    Green bus shelters in Ljubljana, Slovenia
    While filming in Ljubljana recently, Derek discovered a project boosting urban biodiversity: 56 bus shelters have been greened with native, drought-resistant plants. Led by the University of Ljubljana with city partners, the initiative supports insects and wildlife. Derek spoke to project lead Dr Blanka Ravnjak...
    15 December 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 11 minutes 25 seconds
    Ten Thousand Years Deep: The Story of Ireland's Peatlands
    Over 20 years ago, German nurse Carsten Krieger moved to Ireland and became captivated by bogs near his home. After decades researching and photographing peatlands, he wrote 'Ten Thousand Years Deep: The Story of Ireland’s Peatlands'. Michele Browne met him at Griston Bog, Co. Limerick...
    15 December 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 10 minutes 9 seconds
    The Great Irish Fossil Hunt
    Ireland holds some of the world’s oldest and rarest animal fossils. Terry Flanagan and Prof. Maria McNamara explored fossils in Clonmel’s courthouse and told us about the Great Irish Fossil Hunt. Listeners responded, including Barbara Doyle, who found urban fossils in St Peter’s Church, Phibsborough, in Dublin...
    15 December 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 53 minutes 15 seconds
    Nature Book Suggestions For Christmas
    A book at Christmas is a moment of calm, so we're encouraging you (and your small ones!) to take a break from the screens, and relax into a book all about the natural world. We have asked our regular contributors to pick a book that they think might be of interest to you, or your nearest and dearest... For all details, see rte.ie/mooney
    8 December 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 4 minutes 48 seconds
    BirdWatch Ireland’s Irish Garden Bird Survey starts today
    The Irish Garden Bird Survey, carried out by conservation charity BirdWatch Ireland, is Ireland’s largest nature-themed "citizen science" project. This winter’s survey season – its 37th – begins today, and as Niall Hatch tells us, it's a great way to learn more about the birds that come to your home...
    1 December 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 7 minutes 34 seconds
    Harper’s Island Wetlands Nature Reserve livestream
    BirdWatch Ireland's Cork Branch are streaming a live video feed from Harper's Island Wetlands Nature Reserve near Glounthaune, Co. Cork. Our man in Cork and a person who was instrumental in setting up both the reserve and the livestream, Jim Wilson, tells us more...
    1 December 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 6 minutes 52 seconds
    Red Squirrel without a tail
    We were sent a video by Senan and Quinn taken near Lough Dan in Co. Wicklow. It shows an unfortunate Red Squirrel that has somehow completely lost its tail, usually the most striking feature of a squirrel. What might have happened to it, they ask, and will the poor creature survive?
    1 December 2025, 10:00 pm
  • 3 minutes 47 seconds
    A seal in the River Liffey?
    Listeners Michael and Sinéad Judd were walking recently along Dublin’s River Liffey towards Chapelizod and were astonished to see what they believe to be a seal swimming in the water. Could it be a seal?
    1 December 2025, 10:00 pm
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