Writer | Podcasts | Environment
Cad a dhéainfimear fásta gan amhad? Tá deireadh na gcoillte ar lár; níl trácht ar Chill Chais ná ar a teaghlach is ní bainfear a clig go bráth. From an Irish poem describing the clearance of woodlands from the Butler estate in Kilkash, Tipperary in the 18th century. One of the most common ideas when …
Continue reading "Why Don’t We Just Plant More Trees? (Episode 3)"
A hiding mane of a green-barked yew supports the sky; beautiful spot! the large green of an oak fronting the storm. A tree of apples - great its bounty! Like a hostel, vast: A pretty bush, thick as a fist, of tiny hazelnuts, a green mass of branches. A choice pure spring and princely water …
Continue reading "A Brief History of the Irish Environment (Episode 2)"
Irish people often take a lot of pride in our landscape, but how green are we really? That was why I chose to use it to open my podcast From the Roots.
The only thing more overdone than someone launching a podcast in 2023 is someone announcing that podcast with a self-deprecating joke about how the world didn’t really need another podcast – so I’ll spare you the latter at least. For a while know I’ve had concerns about how environmental news is reported, across the board, …
Originally publishing in Catflap magazine (November 2021) There were two reasons I became a champion tree climber as a child. Firstly, because I loved it, the shapes of the branches and glow of the leaves when the light came through, the whisper of the breeze like the promise of something magical about to happen. Secondly, …
Without legally enforceable definitions of terms like “recyclable”, “eco-friendly”, and “biodegradable” we will see a never ending stream of greenwashing advertising selling us the exact same product
Celebrate saving the less charismatic Write odes to plankton, snail and flies, Our love of birds and mammals may be automatic, But we struggle to value lichen in our lives. It's harder to sing of fungi than of tigers, Hard to remember the worm in the earth, Diversity means algae as much as flowers So …
When I was 12, nearly 13, I had a science project due; one of my first of secondary school. I loved forests so I decided to look at the effects of deforestation which led me to studies of Greenhouse Gases. It was 2004 and while people knew about "global warming", it was not on the …
The first thing you need to know about my 'no single-use plastic' January is that 100% I still used single-use plastics. I did not succeed in avoiding them entirely because there are just so many insidious sources of plastic in everyday life. I would have had to adopt #StopthePlasticTide as a full time job to …
Continue reading "My No-Single-Use-Plastic January in Review"
The problem with “sustainable lifestyle” bloggers is that they’re liars. That does not mean that they are always lying on purpose or that a sustainable or minimalist lifestyle is not a good thing to have but ultimately, they’re selling you something, an ideal, and like much you will be sold in your life – …
Continue reading "Sustainable Lifestyle Bloggers Lie But it’s OK"
Orla ní Dhúill 