How yellow rattle can inject new life into Ireland’s green spaces
Yellow rattle can help restore wildflowers and reverse the declines in our bee and butterfly populations
Ella McSweeney
A colection of articles by Ella McSweeney
Ireland’s threatened corncrakes desperately need open, diverse and life-filled fields
We need to rethink what we mean by ‘the economy’ to protect birds and other wildlife
Ireland’s plan to weaken legal protections for waterways will push many of them beyond recovery
Ella McSweeney: The Department of Housing is proposing to give up trying to restore or naturalise many of our rivers
Ireland’s remaining bogs can have a second tale - of creation rather than extraction
Unlike trees, a living, healthy bog will soak up more carbon per square metre than almost any other ecosystem on Earth
Ireland has 33 species of mayfly. Even under immense pressure from humans, they adapt
These insects face great environmental threats including predators and rising water temperatures, but so far they are adapting
Irish hares are unique but the law of the land is against them
Ireland is one of the last remaining countries in Europe where these mystical creatures can be legally chased by dogs
Cornish hedges are works of art, with abundant nature providing the painterly flourishes
Two layers of stone filled inside with compacted earth and topped off with vegetation or turf, these are irresistible places for plants and animals to live
Ireland has a dismal amount of tree cover but ‘wild’ is partly between our ears
A Polish forest gives a glimpse of what Ireland and Britain might have looked like 10,000 years ago
Beautifully sonorous blackcaps have discovered the key to a comfortable life
Ella McSweeney: These astonishingly small creatures are an example of a species thriving in a world that is changing faster than ever
Life had drained from a farmer’s soil. He asked for advice - and nature has made a return
Ella McSweeney: It is possible to counteract relentless damage to our soils caused by human activity
Rooks are on par with chimpanzees in terms of intelligence
A study showed an ability to modify sticks and even bend a straight piece of wire into a hook to retrieve food from a tube
‘Incredible - real David Attenborough stuff’: thousands of young sharks discovered off Ireland’s west coast
Scientists on board the Celtic Explorer recorded a nursery of blackmouth catsharks slowly circling each other
Sanctimonious Soc Dems find themselves on shaky high moral ground
Inside Politics podcast with Hugh Linehan
How do you resurrect a graveyard? Simply stop mowing the grass
Given a chance, dormant seeds will sprout, and with them, butterflies, bees, bats, birds and small mammals
Looking forward to a future where doctors prescribe time to take in a hedgerow
A new study finds that people watching nature videos reported electric shocks as less intense, a pattern also observed in their brain scans
Matt Murphy leaves an extraordinary legacy in and around Sherkin Island
Ella McSweeney on a thoughtful man who lived a determined and visionary life as a conservationist and educator
Avian flu poses a threat to other species - including humans. We must take action
Wild species face an overwhelming threat from this virus and need as much help as we can offer them to help them
The weird-looking cuttlefish wouldn’t be out of place as a magical creature in Harry Potter
With a life designed for high energy, cuttlefish could adopt the motto ‘Live fast, die young’
Bat conservation: Simple ways you can help these tiny mammals to thrive in your local area
This month is the perfect time to prepare for bats as they emerge from winter hibernation
After Storm Éowyn, Ireland must do what Sweden did 20 years ago
Storm Gudrun shocked the Nordic country into building a new, climate-proofed power grid. Will Ireland follow suit?
Saving Irish salmon needs more than a clever new technology from Norway
Ella McSweeney: A recent incident in Killary Harbour provides further evidence that the salmon farming system carries too much risk
James Bond is mad about the Boyne: campaign against abbatoir effluent plan benefits from Pierce Brosnan’s support
An Bord Pleanála has overturned council decision to grant permission for Dawn Meats abbatoir to offload 400,000 litres of treated wastewater into the river every day
Bee hotels are a misplaced attempt to help nature
How to help? Plant wildflowers, avoid using chemicals and get comfortable with messy, neglected areas
Irish deer populations have become rampant, and the trees are paying a price
Ella McSweeney: We will not reach our nature restoration goals without urgent action
Raucous jays are the lovable gangsters of Ireland’s woodlands
Ella McSweeney: When acorns fall from the oak tree in autumn, a jay will hide up to 5,000 of them around the wood
Our last flood was so severe that within minutes water was pouring into the electrical sockets a few feet up the wall
Being flooded is a particular kind of hell but pouring more concrete isn’t the solution
The lakes on our island are treasures in urgent need of protection
Ella McSweeney: Without radical and urgent changes in how we use the land, the future of our most distinctive lakes is bleak
Life without chemical fertiliser is hard for farmers to fathom, but they could be in clover
Clover is a viable alternative for farmers who want to stay in profit and deal with the environmental challenges they face
Angel sharks are now so rare that maritime scientists can go an entire career without seeing one
Clew Bay and Tralee Bay are their last known refuges here, where their numbers are so low it may be too late to help them. Still, scientists refuse to give up hope
Unique insects aren’t in the Burren for the scenery - but add another resplendent layer to an astonishing part of Ireland
The Burren is home to 27 species of moths and butterflies found nowhere else in the country, along with all of our rarest butterflies and half our rarest moths
Once feared extinct in Ireland, the secretive nightjar calls again
The confirmation revives the question of whether nightjars could have a more hopeful future in Ireland than previously believed
Ardnacrusha is an ecological catastrophe that has devastated the Shannon and its salmon
Consecutive Irish governments have sanctioned the plundering of salmon stocks
When a farmer saw a field of dead worms, he started to pay much greater attention to underground life
Farming for Nature is a movement of dairy and tillage farmers towards sustainable practices that respect the land
Mushroom season: On the hunt in Wicklow for the most striking fungi of them all
The mushroom’s striking silhouette resembles a classic toadstool from a children’s story
We have effectively given up hope for nearly half of our rivers, lakes and estuaries
We must move fast to secure clean, healthy water for the future. But to do so, we need three things: ambition, investment and action
Starlings’ unmissable performances mesmerise on dark winter days
About three million starlings breed in Ireland yearly, joined in winter by visitors from all over Europe
Have you noticed that milk bottle caps are now tethered? There is good reason for that
Far from being ‘the worst thing to happen to humanity’, this EU law is a very small step towards combating a huge problem
Building houses can be compatible with the creation of new habitats for wildlife
Ella McSweeney: London and Amsterdam offer good examples, and Bray developers could factor in new research showing the extraordinary array of species in the town
Inside an Englishwoman’s campaign to bring back Ireland’s missing ‘big old trees’
Imogen Rabone came from a farm in Herefordshire in England, and during her years in Dublin felt an urgency to find a way to help people include trees in the landscape
Pond party: just fill a hole with water and watch as an astonishing array of life emerges
Ella McSweeney: Digging a pond, however small, is worth it for the cascade of positive effects it brings
Puffins on the Saltee Islands are thriving again. There’s now an obvious next step
Ella McSweeney: With the rat menace addressed, the question now is how to protest puffins’ nests from another threat - tourists
The recent brutal period of wet weather should not be surprising, the predictions were there
Ella McSweeney: The powers that be would do well to pay more attention to climate scientists
Our urban lives are wrapped up in the swift’s fate. To survive, they need our help
Ella McSweeney: Leaving these gaps isn’t always compatible with insulation projects, but there are alternatives that don’t cost a huge amount
Ireland’s mountains need urgent help to prevent further degradation
Ella McSweeney: Croagh Patrick has long suffered from being one of Mayo’s most valuable natural resources
Killing rhododendrons is not pretty work but is necessary to restore nature
Left alone, this invasive species will form dense dark thickets and outcompete native trees such as oak and hazel
The Dodder could become one of the finest city rivers in Europe, showing what’s possible when we clean up our act
Ella McSweeney: Thanks to the efforts of locals, nature is starting to flourish again in a river that has been blighted and abused for decades
When it comes to nature restoration plans, EU states will look to the Burren Programme. We should do the same
Ella McSweeney: We don’t have time to fail. The Government should use our money to fund what works, then step out of the way
The curlew’s call is giving way to silence but not everyone is giving up
A €25 million project hopes to secure a better future for breeding waders, including the curlew, which desperately need help
When the extreme heat hits Ireland, we’ll be grateful to the trees
Ella McSweeney: Younger kids, older people, outdoor workers, the socio-economically disadvantaged, pregnant women and the chronically ill are all disproportionately vulnerable to heat stress and mortality
Nature is never without drama and noticing it is an active choice
Noticing the richness of life around us is an active choice
Ireland does not have to choose between food and nature
Ella McSweeney: Farmer Patrick McGurk has found a way forward with a system that produces both
A new marine national park in Kerry? Nobody told the fishermen
Within a few years by working with fishers an actively-managed marine park in Co Kerry could become one of the world’s most spectacular sites
Juvenile jackdaws have stunning Cillian Murphy-esque blue eyes
They can recognise human faces and respond to our expressions. Having a ‘bird brain’ is no bad thing after all
The plight of Irish hedgehogs is a cause for concern. It’s been years since I’ve seen one
Ella McSweeney: Since they’re pretty adept at hiding away in prickly places – think mounds of nettles, brambles or hawthorn – I’m hopeful elusive hedgehogs are still around.
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Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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