Description
From the autumnal spectacle of rutting red deer to cliffs alive with the cries of seabirds, Ireland is a land still replete with natural wonders. However, we live in an age when our native wildlife is under threat like never before. Centuries of hunting and habitat loss have wiped out some of Ireland’s most iconic creatures, from the once-feared grey wolf to the flightless great auk – our own ‘penguin’.
In The Living and the Dead, acclaimed wildlife writer Conor W. O’Brien journeys across Ireland in search of the vanished, from the enormous right whale to the minuscule mountain ringlet butterfly. He reveals the stories behind their extinction and the lessons they impart for today’s conservationists.
In spite of our losses, hope endures. Across the country, passionate people are fighting to protect what remains and
even reintroduce extinct species. Ireland’s conservation triumphs are celebrated in these pages, such as the return of the white-tailed eagle and the great spotted woodpecker. Their comebacks offer a vision of a wilder Ireland, a land where wolves once roamed and eagles soar again.
Contents
Introduction
Part I: Where Wolves Once Walked
Great Auk
Sturgeon
Capercaillie
Corn Bunting
Right Whale
Mountain Ringlet
Grey Wolf
Part II: Where Eagles Fly Again
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Crane
Lesser Horseshoe Bat
Grey Partridge
Natterjack Toad
Pine Marten
White-Tailed Eagle
About the Author
Conor W. O’Brien is a writer and photographer with a lifelong interest in the natural world. His work has been published in Ireland’s Own, Irish Wildlife magazine and Wings, the official publication of Birdwatch Ireland. Conor’s first book, Ireland Through Birds: Journeys in Search of a Wild Nation, was shortlisted for Best Irish-Published Book at the 2019 An Post Irish Book Awards. His second book, Life in Ireland: A Short History of a Long Time, was published in 2021. Conor is a board member at Birdwatch Ireland.
