Podcast appearances and mentions of Terry Flanagan

Terry Flanagan's busy week continues as he heads to Blainroe Golf Club in Wicklow. Club captain Garry Kennedy brings him around the course to meet his most unusual playing partner — Jake, a remarkably tame Rook who's made himself part of the golfing routine...

MGW listener Michael in Terenure finally has success with his garden nestbox after ten quiet years — a pair of Blue Tits moved in, built a nest and are now raising their brood on camera. Tonight, reporter Terry Flanagan visits to see the live feed and meet the newest stars of Michael's garden...

 The Pacific Northwest chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture hosts an annual regional tree climbing competition in a Portland park, where arborists can compete for the chance to showcase their skills at a national and international level. This year, 35 climbers will compete in five events over two days.   Terry Flanagan is the chair of the Tree Climbing Competition Committee at the PNWISA. He competed in his first tree climbing competition in 1981 and has been working in arboriculture for 49 years. Kyle Thomas is the regional coordinator for the tree climbing competition, as well as the operations supervisor for the Urban Forestry Division of Portland Parks and Recreation. They both join us to share more ahead of the upcoming competition in Portland, which will take place June 6 and 7 at Farragut Park.  

Mooney Goes Wild reporter Terry Flanagan meets up with wildlife enthusiast Gustavo Zoladz, who recently discovered two badger setts along the River Dodder in Dublin...

During the week, we received a voice note from one of our listeners, Sean Murray. He had observed a family of Robins in his garden, with both Mammy Robin and Daddy Robin feeding the little chicks, and wondered - is it usual for Daddy Robins to feed the young? Dr. Richard Collins and Terry Flanagan give their thoughts on Sean's query...

Listener Nikola Brady, from Co. Kildare, e-mailed mooney@rte.ie after spotting strange Starling behaviour outside her bedroom window and recording it. Curious, reporter Terry Flanagan visited Nikola to learn more about these scuffling Starlings...

The National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin are a free, year-round haven of global plant collections, including remarkable trees often explored on guided tours. For tonight's programme, Terry Flanagan visits the Gardens to join guide Eoin O'Reilly, who shows him some of the site's most spectacular arboreal highlights...

Early spring is a busy transition for birdwatchers, with summer migrants arriving as winter visitors depart. Brent Geese, iconic in Dublin, are gathering in Ballyfermot's Le Fanu Park to feed before flying to Arctic Canada. Terry Flanagan meets Eric Dempsey there to explore their habits and migration...

Last August, we visited Martin in South Dublin, whose garden attracts nightly visits from local badgers and foxes—normally shy animals made bolder by his regular food offerings. In tonight's programme, reporter Terry Flanagan returns to see how Martin and his nocturnal guests are getting on...

Derek Mulrooney, greenkeeper at Druids Glen, Wicklow, reports a gaggle of Greylag Geese returning after food was put out for ducks. He wonders if they're from the original flock and how they knew food was back. To investigate, Terry Flanagan visits the course as the panellists consider possible explanations...

Naturescapes is a European project using nature-based solutions at landscape scale to tackle socio-economic challenges, boost biodiversity and address climate change. Along the River Dodder, innovations like pocket forests are underway. Terry Flanagan met Mairéad O'Donnell of Trinity College Dublin to learn more...

"Biophilia", or "love of life", is used to describe the innate tendency of humans to connect with nature. At the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, guide Eoin O'Reilly organised a tour entitled Biophilia. We sent Terry Flanagan and Richard Collins along to learn more...

Terry Flanagan visits Éanna ní Lamhna in her garden in Terenure, Dublin, to chat about Éanna's time working as a wildlife recorder in An Foras Forbatha and the importance of "citizen science" projects...

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...

Listener Mary O'Reilly got in touch to tell us about the ever-increasing number of hooded crows who come to her in St. Anne's Park, Dublin, as she walks her dog each week. Intrigued, we sent reporter Terry Flanagan along to find out more...

The beauty of autumn leaves changing colour has been captured by An Post, thanks to its new seasonal stamp issue. Changing Leaves features three native species: Silver Birch, Rowan and Hawthorn. Terry Flanagan met with botanical artist Yanny Petters, who created the leaf images, and An Post's Anna McHugh, to find out more...

Tonight, Terry Flanagan takes listeners beneath the surface of the International Basking Shark Conference, held at the Atlantic Technological University in Galway. The August event brought together scientists, conservationists, and ocean advocates from five continents.

Our good friend Collie Ennis, Biodiversity Officer with Trinity College Dublin, was in touch recently to inform us of something unusual...a walnut struck him on the head! Rather than fall from a tree, the walnut had apparently been dropped by a Hooded Crow. Terry Flanagan went to investigate.

2025 marks the 5th anniversary of The Hare's Corner, a Burrenbeo Trust initative that helps landowners create space for nature through new habitats. Terry Flanagan went to Staffordstown in Meath to meet farmers Michael and Penelope Monaghan, Hare's Corner advisor Donna Mullen, and Michael's mum Walburga, who tunes in to us weekly at the age of 107!

The Edward Worth Library is a rare books collection, bequeathed to Dr Steevens' Hospital, Dublin, by Dr Edward Worth. It recently launched a web exhibition 'Birds at the Edward Worth Library' and Éanna Ní Lamhna was the speaker. Terry Flanagan went along to see this hidden treasure.

The 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,' as John Keats put it, is well and truly with us. Have you noticed the vast amounts of fruits, seeds and berries around this year? That's because it's a mast year. Terry Flanagan went to meet Dr. Matthew Jebb, Director of the gardens at the National Botanic Gardens, to find out all about mast years.

The Sustainable Futures Forum brought together experts in biodiversity, climate action, and education. Terry Flanagan explores Ireland's nature crisis with Seán Ronayne, Éanna Ní Lamhna, Niall Hatch, and meets voices from the EPA, Creative Ireland, and UCC students working across science, policy, and the arts for a sustainable future.

Last month, the town of Dungarvan celebrated the unveiling of Crockery Mountain, a 45 foot wide mosaic made from donated cups, plates, bowls and mugs. It was created to encourage sustainability and avoid waste. Terry Flanagan had to pay a visit and he speaks to the artist, Sean Corcoran.

Over the course of the summer, we received lots of positive emails from listeners about improved butterfly numbers. Terry Flanagan met lepidopterist Jesmond Harding of Butterfly Conservation Ireland to find out whether our optimism this year is justified.

Global Action Plan is an environmental charity that guides people on a journey of discovery to reconnect us with nature and with one another. Terry Flanagan, met with Hans Zomer, CEO of GAP, and Niamh Ní Iceadha, the charity's Education Officer, in the organisation's Ballymun GLAS gardens, where they outlined some of their initiatives.

Tonight's episode of Mooney Goes Wild is a bit different. We decided to send Terry Flanagan and Niall Hatch off on a very special mission...to travel to Rathfarnham in Dublin and get up close and personal with the nocturnal Irish predators that visit Martin's back garden.

Offshore wind farms play an increasing role in Ireland's transition to a zero-carbon economy. But what effect do they have on wildlife? The ESB has developed a dedicated Marine Mammal Observer programme and Terry Flanagan went to meet Jo Green (observer) and Niru Dorrian (Senior Ecology Co-ordinator) in Dublin Bay.

The Great Irish Fossil Hunt is a new campaign run by the Science Department in University College Cork to encourage the Irish public to find fossils and to submit photographs of their discoveries. Terry Flanagan travelled to Co. Tipperary to view fossils with Maria McNamara, Professor of Palaeontology at UCC.

For the past 20 years, Terry Flanagan has kept a piece of amber in his pocket at all times. This golden pebble of ancient, fossilised tree resin was a gift from his wife Angela, and he is never without it. On tonight's programme, we chat about amber, its unusual properties and what it can reveal about the biological history of our planet.

Ireland is home to some very rare native plants, and one of the rarest and hardest to find of all is the Burrowing Clover. Wicklow-based naturalist and author Declan Murphy met up with Terry Flanagan on the banks of the River Vartry to find it.

Waders are amongst the most threatened breeding species in Ireland. Serious conservation work is underway to support them including The Breeding Waders European Innovation Partnership. Terry Flanagan travelled to the shores of Lough Ree to speak to Owen Murphy, Senior Project Manager with the EIP, and Nest Protection Officer Dana Neill.

Lys Duff, one of our loyal listeners, sent us a lovely email recently with several photos attached of the rare Lime Hawk-moth. Needing further investigation, naturally we sent Terry Flanagan off and he spoke with lepidopterist Jesmond Harding.

We recently had an email from Alan Phelan in Portlaoise. He was surprised to come across a pair of pigeons nesting on his windowsill. Fascinated with their behaviour, Alan contacted the show and we sent roving reporter Terry Flanagan down to investigate.

We received an interesting email about a robin nesting in a barber shop in Dublin. Naturally, Terry Flanagan had to go off and investigate.

Of the many public parks across the city of Dublin, Blessington Street Basin is special. Its lake attracts many birds of different species, including swans and ducks. A brand new duck-food vending machine has been installed and Terry Flanagan and Richard Collins went along to try it out for themselves.

A campaign has recently been launched by UCC Marine Biologist Danielle Orrell to try to find hatching grounds of Flapper Skates (or mermaid's purses) off the south coast of Ireland. Keen to discover more about them and how you can get involved, we dispatched Terry Flanagan to Cork to meet Danielle.

Recently, the University of Galway launched its Pocket Forest project, which has involved the planting of a new 100m2 native woodland on campus. Recently, Terry Flanagan visited the University of Galway campus and met up with Dr. Caitriona Carolan, ecologist and Lecturer in Environmental Science and Biodiversity.

On tonight's programme, Terry Flanagan tells us about one of Ireland's most abundant and best-known plants, the dandelion, and the surprising benefits it brings to Guinea Pigs.

One of the joys of early spring is seeing Common Frogs coming out of hibernation, triggered by the warming conditions and increasing day-length. Dermott Doran is a farmer in Co. Kildare who created a pond on his land where more and more frogs have been turning up to mate. Terry Flanagan went to see it.

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.

The Starling murmuration is the name given to the phenomenon which sees hundreds of thousands of these small birds dancing through the air in winter and early spring. Terry Flanagan went to Lough Ennell in Co. Westmeath to meet James Crosbie and witness one.

Just one species of insect has specifically been afforded protection under Irish law: the Marsh Fritillary butterfly. Every year, volunteers from the Irish Peatland Conservation Council conduct surveys of wet grassland areas to monitor the species. Terry Flanagan met Nuala Madigan from the group.

One of Ireland's scarcest and most elusive breeding birds, the Goosander is not your typical duck. As far as we know, Ireland's Goosanders breed only in the uplands of Co. Wicklow. Eager to see his first ever Goosander, Terry Flanagan went to a secluded Wicklow lake and met local naturalist, author and bird-expert Declan Murphy.

February is often referred to as “Snowdrop Month”, as it is the time of year when these delightful flowers burst forth from the soil marking the arrival of spring. Terry Flanagan went to visit Burtown House in Co. Kildare, a Quaker House whose gardens come alive with snowdrops and other flowers each spring.

This is a repeat of today's Nature on One documentary. In it, biologist Terry Flanagan delves into the fascinating world of the red fox. Known for its adaptability and intelligence, it plays a vital role in the ecosystem and offers insight into the delicate balance of nature.

Recently, Jesmond Harding from Butterfly Conservation Ireland was in-studio and brought a surprise guest...the (extremely large) pupal stage of the Death's-head Hawk-moth. This extremely striking creature is not a common insect in Ireland.Terry Flanagan went to see this incredible creature before it was released into the wild.

Lichens expert Paul Whelan has been working on his latest book for the past four years and it is Terry Flanagan's Christmas recommendation this year. For tonight's programme, Terry travelled to Midleton, Co. Cork to meet Paul, to observe some of the local varieties of lichen and, of course, to chat about his book.

We recently received an email from one of our loyal listeners, Conor Cunnane. Conor, who lives in Co. Kildare, noticed that Magpies are nesting in his garden. It's unusual for these birds to build their nests so early so we sent Terry Flanagan there to find out more.

Currently underway, having returned for its seventh year, is Samhain agus Science, an annual science festival organised by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS). Roving reporter Terry Flanagan spoke to Prof. Chris Bean of DIAS.

Terry Flanagan was at the launch of Éanna Ní Lamhna's new book, 'The Great Irish Biodiversity Book'. The book, illustrated by Barry Falls, takes the reader through various wildlife habitats - "from bogs to beaches and woodland to grassland".