An Irish Sanctuary:
The History and Natural History of the North Bull Island is a 3-part series which looks at the fascinating history and natural history of the North Bull Island, home to over 1100 species of organisms including plants, insects, birds and mammals. In winter the island holds more than 35,000 wildfowl including internationally significant numbers of the iconic Brent Goose. It also plays host to thousands of human visitors each year who come to take in the rugged beauty of the island or use it for activities ranging from swimming and golf to kite-surfing and bird watching. Join producer and presenter Edd Kealy as he takes us on a journey of discovery in this fascinating natural history series.

In part 3 of the series we pay a very early morning visit to the island with naturalist Tom Cooney to catch a glimpse of the last of the island’s Irish Hares a species which has now disappeared from the nature reserve. We explore the causes of this sad demise and explore how visitors to the island can behave so that disturbance to the island’s wild creatures is minimized and some of the losses and declines can be reversed.

We talk to Pat Corrigan who has managed the island’s interpretive centre for the past 27 years. Pat tells us about his experience of working on the island and the importance of education for the island’s future. Pat explains how disturbance can drastically impact on the survival of some the islands birds and animals.

We speak to Leslie Moore, Dublin City Council’s Parks Superintendent and he will inform the listener of the council’s ambitious plans for the Bull Island which hope to raise the profile of the area as a UNESCO biosphere reserve and entice wildlife enthusiasts from all over the globe to come and visit what is a unique natural treasure. Leslie also talks about the issues that impact on the islands wildlife and how they may be addressed in the future and that how engagement of local people in conserving the island is crucial for the islands survival as a nature reserve.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:58 — 26.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS