Podcasts about national botanic gardens

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter  or Bluesky for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcast.Competition ends on 7th May 2025. The winner will be contacted via Bluesky. Show references: Dynamic Earth website: https://dynamicearth.org.uk/Dynamic Earth X: https://x.com/ourdynamicearthDynamic Earth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/our-dynamic-earth-dynamic-earth-enterprises-ltd-dynamic-earth-charitable-trust-/Mark Bishop joined Dynamic Earth in the summer of 2022. The Edinburgh Science Centre & Planetarium provides science engagement to over 250,000 people a year at the centre and across Scotland. Prior to joining Dynamic Earth, Mark was a director at the National Trust for Scotland for seven years. In the 23 years Mark has been in the voluntary sector, he has also held senior roles at Prostate Cancer UK, Leonard Cheshire Disability and The Royal British Legion. His commercial sector experience includes roles at HarperCollins, Sky, and he co-founded two Internet start-ups. He continues to be a Trustee of Dads Rock, which is a charity dedicated to supporting men to be great parents. Transcriptions: Paul Marden: Welcome to Skip the Queue, a podcast for people working in and working with visitor Attractions. I'm your host, Paul Marden. The Millennium Commission was set up by the UK Government to celebrate the turn of the millennium. Funded by the National Lottery, not only did it fund the Millennium Dome, now the O2, it also funded many regional venues, including a number of science centres such as Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, which was the first major millennium attraction in Edinburgh. In this episode, I'm talking to Mark Bishop, the CEO of Dynamic Earth, about those millennium babies and what the next 25 years looks for them. After a career in charity fundraising, Mark moved to the attraction sector in 2015 at the National Trust for Scotland, before becoming CEO of Dynamic Earth nearly three years ago. Now let's get into the interview. Paul Marden: Mark, welcome to Skip the Queue. Mark Bishop: Hi. Morning. How are you? Paul Marden: I'm very good. I'm very good on a very sunny morning here down in Hampshire at the moment. I don't know what the Easter holidays are like up there for you at the moment, Mark. Mark Bishop: Well, people always talk about the weather being different in Scotland, so here in Edinburgh, we had the most amazing first week of spring last week, and that made me sad because indoor visitor attractions often benefit from when it's cloudy or rainy. So I am delighted to say the second half of Easter is terrible outside, but amazing inside our building. Paul Marden: Oh, good. So, visitor numbers are good for you this Easter holiday, are they? Mark Bishop: Well, we had probably the best number of people in since COVID Yesterday. We had 1302 people in. Paul Marden: Wowsers.Mark Bishop: That's great, because to have families and groups in celebrating science in our building during their holiday time makes me happy. Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, went. I've been doing day trips with my daughter just recently over the Easter break and you can definitely feel there's lots of people out and about and enjoying themselves over these Easter holidays. So good to hear that it's been kind to you as well. Longtime listeners will know that we always start our interviews with an icebreaker question that you cannot prepare for. So I think I've been kind to you. I've got a couple for you here. This is an A or B question. If you're going out for a night out, is it going to be a concert or is it going to be a museum nighttime exhibition? Mark Bishop: I think I'm supposed to, on behalf of the sector, go for the latter, but I am going to answer it in an authentic way and say A, a concert. So before I had kids, I'd probably go to about 150 concerts a year. Really, in the days when NME existed and it had a print edition and I'd pretty much just buy it, flick it and go, that looks interesting. And go without ever even hearing things because Spotify didn't exist and he goes to stuff and it was terrible or brilliant, but I loved it just from the variety and the surprise factor. Obviously, these days we kind of plan our music events a bit better. We know the artists and in theory we make better choices. But perhaps we don't do such good random things as well. Who knows? Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Okay, now this one's a little bit more in depth. If there is a skill that you could master immediately, what would it be? Mark Bishop: Trying to understand how my three kids think and how I need to respond to that. But I don't think I'm the only parent on the planet that loves seeing the variety of ways they behave. But just question, how on earth did they come to be and think like that? Paul Marden: Yeah, it sounds like almost a kind of being able to speak child and become an interpreter, a child whisperer. Mark Bishop: And I think we, you know, sort of kind of be a bit more profound about these things. As an Earth Science Centre, that predominantly kind of has family audience, actually, some of the best questions we get are from younger people. So sometimes minds are probably more open and liberated. Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Well, that's a nice segue, isn't it? So why don't you tell us a little bit about the Dynamic Earth? What stories does the Dynamic Earth try to tell? Mark Bishop: So Dynamic Earth, for those who don't know it, is the Edinburgh Science Centre and Planetarium. And as I'm sure we'll talk about, we were the first out of the millennium babies to launch back on 2nd July 1999. Our building predates being a science centre. It used to be a Scottish and Newcastle brewery. So when people say, I can't organise the proverbial in a brewery, I go, possibly released half row. And in the mid-1990s, they stopped making beer and handed the land over to public benefit. And it's become the UK's leading Earth science centre. So we're very much a science centre, but we're a science centre with a very specific theme around our planet and our universe and the experiences are very deliberately immersive. Mark Bishop: So we allow people to experience in a safe way what it feels like to be in an earthquake, to see a volcanic eruption, to touch a real iceberg, to dive to the bottom of the ocean and then fly out to the outer reaches of space. And we do all of that because we think our planet is beautiful and fascinating and the wonders of the world need to be celebrated. But increasingly, we also want to showcase the perils we're placing on our planet, our only home. We have about a quarter million people come through our doors a year, and that would be families, that'd be tour groups. There'll be a lot of school groups coming in, 30,000 kind of school groups coming in, and then we have about 400 conferences and events a year. Mark Bishop: So we have everything from Arctic conferences, water resilient conferences, and electric aeroplane conferences. You name it, we have it in our building. And I think a lot of the conferences have keynote speakers that tend to be first ministers or senior politicians, because unless somebody can tell me otherwise, I think we are the closest science centre in the world to a seat of government, because the Scottish parliament is 10 yards across the road. Paul Marden: Excellent. So you have the year of government as well? Mark Bishop: We like to think so. Paul Marden: So I've not been to Dynamic Earth yet, and I need to solve that problem. Yeah. But I'm getting a picture in my mind of telling the story around the geology of the planet, and there's going to be lots of physics around. The planetary stuff that you talk about when you take that big zoom out. Are there other elements of the science, the different sciences, that you bring into this storytelling? Is there elements of biology and botany and things like that you bring into this? Mark Bishop: Yeah, absolutely. So, for example, one of the galleries I didn't mention to you is a rainforest gallery. So you go into a tropical rainforest, regardless of what the weather is like outside in Edinburgh and Scotland, you come into a tropical rainforest, but the sounds and smells and sensations of that rainforest immerse you. And we do that because, you know, probably very few people will travel in their lifetime to a tropical rainforest. And there's lots of environmental reasons why you probably wouldn't encourage people to do that. But to be immersed in that space and to feel what it's like to be in a rainforest allows you to understand that it's humans' relationship with the world around them, and that we're not the only beings on this planet. And so hopefully we try and humble people by realising there are other habitats and species than ourselves. Paul Marden: Excellent. So today's episode, what we want to do, we've got a series of episodes that we want to do around the Millennium Project. I've got particular interest in this because my first job whilst I was still at uni was at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, which was a millennium project. So I was there whilst they were digging. I can vividly remember it being a building site, and this dome where they built the gardens, sort of lifted out of the earth. So I felt, I can remember being there and feeling like this was something important, we were building something for the long term. It was an exciting opportunity. And we're at this kind of big anniversary, aren't we, this year, 25 years since many of those millennium projects opened. Paul Marden: And I wanted to kind of look back on those 25 years. Did it work out the way it was planned to work out? Did it turn out to be this exciting new opportunity, building a long term legacy for the country? Were there some growing pains, that kind of thing? And what does the future, what's the next 25 years and beyond look like for those millennium babies? So let's take a little step back because although I was wearing my wellies and walking around a building site, I didn't pay a lot of attention to what drove the investment in the first place. So there was a big explosion, wasn't there, through investment from the Millennium Commission in science centres. So what drove that in the first place? Why did these science centres come into being as a result, the Millennium Commission? Mark Bishop: Well, I think the thing that probably everybody felt in the 90s, from the mid-90s onwards, was you just heard about the millennium coming, as if this was going to be a significant zeitgeist kind of piece. We're all being told that every electronic device was going to break because of the millennium bug. Paul Marden: Yes. Mark Bishop: And that one didn't come to be kind of thankfully. But I think beyond that kind of anxiety piece around technology, there was a sort of spirit of looking to the future, thinking what might be. I felt like a time of optimism and hope. And so therefore it kind of made sense for government and other agencies to invest in thinking about the future, because a lot of museums and galleries and other institutions are fantastic custodians of the past. Mark Bishop: And of course galleries and museums reflect present times in terms of exhibitions and storytelling and interpretation. But there really weren't many science centres or organisations that were specifically existing to help each of us come to terms with what hasn't yet happened. So I think that's probably the kind of founding driving spirit behind it. And Dynamic Earth was very much part of that wave. Paul Marden: You talk a little bit about being a former brewery. How did Dynamic Earth come into being? What, what was the background story to it? Because these things didn't just appear on the high street in the year 2000. They were projects that ran up to that point, weren't they? Mark Bishop: Yeah. And I love going through our limited but really important kind of archive of documents to try and understand these things. And I sort of love heritage because my last job was working at the National Trust for Scotland. So therefore I'm kind of fascinated by the past as well as kind of looking to the future. And so when I go through our kind of archives and records, it shows that we stopped being a brewery in the early 1990s. Scottish Newcastle said to themselves, you know, we want to give the space over to public benefit. At the time, it wasn't defined to be a science centre. And this part of Edinburgh, the bottom end of the Royal Mile, had a royal Palace. It's had that for a long time. But it was pretty much run down housing and factories. Mark Bishop: And so this whole end of town was very down on its luck and everything kind of needed to be thought through again. So Edinburgh City Council and other agencies like Scottish Enterprise and major kind of funders all got behind thinking about this whole part of town in Scotland's capital, rather than just thinking about a side centre. Paul Marden: Right. Mark Bishop: So the land that Scotland Newcastle gave over to doing good things was partly sold off by dynavicarth to allow, you know, to allow flats to be developed next door we've got Rockstar North. The other side of me, we've got the Scottish parliament that opens 24 hours away from Dynamic Earth kind of stuff. So they opened the same week. So it's a whole story of kind of urban capital city regeneration that lies behind that. But very specifically, why did Dynamic Earth become an Earth Science Centre? Yeah, and you can't see it, but if I dramatically look out my window, I can see Arthur's Seat and the Salisbury Crags through Holyrood Park. Anybody who comes to Edinburgh, whose legs allow, will walk up the hill and experience an old volcano and a beautiful view of the city. Mark Bishop: And now the reason that's significant is that a guy called James Hutton, 300 years ago was a real leading light in the Enlightenment, and he managed to challenge all those kind of religious zealots in terms of the age of the planet by studying the rock forms right outside my window. And he went, “Guys, I've got a thought. This wasn't done in a day or seven days”. I'm telling you now, there's billions of years of laying down of rocks and stuff like that. And so, therefore, when we thought, what does this brewery need to become? Mark Bishop: A number of good people said, well, let's make this centre a homage to James Hutton, the idea that the Enlightenment is still alive with us today, the idea that you should be able to challenge existing hard set views by using insight and science to inform your thinking. And then the rest happened. Paul Marden: Excellent. So I didn't know that Edinburgh was the kind of the seat of that thinking around the geological history of the Earth and what drove the purpose for the centre. It makes lots of sense now. So let's talk about opening up. What was that experience like for the Dynamic Earth? I know there were lots of positives for many people. I know lots of millennium attractions didn't bring in the numbers of people that they were perhaps hoping for. What was that early life like at the centre? Mark Bishop: Well, so inevitably, anything that's new attracts a crowd of people who are curious. So the early couple of years were really good from a kind of visitor attraction side of things. But actually quite early on, within the first couple of years, my predecessors realised that you just can't, generally speaking, break even or make a profit from just running a visitor attraction, particularly when your purpose is educational rather than just pure entertainment. Paul Marden: Yes. Mark Bishop: And so our building had the answer built into it, in the sense we have an amazing set of conference suites for businesses, weddings and other kind of celebrations. And so quite early on, we started an events team and that now means we have 400 plus events here a year. Half of them, I would say, are kind of environmental science specific events. But that generates, you know, one and a half getting off £2 million of income ultimately for us. And that's very significant way of A, making sure that we are a place where ideas take place. Our convening power, if you want to call it that, but actually also the net contribution of that is a very significant way to fund any gap you have on the visitor side of things. Paul Marden: Yeah, I should imagine having the seat of Government 10 yards from the building helps with bringing in the events. And that's certainly not going to detract from the events portfolio, is it, being smack in the centre of the city like that? Mark Bishop: Well, if I think, I mean, in the space of what, the last three or four months, ie, 20, 25, we've had the first minister here two or three times, we've had the Deputy First Minister here the other evening. And so therefore, if you're a company or a conference organiser and you want to attract all the good and the great in terms of delegates, knowing there's a senior political figure to do the keynote address is a good way of making your marketing literature kind of really sing. I think, you know. Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Mark Bishop: And also from a. I guess for the politicians as well, because their time is in demand, very precious. So the idea that they can reach their key stakeholders on pretty much any topic in the space of 10 yards, half an hour here and then back at your desk within the hour, that's quite attractive from a political perspective. Paul Marden: Absolutely. So, going back to those early days, as your predecessors were finding their feet, of figuring out what operating a science centre was going to be like, what were the growing pains? Were there some challenges along the way? Mark Bishop: So, inevitably, what is brand new doesn't stay new forever. And I think if you design a science centre and retrofit it into a brewery, there's obviously some trade offs in terms of layout and the design. And you have beautiful architects come in and do amazing things for you that look amazing at a kind of brochure, aesthetic level. But when you trade them day in, day out, you do sometimes question the infinite logic behind the design principle. So, for example, if you come through Dynamic Earth, we're a beautiful tented structure like the Millennium Dome or the O2 as it is today. And if you're coming in and you're buying a ticket in person, you would turn left and go to our ticket desk and join the queue there. But then the actual experience side of things is completely on the other side of the building. Mark Bishop: So the intuitive flow of coming in, getting a ticket and joining the experience is designed in a counterintuitive way where, in effect, audiences sort of meet in the middle to a certain extent. So that's probably an example of things that you just wouldn't have got right on day one, but kind of are a gentle living curse for you every day since. Paul Marden: I wonder, though, by retrofitting the centre into this old historic brewery, whether you may not have fallen foul of some of the other attractions that were built around that time, because many of them have got problems with the fabric of the building now, haven't they, these new buildings that perhaps were built with the same level of care and attention that we might lavish on them these days. Mark Bishop: Yeah, I mean, that's a good thing. I sit in this amazing sort office that basically looks like a castle turret. The walls are this thick, you know, they are very sort of stone and authentic. So it's a very authentic historic building, but with new ideas and thinking and experiences within it. So it's a trade off, I guess. Paul Marden: Yeah. So now that these centres are getting to early adulthood, how do you think they're doing? Mark Bishop: Well. Thankfully, the vast majority of science centres and other experiences that launched inspired by the millennium are still in existence. So survival in the first instance is a form of success. And I think that the fact that we're open shows we've all stood the test of time, which I think is an important achievement. I think what's clear from talking to all the science centres that I bump into is we all find it quite challenging to get that balance between your purpose and your profit, trying to get that balance between why you exist in the first place versus how you fund the building, your staff and your other bills. And so that's an ongoing kind of challenge that the original business plans are used to justify an investment probably don't reflect reality 25 years on. Mark Bishop: I think the other thing I would say that's a real shift is I think centres like Dynamic Earth were opened at the time when the Internet was absolutely in its infancy.Paul Marden: Completely. Mark Bishop: And I still remember from my homework and university work, going to libraries and getting books and using physical things to kind of acquire knowledge. And of course, the Internet now means that any facts and figures are available at the touch of a button. So if you want to know about a volcano, you can find as many facts and figures as you want on the Internet, Wikipedia or other sources. It means that Dynamic Earth and other science centres have kind of shifted from simply thinking about ourselves as a knowledge exchange centre to being a place where we inspire people to think for themselves and that. Mark Bishop: I don't know whether that happened on day 4009 or whatever it was, but I definitely think that when you look at what were doing on day one versus what we're doing in our 25th year, there's been a shift in emphasis and approach. Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. You're right that all of these facts and figures are the fingertips of the young people who are completely immersed in that as a natural way for them to research. But I've done enough school party visits, I've taken kids to different science centres, and you can't replace the storytelling, you can't replace being immersed in the place that is so powerful. Mark Bishop: I think 100% agree, and you'd be surprised if I didn't say that. But the idea that you learn as a shared experience, either as a school group or a family or a tall group, you have some jokes, you bounce ideas off of each other. And I saw that recently when my daughter came here a few months back for her last primary school visit, aged just 11, coming at 12.  And she begs me over breakfast, she said, “Please, Dad, don't do anything to embarrass me.” And I absolutely, solemnly swore at breakfast, you know, I will not do anything to embarrass you today. And I maintain I kept my promise. Mark Bishop: But when her school bus pulled up outside our building, the doors open, the kids poured out, my daughter's friends all pointed up to the top of the stairs and went, “There's a dinosaur there, Autumn, that's your dad. It's going to be your dad. You know that.” And I hope that you know that their school group had an amazing experience through the galleries, an amazing experience with our learning team and a fantastic sort of outer space experience in the planetarium. But even that sort of jokey bit of Dad's a dinosaur stayed with the kids. So at the end of their year's show, one of them hired a dinosaur outfit and they reenacted my daughter's embarrassment. And so even that tiny, silly example shows that shared experience is what it's all about. Paul Marden: Completely. I think those experiences that kids have when they go out on their school trips, it's something that Bernard et ALVA talked about earlier on this year as being really important, key points for that ALVA was asking of the government, was to make those school trips integral part of the curriculum. I think they're so powerful and so many kids don't get to experience that well. Mark Bishop: I think the challenge we sort of see here that be the same across Scotland and UK wide is even when there are opportunities to have subsidised tickets and you do everything you can to make sure the price of entry for school groups is as low as possible, often the barrier is the cost of the coach hire. Paul Marden: So I'm a governor at my daughter's school and I was talking to the head and they're in a really lucky position because they've got us. They're a very small village school, so there's only 90, 95 kids in total anyway. But they've got their own minibus which makes them mobile, so it means that any. We were at the Horse Crest, like the local heritage railway, just recently because we got invited for a trip and it was dead easy for us to go straight away. Yes. Because the kids can just get there easily and that's a different kettle of fish if you've got to hire coaches, because it's so perilously expensive now. Anyway, we digress a little bit. You've been in post now for three years, nearly three years, I think it is. Yeah. Paul Marden: What does your plan look like in the short term, but also what do you think the next 25 years look like for Dynamic Earth? Mark Bishop: I think that question sort of speaks to the idea that while an organisation should be proud of its 25 years of existence and everything it's done in that time, and we've certainly had some lovely staff celebrations and public celebrations to celebrate that important milestone. It's too self indulgent to spend all your time looking back rather than thinking about and facing into the future. And that's probably more true of science centres than anybody else, because if you were founded on looking to the future, you get to 25 years. Mark Bishop: Yes, have a little look back, but bang, think about looking forward to the future again and ask yourselves brave questions like what do we need to do that honours the spirit of what our founders did and thought about to put us together in the first place and not to betray our roots, but equally not to be constrained by them. Because the world is very different 25 years on, and particularly around the climate emergency and planetary crisis. We at Dynamic Earth, as an Earth Science Centre, feel not just an opportunity, but a kind of absolute responsibility to play our part, to kind of really shift the dial around helping people understand their role and responsibility when it comes to protecting our only home planet Earth. And so that's the kind of challenge we've set ourselves. Mark Bishop: And I'm going to do a dangerous thing of involving a prop. About 18 months, two years ago, we launched our 10 year strategy from beginning to end, and it's a document at the end of. But the exact summary is this. And of course you can see there's a clock there and you might be able to see the kind of temperature, kind of pieces, and the 1.5 is the 1 that we know quite tragically we're going to reach sometime very soon. And what we've done with that 10 year strategy is say how do we honour what we've been famous for, but how do we push and pivot that towards climate kind of response storytelling? Mark Bishop: And so therefore what we are trying to work through for ourselves is how do you maintain a popular visitor attraction? How do you inspire people, bring entertainment and delight into people's lives, but how do you absolutely hit home with some really hard truths around what we are doing to destroy the beauty of our only hope? Mark Bishop: And I'm not sure I've quite got the answers to that because becoming sort of quite purposeful and, you know, risks being didactic. And being didactic takes away the idea that you're helping people to think for themselves and risks being a bit preachy. So there's a really good set of conversations going on at Dynamic Earth and I think a lot of other places across the UK, which is, how do you, how do you exist on the right side of history while still existing as a visitor attraction? Paul Marden: Yes, because it is a tough story to tell, isn't it? And that doesn't necessarily sit comfortably with being a lovely day out with the family, but that doesn't take away from the importance of telling the story and telling it well. Mark Bishop: And I think what we feel is, if there's one criticism I'd kind of make of the past is we probably overdefined ourselves as a visitor attraction and underdefined ourselves as an Earth science education charity that happens to run the visitor attraction. And that might feel semantic, but actually it's quite fundamental because if you realise that your purpose is about educating people inclusively across Scotland, including in Edinburgh, and now increasingly helping people come to terms with climate issues, then your visitor attraction is a tool, a prop, an asset to achieve a bigger thought than just visiting numbers. Paul Marden: So is there work that you do, outreach work that goes beyond the centre in Edinburgh? Are you talking to people outside of that centre? Mark Bishop: Absolutely. And some of the work that makes me most proud of being chief exec here at Dynamic Earth is the stuff you do not see day in, day out. So we have outreach work that goes into schools and community groups right across Scotland. There's about 10 regional science festivals that take place across the year. We're at every one of those with our pop up planetarium, it's got an inflatable planetarium. Unbelievably, 30 people can slip inside a big squishy tent, and the universe comes to life wherever you happen to be. And that's kind of pretty magnificent. We go into children's hospitals, we work with community groups, we do digital and in person delivery in schools. And so therefore what we do away from Dynamic Earth as a science centre is as important as what we do at the centre. Mark Bishop: Because probably the people who might not be able to come to us for geographic reasons or financial or cultural reasons are often the people we most need to reach. And if we really believe that everybody in Scotland should play their individual and collective part in responding to climate planetary emergencies, we can't just say, well, if you don't come to us, we're not going to come to you. Because the climate issues need all of us to respond. So we have the added burden opportunity to get out there and tell our story across Scotland with that in mind. Paul Marden: Is there a shake up that's going on in the centre as you move on to this next stage of the maturity of the organisation? Mark Bishop: So I think that the things that are different in our approach is thinking about channel mix and that we kind of music to your ears because I think that science centres absolutely pride themselves on that in person shared experience, and that shouldn't go away. But actually thinking about how a one off experience is part of a longer customer or supporter journey is really key. So how do you connect with people before they come? By setting them, I know, a kind of online quiz and say how many of these questions about our planet can you answer? And then ask people to redo the quiz afterwards and see whether a visit to Dynamic Earth or another science centre has enriched their kind of knowledge. Mark Bishop: How do you connect what a family does on a Saturday to what a school group do in a classroom on a Tuesday and Wednesday? How do you get to what I call a nudge strategy, a multiple engagement kind of model? Because it strikes me that most things that, you know, mean something to people are developed over time rather than just one off experiences. So that's a shift in thinking, and it's a shift in thinking by not thinking for yourself as a visitor attraction, but thinking for yourself as a charity that exists to promote learning and engagement more broadly. Paul Marden: That's really interesting. So I'm totally guilty of thinking about the visitor attraction first and the commercial elements of it, because I guess that's our job is to get bumps on seats and to drive revenue. But when you think of that visitor attraction as the tool, not the end, you're using that tool to meet your bigger goals, aren't you? And it changes your perspective on how you do that. Mark Bishop: Well, it does because it allows you to sort of exist in a dual way of saying at a customer, experiential level, digital attraction side of things. How do you make sure that the experience you offer to people is distinctive, compelling, exciting and all the basic service features of toilets, cafe, shop, all this car parking, all those sorts of things on the functional side are doing what they need to do and then it means on the other side that you're also saying, “So what? you know, what is that trip all about? What did somebody take away?” Mark Bishop: And part of what people take away is that sense of shared experience, fun, entertainment, something to do on a wet Saturday afternoon. And that's valuable. But if you fundamentally help even a small proportion of your audience think radically different about themselves and the world around them. You might be doing something that goes way beyond what this attraction could ever imagine. Paul Marden: Yes, absolutely. So is that what you're aiming for? Is it the few minds that you can change radically, or is it the nudge of making small changes to the larger numbers of people that walk through the door? Mark Bishop: I mean, the answer to that is both, because we think every one of us has an opportunity and a responsibility to do basic things. So, I mean, the obvious good examples would be how you recycle stuff. And I look at my teenage boys, are they always recycling things in the best way or am I going through the bin resisting things? But then you ask more fundamental questions of, well, it's not just a case of recycling the bottle of plastic water. Why did you buy a bottle of plastic water in the first place? Yes, this stuff like that. Mark Bishop: And so a science centre like us helps people not just do the right thing in kind of lip service ways, but think more fundamentally about your role and relationship with what excites you at school, what studies you take, what degree you might go on to take, or what job are you going to go on to do? And how do you make sure that where you buy things from, where you work, where you spend your time is reinforcing the good rather than perpetuating the bad? And that's, you know, maybe I'm an idealist, maybe I'm a lack of realism, but actually I really do think that on our day, that's what we exist to do. Mark Bishop: And there will be maybe 1%, 2% of the people who come through our doors who are so inspired by science that they choose careers that are acting as environmental activists. I can think of a lovely lady I met the other day. I'll change her name to Laura. She told me that she came To Dynamic Earth 20 years ago for our Saturday science clubs and she used to come most Saturday mornings. And she so fell in love with science that she chose science subjects at school, went on to do a science degree and is now just finishing off a PhD in understanding volcanoes with a view that she wants to look at volcanic eruptions, where they happen and help think about where humans live alongside volcanoes. So all of that came from her coming here on Saturday mornings. Mark Bishop: So she is living proof that you inspire people young, and it can inform the whole direction of their studies and clear intention.Paul Marden: And deadline. Yeah, completely. What a lovely story to end on, but there's one more thing we have to do before we end today's Interview. We always end with a book recommendation. So, Mark, what book have you got for our listeners to maybe win today? Mark Bishop: So it will sound slightly sort of sanctimonious, but I've just started reading Mike Berners-Lee's book, A Climate of Truth. Now, Mike was in Edinburgh the other evening to do a talk as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival. Such an inspirational guy in terms of kind of climate, sustainability kind of issues. His mum must be very proud to have him. And you know, his, you know, one of the boys invents the Internet, the other one saves the planet. You sort of think to yourself, that ain't too bad. And I'm going to cheat slightly. And also just recommend one poem to people. It's Scottish poet Douglas Dunn. And it's a poem that I first heard when I was at school and I would say I read it probably 20 times a year. Mark Bishop: And the poem is called A Removal From Terry Street and it's only about 15 lines. And what I love about it is it finishes on that, on a beautiful line. That man, I wish him well, I wish him grass. And the context the poem is talking about a family removing, you know, working class family moving away from Hull and the neighbour is looking at them moving out and saying, you know, I wish him well, I wish him grass. And so I think that's just a lovely line that stayed with me. It speaks to the idea that we should all think the best of each other and hope for the futur, and think positive thoughts. Paul Marden: Well, Mark, it's been lovely talking to you. Thank you ever so much for coming on Skip the Queue, telling the story of dynamic Earth and looking forward to what happens next for your amazing attraction. Thank you very much. Mark Bishop: Thank you. Paul Marden: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others to find us. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them to increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcripts from this episode and more over on our website, skipthequeue fm.  The 2024 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsDownload the 2024 Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

National Tree Week runs this year from March 9th to 16th and the theme of this year's celebration is “Planting Trees, Growing Together”. To find out more, Terry Flanagan visited The National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin in Dublin, where he spoke to Education Officer Felicity Gaffney and our own Éanna Ní Lamhna.

David Maxwell finds out about storm proof trees at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland, Kilmacurragh where head gardener, Seamus O'Brien also has tips on creating a wind break with holly, hazel and mix of other native species. At Ardgillan Castle on the coast of north county Dublin, Dominica McKevitt reveals a garden for all seasons where reliable shrubs like Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n' Gold' shine out even on dull days. In studio, Colin Agnew explains what to do to get your Amaryllis bulb flowering again next year and with the increasing move away from peat products RSPB ambassador and Springwatch's Lucy Lapwing joins David in studio to talk about the importance of peatland habitats. Contact the programme - gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

Sean O'Neill, Director of Communications with Transport Infrastructure Ireland // Jonathan Hehir, Managing Director of CFM insurance group // Jean McCabe, CEO of Retail Excellence Ireland // Seamus O'Brien, head gardener at the National Botanic Gardens in Kilmacurragh, Co Wicklow // Thomas Duffy, dairy farmer in Cavan

Even on a cold or dull January day there is always some winter wonders to be discovered in a botanic garden. This week, David Maxwell heads to the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin, just a few miles from the centre of Dublin. Outdoors he finds flowering Japanese Quince (Chaenomeles japonica) and the striking bark of Chilean Myrtle (Luma apiculata) while in the impressive “Curvilinear Range” he is blown away by the scent of Jasmine (Jasminium polyanthum) and the flowers of the Bird of Paradise plant (Strelitizia reginae) which are cosy under the glass. Also on the programme, a visit to Monkstown Village Community Garden in Newtownabbey where volunteers keep things so tidy that they actually vacuum the polytunnel, and Rosie Maye joins David in studio to answer question and offer some winter gardening inspiration. Contact the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

How do artists capture the limitless beauty and complexity of the natural world? Paddy Woodworth chairs a panel of image-makers, featuring Jane Carkill, Melissa Culhane, Killian Mullarney and Yanny Petters, recorded live at the National Botanic Gardens as part of Dublin Book Festival 24.

Margaret Attridge, Head of Water Operations with Uisce Éireann // Captain Sean Boyce, Master Mariner // Seamus O'Brien, head gardener at the National Botanic Gardens in Kilmacurragh, Co Wicklow

A recent study by botanists at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in the UK has identified 33 “dark spots” around the world where it is believed thousands of plant species are still waiting to be discovered. Éanna Ní Lamhna spoke to our good friend Dr. Matthew Jebb, Director of the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin in Dublin.

Warming up for our live session at The National Botanic Gardens, writer Orit Gat makes the case for loving 'n' leaving alone the pigeon.

Ben Wright presents political debate from the National Botanic Gardens of Wales

We dispatched our roving reporter, biologist Terry Flanagan, to “The Bots” to speak with our good friend there, Director Dr. Matthew Jebb, about what the award means to him and his hard-working team and the attractions currently on offer to visitors.

Derek is joined by Richard Collins, Niall Hatch and Terry Flanagan to discuss Meerkats, Pigeons, Natterjack Toads, the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin and much more

Darach Lupton, Curator of the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin is celebrating after the news.

Terry paid a visit to the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin, Co. Dublin and spoke to Dr Matthew Jebb, Director of "The Bots", about some of the more unusual and unique tree specimens with which visitors can get up close and personal.

We are absolutely delighted to be joined from his home studio Dr. Matthew Jebb, Director of the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin. It gave Derek the perfect opportunity to ask about a curious observation regarding an olive tree growing in a pot in his father's back yard in Dublin.

Co-editor of Wings magazine, Cóilín MacLochlainn had a fascinating botanical question for Dr. Matthew Jebb of the National Botanic Gardens, about Why are plant species so distinctive and readily identifiable?

Well summer is definitely upon us, so the timing of this chat couldn't be better. On this episode we have brothers Barry and Fergal Doyle who are co-owners of Arboretum. Barry is CEO and Fergal is chief commercial officer. Arboretum Home & Garden Heaven is a second generation, family-owned garden and lifestyle retailer. The multi award-winning business, founded in rural County Carlow in 1977 by horticulturist Rachel Doyle, is today a €14m turnover enterprise employing 200 people in three locations; the flagship store in Leighlinbridge, Carlow; Arboretum Kilquade, County Wicklow and Arboretum Urban Green. In recent weeks, Arboretum Kilquade has fully reopened following a €4.5 million redevelopment, creating 25 new jobs. Urban Green, located above Chapter's bookshop on Parnell Street in Dublin, opened in May 2023 and offers a unique garden, house plant and lifestyle retail experience for city centre dwellers. Each of the venues has a high-quality in-house restaurant. As CEO, Barry develops Arboretum's business strategies to support business growth and a key focus for him is customer service, always seeking to enhance the customer experience, both online and in the physical stores. Barry trained as a horticulturalist at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin in Dublin and has a deep love of gardening and growing. Fergal is Chief Commercial Operator and oversees all financial aspects of the business and focusses on developing commercial strategies to support the business' goals. He believes in the importance of fostering long-lasting, meaningful relationships with customers through a passionate and committed team. Sustainability is also a key focus for Fergal both operationally and in the product range Arboretum offers to customers. This is the 31st episode with guests Barry Doyle and Fergal Doyle in the Davy podcast series 'Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly'. This podcast brings you insightful conversation between Aidan Donnelly and entrepreneurs and business owners/management with their own unique story to tell. If you like what you hear, please like, share and subscribe.

Michèle Browne speaks to Joseph Lynch, a guide at the National Botanic Gardens and organiser of Stories from the Gardens exhibition.

Derek is joined by Richard Collins, Terry Flanagan and Michèle Browne. Topics up for discussion include Bees, Otters, Sand Martins and an exhibition at the National Botanic Gardens.

Derek is joined by Richard Collins, Terry Flanagan and Michèle Browne. Topics up for discussion include Bees, Otters, Sand Martins and an exhibition at the National Botanic Gardens.

Paraic Horkan, Horticulturist & Keen Gardener, Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens joined Pat with advice on what jobs to do in the garden in the next coming days.

Dr. Matthew Jebb, Director of the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin, joins us from Lambay and tells us more about the Island of Lambay.

Paraic Horkan, Horticulturist & Keen Gardener, Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens brings us gardening tips and tell us about some flowering gifts you can get for 'Mothers Day'.

It is the ideal time to prepare for the busy spring gardening season. Paraic Horkan, Horticulturist & Keen Gardener, Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens brings us all the gardening tips and advice.

Paraic Horkan Horticulturist & Keen Gardener, Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens shares advice loveable plants to plant now.

Paraic Horkan, Horticulturist and Keen Gardener, Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens joins Pat today offering his best advice on pruning roses this time of the year.

Horticulturist & Keen Gardener, Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens give us gardening tips and advice especially during this cold spell.

Mistletoe at Christmas and things to do in the garden this week. Paraic Horkan Horticulturist & Keen Gardener, Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens brings us all the gardening tips and advice.

Paraic Horkan answers your green-fingered questions and tells us the top things to do in your garden this week. Paraic Horkan Horticulturist & Keen Gardener, a Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens joined Pat this morning.

Our expert this morning was Paraic Horkan, Horticulturist & Keen Gardener, Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens and he answered listeners' questions.

Horticulturist & Keen Gardener, Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens tells us what jobs you can undertake in your garden during September.

Planning & Planting for Autumn, Winter and spring Colour from Flower Bulbs. Paraic Horkan Paraic Horkan Horticulturist and keen Gardener - Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens brings us loads of recommendations and advice.

Richard Collins recently took his grandchildren, who are all very keen photographers, to see the Eye on Nature photo exhibition at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin.

Pat was joined by Padraic Horkan Horticulturist, Keen Gardener, and Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens to tell us some key jobs you can complete in your garden this week.

On Saturday, the Culture File Debate comes from the National Botanic Gardens at Kilmacurragh in Co Wicklow, where our panel discusses the past, present and future of gardens. Here's a taste of the convo.

Warm temperatures and moist conditions are ideal for wild garden flowers. Horticulturist keen gardener and a Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens brings us our weekly advice on achieving your best garden colour.

Hallo Leute, nachdem wir uns kürzlich schon mit dem Thema Ausflugstips rund um Dublin Beschäftigt haben, stellt sich hier folgerichtig die Frage, was geht denn in Dublin selbst so? Egal ob Ihr als Besucher hier seid oder kürzlich nach Dublin gezogen seid - genauso natürlich wenn Ihr die Stadt bereits kennt - irgendwann fragt man sich, was kann man denn noch so tun. Ich habe euch deswegen zehn kulturelle Einrichtungen rausgesucht und vorgestellt, mit denen Ihr unter Garantie nichts falsch macht. Es sind sowohl Dinge darunter, die vieler Orten vorgeschlagen bekommt, als auch solche, für die man unter Umständen etwas tiefer "bohren" muss. Genauso - wir alle kennen das Irische Wetter - sind Dinge für sonnige und für Regentage dabei. Dabei schauen wir uns die folgenden Orte an : Abbey Theatre Vicar Street National Museum - Decorative Arts and History National Gallery Glasnevin Cemetery/Botanic Gardens GAA Museum GPO Museum EPIC - Irish Emigration Museum Dublinia Phoenix Pak/ Dublin Zoo Relevant sind diese Quellen: https://www.abbeytheatre.iehttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_Theatrehttps://www.vicarstreet.comhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicar_Streethttps://www.museum.ie/en-ie/homehttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irisches_Nationalmuseumhttps://www.nationalgallery.iehttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery_of_Irelandhttps://www.dctrust.ie/experience-glasnevin.htmlhttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasnevin_Cemeteryhttps://www.botanicgardens.iehttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Botanic_Gardens_of_Irelandhttps://crokepark.ie/gaamuseumhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Post_Museumhttps://www.anpost.com/Witness-historyhttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPIC_The_Irish_Emigration_Museumhttps://epicchq.comhttps://www.dublinia.iehttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubliniahttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Parkhttps://www.phoenixpark.iehttps://www.dublinzoo.iehttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoo_DublinDie Nennung der Unternehmen und Auflistung der Webseiten dient rein der allgemeinen Information, ich verfolge damit keine kommerziellen Interessen und habe mit keinem der Unternehmen eine Werbepartnerschaft. Gerne könnt Ihr der Seite zum Podcast auf Pinterest, Instagram oder Facebook folgen : https://www.pinterest.ie/abavarianstrandedinireland/https://www.instagram.com/a_bavarian_stranded_in_ireland/https://www.facebook.com/A-Bavarian-stranded-in-Ireland-107125391828067Oder mir jederzeit eine Email zukommen lassen. abavarianstrandedinireland@gmail.comSchaut auch gerne mal auf der Website vorbei: abavarianstrandedinireland.com

Anton Savage was joined by Padraic Horkan Horticulturist, Keen Gardener, and Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens to bring us tips for gardening now the heavy rain has returned and answered listners gardening questions.

Our Roving Reporter Terry Flanagan spoke with two other members of our judging panel, award-winning natural history photographer Sheena Jolley and Dr Matthew Jebb, Director of the National Botanic Gardens, about each of the final ten images. Terry also chats with Nationwide co-presenter Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh.

Padraic Horkan Horticulturist & Keen Gardener and Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens joined us ahead of Bloom, Ireland's largest gardening festival and answered your gardening questions.

It's the perfect time to plant your climbing plants. Padraic Horkan Horticulturist and a Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens bring us all his tips and advice on planting in your garden.

Our roving Reporter, Terry Flanagan, is a big fan of Tulips, so we sent him to the Tulips display at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. While there, he spoke to our good friend Dr. Matthew Jebb, the Director of the gardens, about the impressive floral feature.

Dr. Matthew Jebb, Director of the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin, speaks to our panel from the Dublin isle of Lambay about the atlas' stark revelations, the botanical conservation priorities now required and the particular vulnerability of island flora.

Éanna attended the launch of Plant Atlas 2020 at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. She tells us more about the sobering trends revealed by the atlas and the steps needed to try to reverse the declines of our native plant species.

Paddy Woodworth, the voice of Culture File's The Naturalist's Bookshelf, causes a chain reaction as he invites naturalists Richard Nairn, Jane Clarke and Tina Claffey to select their favourite volumes of nature writing. Recorded live at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin as part of Dublin Book Fair 2022.

Dr Colin Kelleher, Keeper of the Herbarium in the National Botanic Gardens

Push your way through the branches and bushes to hear all about fearsome foliage and the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland.

Conor McGregor has run into problems with a planned development  to build  hundreds of build-to-rent apartments, as Japanese knotweed has been found on the site.  Kieran was joined by Dr Colin Kelleher Keeper of the Herbarium at the National Botanic Gardens to explain why the plant is a developers nightmare...

Today Mary is talking to Neil Campbell, an ecologist living in Galway and helping Dr Colin Kelleher from the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin with the National Native seed bank project Neil has Masters and undergraduate degrees in Botany and Plant Sciences from NUI Galway He is interested in preserving and improving biodiversity and natural habitats with an interest in native Irish plants.Contact Neil Campbell atncampbell@mkoireland.ieContact Dr Colin Kelleher at botanicgardens@opw.ieContact Mary Bermingham atmary@burrennaturesanctuary.ieCheck out Burren Nature Sanctuary at www.burrennaturesanctuary.ieSupport the Nature Magic Podcast athttps://www.patreon.com/naturemagicShow websitewww.naturemagic.ie

We have a selection of cutting-edge plant-themed stories for you this week, courtesy of (who else?) our good friend Dr. Matthew Jebb, Director of the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin in Dublin.

Terry Flanagan goes to the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin to talk to President of the Tree Council of Ireland, Éanna Ní Lamhna. Terry also meets up with Felicity Gaffney, Head of Education at the National Botanic Gardens and a member of the Tree Council of Ireland.

In this week's programme, David Maxwell travels to the National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh in county Wicklow. The country cousin of the gardens at Glasnevin in Dublin, Kilmacurragh covers over 100 acres and enjoys a mild maritime climate where rhododendrons and Chilean exotics flourish. David walks through the crocus lawn with head gardener Seamus O'Brien and gets a sneak peak behind the scenes at a newly acquired historic walled garden. Also on the programme, Tony Kirkham chooses Arbutus unedo, also known as the strawberry tree, as his ‘tree of the month' and Ciaran Mulholland is pruning trees at his garden at the foot of Slemish mountain in county Antrim. David will also be putting questions from listeners to expert Brendan Little including how much wheat you need to grow to produce a home grown loaf.

Dr. Matthew Jebb, Director of the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin and the Chair of our judging panel, joins us on tonight's programme to tell us more about the adjudication process for RTÉ Eye on Nature wildlife photography competition. Competition now closed.

Today, our new host Georgia and seasoned host Ruby spoke to PhD student Jake Moscrop about bees, pollinators and their impact on food security. Jake is a PhD student in Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Having grown up on his family farm, he is now interested in how agriculture and conservation can work together to make our food production more efficient without costing the environment. Before starting his PhD, he worked at the National Botanic Gardens in Wales researching the foraging habits of bees in order to aid rainforest conservation in Borneo. His PhD project at the University of Cambridge aims to explore which floral characteristics bees find attractive. Knowing this will help increase the pollination and yield of specific plant species. You can find out more about Jake and his research by viewing these very informative YouTube clips about his research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fgII_Z2x9c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ36q9pi5io The BlueSci Podcast is run by the Cambridge University Science Magazine. This episode was hosted by Ruby Coates and Georgia Nixon and sponsored by Greiner Bio-One and Nature Careers. Visit www.bluesci.co.uk to access our free magazine, and find out how to get involved. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review or rating! We welcome your feedback and suggestions via email: podcast(at)bluesci.co.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter on @bluescipod or Instagram @bluescicam.

David Maxwell explores the new global medicinal garden in Belfast Botanic Gardens with Barbara Pilcher and Adrian Walsh. On the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, he speaks to New York garden designer Lynden B. Miller about the Queen Elizabeth II September 11th garden in lower Manhattan which remembers UK and Commonwealth victims. And if your late summer/early autumn borders are looking lacklustre, you need look no further than the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin for inspiration – David will be finding out how two key borders have been transformed with a nod to a Victorian gardening great. Also on the programme, Claire McNally and Claire Woods join David to tackle listeners gardening questions. Email – gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

On today's show Ray chats to chef Roz Stevens about making tea, Peter Kelly talks about the good news announced about weddings today, Ray is joined by Seamus O'Brien, head gardener of the National Botanic Gardens at Kilmacurragh, Fiachna Ó Braonáin talks about his first gig in nearly 2 years & Eoin Colfer tells us about his new podcast.

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast I talk to Ita Patton craft gardener in the National Botanic gardens in Dublin.  Ita looked after the rose garden in the botanic gardens for many years and shares all that experience in this weeks episode. We talk about the rose garden in the Botanic gardens, care tips for best performing roses and some great performing varieties.  If you want to have great roses this is a great listen. You can visit the National Botanic Garden Dublin see website for more detail Website: http://botanicgardens.ieThere will be a blog post on this episode very soon on my website. This blog and previous blogs along with all podcast episodes are be available on my Website :https://mastermygarden.com/If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes please let me know. Please like and follow Master My Garden on the following channels  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/Twitter:https://twitter.com/tweetsbyMMGor email info@mastermygarden.comUntil the next time Happy GardeningJohn      

Dr Matthew Jebb, director of the National Botanic Gardens brings us up to date with the latest news on photosynthesis.

Paul Green was born in Guildford, Surrey. The family moved to Somerset when he was 5. Paul has always been keen on all aspects of natural history, especially plants. He is a self-taught botanist. He currently lives in Co. Wexford, Ireland, where he moved to in 2006. He is currently working for the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland (BSBI) as their BSBI Ireland Officer. Prior to this he worked as the BSBI Wales Officer from 2012 – 2015 and he surveyed rare plants all over Wales. Paul also works part-time as a botanical leader for Greentours Natural History Holidays since 2004. He led trips in Europe, Canada, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Morocco & Turkey. Paul has been a member of the BSBI for 37 years. He took an active role in the BSBI Monitoring Scheme in 1987/88 in Somerset, Waterford and Galway. He was appointed BSBI Vice-county recorder for Somerset in 1992. The Atlas Flora of Somerset, he published in 1997 with his brother, is a highly regarded county flora that won the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland (BSBI) and Wildflower Society President's prize for the best botanical work published that year. In the 1990s Paul was invited to come to Ireland to assist with the BSBI New Atlas project. He became the Vice County-recorder for both Co. Waterford and Co. Wexford. He stepped down as the Vice County-recorder for Waterford in 2019. In 2008, he published the Flora of County Waterford which was funded by the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. In the same year, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, Waterford published his plant dataset through a GIS web version of the Flora of County Waterford. This was the first web flora for a county published in Ireland or Britain. Paul was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Recorder Award in 2009 by the National Biodiversity Data Centre which is an annual award to individuals or organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to the recording of Ireland's biodiversity. He is currently working on a Flora of Co. Wexford, and hopes to publish in 2022. Ireland twitter account: https://twitter.com/BSBI_Ireland W: bsbi.org BSBI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BSBIbotany BSBI on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BSBI2011 BSBI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bsbibotany/ BSBI News & Views Blog: http://bsbipublicity.blogspot.co.uk/ Latest botanical news: http://bsbi.org/news Press releases/Media: http://bsbi.org/publicity

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast I talk to Marie Hourigan office foreman in the National Botanic gardens in Dublin. Marie was previously Craft Gardener in the gardens looking after the orchid house. We talk about the gardens, their history and then talk at length about orchids.we cover native Irish orchids, the orchid collection the the National Botanic Gardens and how to look after orchids at home. Its a great chat with Marie and will be sure to help you as you try to look after that beautiful phalaenopsis that you may have received as a gift. You can visit the National Botanic Garden Dublin see website for more detail Website: http://botanicgardens.ieThere will be a blog post on this episode very soon on my website. This blog and previous blogs along with all podcast episodes are be available on my Website :https://mastermygarden.com/If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes please let me know. Please like and follow Master My Garden on the following channels Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/Twitter:https://twitter.com/tweetsbyMMGor email info@mastermygarden.comUntil the next time Happy GardeningJohn

Push your way through the branches and bushes to hear all about fearsome foliage and the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland.

This week, we take a closer look at the plants and agricultural traditions of Oman, situated on the Arabian Peninsula. Our guest is Dr. Darach Lupton—an ethnobotanist who manages the collection and documentation of plants and seeds from across Oman in his role at the Oman Botanic Garden! He gives us a sneak peek behind the scenes of this incredible garden, which uniquely showcases native plants of the region in a variety of specialized habitats and biomes.   ABOUT OUR GUEST In the mid-1990s, Darach Lupton studied horticulture at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland in Dublin; on completing studies there he applied to read Botany at Trinity College Dublin, where he spent 4 wonderful years; not yet satisfied he then embarked on postgraduate research. On completing his PhD, Dr. Lupton then returned to the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland where he spent  3 fun years working on various elements of the Irish flora – red listing;  rare plant genetics; rare plant surveying; documenting crop wild relatives in Ireland; developing ex-situ collections, and the development of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Jordan. In 2010 he answered a job advert for a botanist position at the emerging Oman Botanic Garden; he was offered the job and a few months later  arrived with his wife and children in Muscat, Oman – diving straight into a wildly different culture, landscape, flora and of course climate – a pale Irish man in the hot desert is not a natural fit.  His career has brought him to many wonderful parts of the world – Africa, Central and South America and the Middle East; he has met countless wonderful people along the way. He is deeply passionate about plant conservation, and the promotion of botanic gardens as centers of conservation and learning.   *** ABOUT FOODIE PHARMACOLOGY  Now in Season 2 with more than seventy episodes! Tune in to explore the food-medicine continuum with Dr. Cassandra Quave as she meets with award-winning authors, chefs, scientists, farmers and experts on the connections between food and health. New episodes release every Monday! Like the show? Please leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts and share your favorite episodes with your friends!    *** PODCAST DESCRIPTION: Have you ever wondered where your food comes from? Not just where it’s grown today, but where it originally popped up in the world? Have you ever bit into a delicious ripe fruit and wondered, hey – why is it this color? What’s responsible for this amazing flavor? Is this good for my health? Could it even be medicinal? Foodie Pharmacology is a science podcast built for the food curious, the flavor connoisseurs, chefs, science geeks, plant lovers and adventurous taste experimenters out in the world! Join American ethnobotanist Dr. Cassandra Quave on this adventure through history, medicine, cuisine and molecules as she explores the amazing pharmacology of our foods.    *** SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW:  Subscribe to Foodie Pharmacology on Apple Podcasts for audio and the TeachEthnobotany YouTube Channel to see full video of new episodes. You can also find more than 50 episodes of the show at https://foodiepharmacology.com/ Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @foodiepharma or on Facebook at "Foodie Pharmacology with Cassandra Quave"    *** PODCAST REVIEWS:  “Professor Cassandra Quave brings quality Science to the public. She covers a wide range of topics in-depth in a seemingly effortless way. Learn from a passionate researcher, and be inspired!” – Ina on Apple Podcasts Reviews   “You are what you eat — and what you listen to. Dr. Quave combines science with food, culture and history in this enjoyable, educational podcast.”--Carol on Facebook Page Reviews    “We have needed this podcast for a long time. Dr. Quave's willingness to share her knowledge of plant usage and history make these podcasts interesting and helpful. The interviews from around the world are always loaded with information. Waiting on a new episode every week.”--Alan on Apple Podcasts Reviews    “Great podcast about favorite foods! If you love food, you will love this podcast! Dr. Quave makes the science behind the food approachable and easy to understand. Love it!”--Liz on Apple Podcasts Reviews    “Dr Quave is amazingly informative. I could listen to her talk all day. And thanks to these podcasts I can! Thank you!”-- Wendy on Facebook Page Reviews    “Fascinating and entertaining! Dr. Quave is not just one of the foremost experts on the subject, she is also an incredibly gifted teacher and storyteller. I highly recommend Foodie Pharmacology to anyone with any interest in the subject.”-- John on Facebook Page Reviews    “Dr. Quave is a brilliant scientist and storyteller, which makes this program both entertaining and accessible!”-- Ernest on Facebook Page Reviews    “Dr. Quave is my go to source for all things Ethnobotany. Her new podcast is a great way to learn about plants and their many uses, ranging from food to medicine and so much more. I can’t wait for the newest episode!”--Paul on Apple Podcasts Reviews

Today Mary is chatting to Edward Dee. This was the hardest interview to set up as Eddie was not keen to get in front of the microphone!Eddie is the phenomenal plantsman at Burren Nature Sanctuary. A truly passionate nature lover he has been planting a forest garden at his home for the last 33 years and in 2012 became the gardener at Burren Nature Sanctuary. Eddie has single handedly developed the collection of Burren Flora in the Burren Botany Bubble, which is now an important resource for the new National Native Seed Bank in the National Botanic Gardens, in Glasnevin. With initial forecasts of success thin on the ground he has propagated and managed to display even the most fragile of our Burren Orchids. The collection is important for conservation and education and in 2019 over 30,000 people visited the Burren Botany Bubble to learn about and experience, in a 'Leave No Trace' fashion, the flora of the Burren- the most biodiverse place in Ireland.Recommended bookThe Great British Year By: Stephen MossRecommended video:Reversing desertificationBy: John D LiuCheck out Burren Nature Sanctuary atwww.burrennaturesanctuary.ieEmail screenshot of your review to enter the competition to mary@burrennaturesanctuary.ie

This weekend, Documentary on Newstalk airs the premiere of ‘The Bots’, in which IMRO-nominated producer Brian Gallagher looks at the lives of those who live, work, study, and relax in the vicinity of Ireland's National Botanic Gardens. The Bots will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 30th August at 7am with a repeat broadcast on Saturday 5th September at 9 pm.  Using a lively mix of interviews, location recordings, sound effects and music, The Bots explores the stories behind one of Ireland’s most popular visitor attractions, The National Botanic Gardens. Director Matthew Jebb gives an overview of the role of the Botanic Gardens and explains how it hosts six hundred thousand visitors each year.  Matthew also tell of its research role, and how the blight that caused the Potato Famine of the Eighteen Forties was identified by the then director of the Gardens. Blathnaid Farrell, who grew up nearby, reminisces about the Gardens when she was a child, while librarian Alexandra Caccamo tells of a history going back much further, with some books in the library dating back to the sixteenth century. Matthew Jebb talks of the joys of living on site, and tells the story of the Director’s Residence, which predates the founding of the Gardens in 1795. Brendan Sayers gives an insight into the running of the glasshouses, and how tropical heat needs to be generated for some plant species. Glyn Anderson and Charlotte Salter Townsend talk about the guided tours they give, with Glyn reflecting on the refreshment options available to the modern-day visitor. Contributors and visitors reminisce lightly about their memories of the first thing they ever grew, while Ciaran Kavanagh and Alfreda O’Brien, who run the nearby Gravediggers pub, talk about the colourful associations between their premises and the Botanic Gardens. John Mulhern, Principal of the Teagasc College of Horticulture, discusses how hundreds of students study at their Glasnevin site within the Gardens, while Felicity Gaffney, the manager of the Visitor Centre, gives details of the surprising range of cultural and artistic events that are staged each year in the fifty-acre grounds. Matthew Jebb tell of the wildlife he’s encountered while living on site, and Colin Kelleher talks of his role as a taxonomist and the task of naming the vast numbers of specimens that have been catalogued in the Gardens. The programme concludes with contributors revealing what the Botanic Gardens means to them, and their hopes for its future. Quotes from THE BOTS: “The first place we made for was the glasshouse.  And when you went in the heat would just hit you.  In those days you wouldn’t have central heating at home – so that was super.”  Blathnaid Farrell, childhood visitor to the Botanic Gardens. “Our back garden is about an acre and it backs onto the Botanic Gardens and the cemetery.  The neighbours are basically the cemetery people and plants.” Ciaran Kavanagh, The Gravedigger Pub. “One of the real pleasures of the job is that I wake up at work each morning.” Matthew Jebb, Director, Botanic Gardens. “Our book collection extends back to the Fifteen Thirties.” Alexandra Caccamo, Librarian. “The pub, the cemetery, the Botanics, it’s like the Bermuda Triangle – you do disappear in that triangle in Glasnevin, and before you know it, four hours have passed.” Alfreda O'Brien, The Gravedigger Pub. “In the Herbarium there are about six hundred thousand dried specimens”.  Colin Kelleher, Taxonomist. “The world is changing quite a lot, and I think the big positive is that more and more people are paying attention to the natural world.” Charlotte Salter Townsend, tour guide. “It took 25 years to put it together.  There are 11 kilometres of glazing bars in this building, and it’s a work of art.”  Matthew Jebb, Director, Botanic Gardens. “I used to go into the hothouse - when I missed Italy.” Ciaran Kavanagh, The Gravedigger Pub. CREDITS: The Bots was produced by Brian Gallagher, and funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee. BROADCAST: The Bots will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 30th August at 7am with a repeat broadcast on Saturday 5th September at 9 pm. Podcast goes live after first broadcast. LISTEN LIVE ONLINE: 'The Bots can also be listened to online at: www.newstalk.com PODCAST: The Bots is broadcast as part of the Documentary and Drama On Newstalk Series, which showcases the best of original, homegrown and groundbreaking Irish Radio features. Podcast full series here:  https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/page/1/filter?filter_selected=show-filter&show=documentary-drama-newstalk&series=all Listen and subscribe to Documentary on Newstalk on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.    Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.        

Noeleen talks about the tricks plants play, her love of moss and its importance in controlling flooding. She speaks about being deeply connected to the ancient spiritual landscape of Ireland, her efforts to conserve plant species and combat 'plant blindness.' She is currently Conservation Botanist at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin, where she is working on launching the new National Seed Bank for Irish native flora. She also continues her work in invasive species control, island endemic species recovery, along with conservation research into Ireland's rare and threatened fern and bryophyte species.Recommended bookThe Song of the DodoBY: David QuammenCheck out the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin at www.botanicgardens.ieCheck out Burren Nature Sanctuary at www.burrennaturesanctuary.ie

Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh presents this weeks Special, celebrating the opening of the Herbarium in Focus exhibition at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin. Joining Blathnaid are: Dr. Richard Collins, Éanna Ní Lamhna and Director of the National Botanic Gardens Dublin - Dr. Matthew Jebb.

Presented by Michael Comyn: John Sweeney talks about fires in the Amazon Rainforest. John Bela Reilly reports on Botanic Imperialism. We talk about cycads on the Isle of Wight & Dr. Jenny Oates talk's about Seagrass. Michael is joined in studio by Dr. Matthew Jebb of the National Botanic Gardens, Dr. Richard Collins and Eanna ni Lamhna.

"Botanical Imperialism" is the intriguing title of a new series of guided walks in the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin taking place on Saturdays over the coming weeks. John Bela Reilly went there to find out more.

Dr David Whitlock hasn't washed in 15 years and he doesn't wreak - honestly!! Helen McEntee is passionate about the Kumon Method of studying and for good reason. What an story Naomi Isimemen had to tell about her life journey and we heard about yet another Tomato World Record set at the National Botanic Gardens. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Paraic Horkan, Gardener, - Horticulturist & Keen Gardener - Graduate of the National Botanic Gardens came in to talk all things Roses.

John Anderson assumed the role of Keeper of the Gardens in June 2016 and has responsibility for 120 hectares across the Windsor Estate, including The Savill Garden and The Valley Gardens as well as the private garden at Frogmore House. In addition to his work at Windsor Great Park John is also Vice-Chairman of the RHS Plant Comittee and an RHS Judge.  Peter Donegan sits down with John to chat not just how achieved this most unique of titles and roles, but also what it involves, what makes a great park, how the greats (parks and gardens) are worth visiting 12 months of the year, what exactly is The Crown Estate and why they are involved with Royal Ascot and Ascot Spring Garden Show - and as is per usual with The Sodshow and Peter, we go entirely off the point and hopefully come back again.    The Sodshow is available every Friday in iTunes, all good podcast stores and www.sodshow.com  John Anderson studied at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin and previously held the position of Head Gardener at Inverewe (Scotland), Mount Usher (Ireland) and Exbury Gardens before moving to Windsor.   If you have a moment a rate / review in iTunes would be just fantastic. Much thanks for listening X Twitter: @sodshow facebook: The Sodshow instagram: sodshow

On this week's Gardeners' Corner David Maxwell heads to the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin for a tour with Brendan Sayers. He finds out about a plant hunting expedition from Mount Stewart in County Down to Tasmania. Reg Maxwell joins him in the studio with tips on growing potatoes. Also in the programme David gets a preview of what's coming up in this years Garden Show Ireland.

In the first programme of 2018, David Maxwell looks ahead to a new gardening year and he also looks back at some highlights from last year. David visits Maurice Parkinson to talk about shrubs with winter scent. Cherry Townsend gives advice on getting ahead when it comes to raising home grown cut flowers. Also in the programme, Matthew Jebb, Director of the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin on why it's the perfect place to visit in the winter. And he's joined by Maeve Bell of the Irish Garden Plant Society on why the new year is the perfect time to consider joining a group for those interested in all things gardening.

Hello and welcome to the CLN podcast. Episode 12 is here with a very special guest Peter Donegan of The Sod Show / Donegan Landscaping. Today’s show is brought to you from the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Co. Dublin and I couldn’t think of a more perfect location to record with Peter. I know you […]

Peter Donegan chats with John Bevan, Head Gardener at Lisselan House, Clonakilty in West Cork. Thoughts or comments ? @sodshow on twitter or on facebook as The Sodshow John was born in Glengariff, but as a younger man spent most of his summers in Garnish Island where his love of plants grew. He went on to study horticulture at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin. Post that he started an apprenticeship in the Parks Department in Dublin and then moved back home to Cork when the job as head gardener when it arose about 17 years ago. To his credit, John designed and built the current Fuchsia garden that exists there at the old enclosed garden. Currently the estate is for sale but still open to the public and part of West Cork Garden Trail. Lisselan House: Sited by the banks of the Argideen River, Lisselan was built between 1851 and 1853 by William Bence - Jones and was designed by Lewis Vuliamy. Designed by Sir Thomas Newenham Deane, in the late 1800's the smoke room wing was added. He also as a by the way designed the lodge at the front gate. In 1929 C.O. Stanley bought the property and in 1946 he added a single storey addition to the hall along the entrance. Of Lisselan Gardens, it is noted: Lisselan Gardens in Clonakilty were laid out in Robinsonian style from the early 1850’s. William Bence-Jones, the owner of the estate, chose a site on a promontory above the river for a French chateau style house, which was designed by Lewis Vuliamy. The Bence-Jones family created 30 acres of gardens which take advantage of the natural features of the West Cork landscape, contours provided by the valley and the Argideen river running through it. Links: web: www.lisselan.com twitter: @LisselanEstate facebook: LisselanEstate With thanks to West Cork Garden Trail's Miriam and Bev Cotton for being brilliant. And also to Maxx Marshall for the music.

Assembling the Home team: from A.G. More to R.I.I. Praeger Declan Doogue Declan Doogue unravels the influences and players in Irish natural history field studies from A.G. More to the present day. Declan Doogue is the Honorary Vice-President of the Dublin Natuiralists' Field Club and has served as its President for three separate periods. He is also an Honorary Life Member of the Botanical Society of the British Isles and a Fellow of the Linnean Society and has recently been appointed an Honorary Research Fellow of the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. His main botanical interests include the Flora of Kildare project, where he is BSBI recorder ,and he is currently working, with others, on the revision of H. C. Hart's 1887 work, The Flora of Howth. More recently he has commenced research on several critical genera particularly Rosa, Rubus and Taraxacum. His PhD thesis was concerned with the botanical composition of Leinster hedgerows. He has been deeply involved with the promotion of distribution studies on the Irish flora and fauna and the subsequent interpretation of these distributions patterns in historical and geographical contexts. To this end he has organised a number of botanical recording projects on behalf of the DNFC and also coordinated the Republic of Ireland section of the recent BSBI survey of the New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora. He has an on-going involvement with training and encouraging many of the expert bona-fide naturalists who generate these major data sets. More recently he worked to advance the skills of the biological recording community to the point where its accumulated knowledge and experience can find recognition and relevance in modern Ireland in areas such as habitat conservation and species protection. To this end he is fronting a project to foster identification and fieldwork skills in the study of Bryophytes and continues to be associated with a number of the biological distribution recording schemes initiated by the original Irish Biological Records Centre of An Foras Forbartha. He is a member of the Royal Irish Academy's Praeger Committee. www.ria.ie Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors' own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

The Botanic Gardens Ingenious Ireland Podcast tour: Yellow Do you want to know who lives in one of the fanciest houses in Glasnevin? And hear how early botanical gardens were the pharmacy shops of their day? Come on this audio guided tour and we will bring on a fascinating walk around Ireland’s National Botanic Gardens in […]

Peter heads to the National Botanic Gardens for an unusual Joycean experience featuring a special new breed of #tulip & interviews the Dutch ambassador and other special guests. Music by the Bluetones. Thanks to sponsors GreenSax.ie #gardening #dublin more info and show notes www.sodshow.com

On this weeks show I talk to students Robert Teeling and Clare Nicholl of Dublin’s National Botanic Gardens and Mark McDowell a teacher of the ancient skill and the Secretary of The Hedge Laying Association of Ireland. Some say it’s a dying old Irish craft. To some a little surprising, the course was fully booked out. Make a nice hot cuppa and tune yourself in for this weeks SodShow. Interesting is an understatement ;) more info: http://blog.doneganlandscaping.com/2012/02/24/the-sodshow-meets-irish-hedge-layers/