The Irish Wildlife Book by Fergus O'Gorman

Irish bird-watchers are appropriately well catered for, given the popularity of this pursuit. And just one group of insects can now have its own book dedicated to Irish species: The Natural History of Irish Dragonflies (Brian Nelson and Robert Thompson, 2004), in which superb photographs again complement a scientific but accessible text. Then there are books which tread a middle way between specialist and popular, such as the marvellous Flora Hibernica (Jonathan Pilcher and Valerie Hall, 2001), where lavish illustration is combined with a fairly serious primer on the nation's botany. However, many of the underlying environmental concerns expressed are, sadly but unsurprisingly, similar - loss of habitat, water pollution, and, repeatedly, planning regulations treated the way a dog treats a lamppost. Pioneering efforts such as The Irish Wildlife Book, edited by Fergus O'Gorman in 1979, and a much-loved collector's item now, have been superseded by specialist books such as Exploring Irish Mammals (Tom Hayden and Rory Harrington, 2000) and Seabird Populations of Britain and Ireland (Stephen Newton and others, 2004). The healthy growth in wildlife-related publishing in recent years has produced some real treasures, for professional naturalists and the general public. If Irish fauna and flora could proliferate as fast as the books written about them, we would not be talking about threatened species and habitats.

Paddy Woodworth welcomes the new profusion of Irish nature books, and takes a closer look at two spin-offs from Derek Mooney's radio show

The Irish Wildlife Book by Fergus O'Gorman