201: Rewild Your Land with Pádraic Fogarty

The image shows a misty rural landscape with a prominent oak tree in the foreground. The scene is bathed in fog, creating a dreamlike atmosphere as the mist hangs over the meadow. In the foreground, there's tall golden grass interspersed with some wildflowers or weeds. Behind this is a wire fence with wooden posts marking a boundary. The oak tree stands majestically in the middle ground, with a full, spreading canopy of green leaves. Around it are other smaller trees and shrubs, partially obscured by the fog. The background shows more trees fading into the dense fog, giving the whole scene a layered, atmospheric quality. The lighting suggests early morning, with the fog likely to burn off as the day progresses. The overall impression is one of peaceful countryside, possibly in Britain or Ireland, with the characteristic hedgerows and field boundaries visible through the mist.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/01cXWsODPTb1IyFJDITvJe What does it mean to 'rewild' a landscape in Ireland, one of Europe's most nature-poor countries? Can rewilding coexist with traditional farming practices, or must we choose between them? How do we balance the need for biodiversity recovery with the cultural and economic realities of rural communities? These questions are at the heart of … Continue reading 201: Rewild Your Land with Pádraic Fogarty →

185: Farmers’ Perspective on Carnivore Reintroductions with Jonny Hanson

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4zglYTuVc3e21c943KDYu0 Can large carnivore conservation coexist with livestock farming? In this episode, environmental social scientist Jonny Hanson and I discuss the complex issue of large carnivore reintroductions in Britain and Ireland. What are farmers' perspectives on sharing landscapes with predators like wolves and lynx? How can we balance conservation goals with the realities of modern … Continue reading 185: Farmers’ Perspective on Carnivore Reintroductions with Jonny Hanson →

183: Nature Restoration Law – an Irish Farmer’s Perspective with Bill O’Keeffe

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2P5wRUKaApPzbHjB0EmVlO Why was the farming community so opposed to the EU’s Nature Restoration Law? Doesn’t a healthy ecosystem benefit agriculture? Isn’t the availability of additional payments for alternative use of unproductive land a good thing? Aren’t the measures built into the law sufficient to protect the actively used agricultural land? To find answers to those … Continue reading 183: Nature Restoration Law – an Irish Farmer’s Perspective with Bill O’Keeffe →

179: Sika Deer: Pest or Precious?

A young male Sika deer with antlers stands in a field of tall, brown and green grasses. The deer is looking to the left of the frame. The background is a blurry green field.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4cWzbBrUaEnbe6yNFv2crZ Sika (cervus nippon) is a mid-sized deer that was introduced to Ireland in the 1860s to the Powerscourt Estate. Soon after that, it started spreading across Ireland. Today, the main concentrations of sika are in Kerry, Wicklow, Tyrone and Fermanagh. More recently, it has also been found in Waterford, Galway, Limerick, and Wexford. The … Continue reading 179: Sika Deer: Pest or Precious? →

Deer Hunting Season 2024 Extended

As expected (albeit not as soon) the Minister of State Malcolm Noonan extended, with immediate effect, the deer hunting season to the end of March for female deer and to the end of April for male deer. Here are my thoughts on this. https://youtu.be/zsm1WBPA-Rs

Episode 110: StreamScapes with Mark Boyden

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7erJQOM0y6JXMQisVp9W0v?si=b69ac4b0748b4793 In this episode, once again, we’re going to talk about environmental education. Our guest is Mark Boyden, one of the founders of the Coomhola Salmon Trust. Mark was involved in producing native salmon stocking projects for rivers in the Irish South-West and in the efforts to reintroduce salmon to the great River Rhine. He … Continue reading Episode 110: StreamScapes with Mark Boyden →

Episode 106: Irish Cave Bones with Ruth Carden

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5xrX8415NkeXqAIEIrRYnq?si=oZrYrdI3QQ6IJb7XIWjKIQ&dl_branch=1 Regular listeners have already heard that this episode was coming. And we’ve been planning it for a long time. Conflicting schedules, travel plans and life, in general, were always getting in the way. But boy, was it worth waiting for! https://youtu.be/ahwgb2-aEYU And so, we sat down for a chat with Dr Ruth Carden, a … Continue reading Episode 106: Irish Cave Bones with Ruth Carden →

Episode 99: Hunting and Dog Training with Bertie Brosnan

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1kd3meFQzQA8iRe6p2oBzT?si=_Z8LZhbOSZyZKwfyq9CqQg&dl_branch=1 Bertie Brosnan is known to regular listeners from episode 51. It was an immensely interesting conversation about the fight against salmon poaching in the rivers of the Irish South-West. In this episode, Bertie is back to talk about his other passions: hunting and dog training. https://youtu.be/wtODtmcqWs0 During our conversation, Bertie gives a fascinating account … Continue reading Episode 99: Hunting and Dog Training with Bertie Brosnan →

Episode 87: Irish Whale and Dolphin Group with Pádraig Whooley

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6jJ6wdvEk2gqVwLFxPGCJF?si=P3KugP5lTHuMD5KRxztmbA&dl_branch=1 I have wanted to record an episode about the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) and their work for quite a while now. Their excellent website, with a database where you can report sightings and strandings, was even mentioned in one of my vlogs. So today, it is my pleasure to bring you my … Continue reading Episode 87: Irish Whale and Dolphin Group with Pádraig Whooley →

Scouting for a New Fishing Mark

https://youtu.be/S-JF8Mx1qD0 In this vlog I venture further away from my usual spots in an effort to identify some new and interesting fishing marks. What I’m going to be looking for are marks with access to deeper water. So, come along with me and let’s see what we can find!