Wild Waters

Richard Nairn is an ecologist who has been visiting waterways around Ireland for over half a century, fascinated by how they enrich our lives. Here, he sets out to explore Ireland’s rivers, lakes, wet woodlands, ponds and canals, starting with the Avonmore River in his own county of Wicklow.

From source to sea, Richard submerges himself in the wildlife, history and people connected to our waterways. Detailing encounters with dragonflies, dippers, otters and great flocks of migratory waterbirds, he finds himself awestruck by the sense of a lost wilderness he discovers.

Historically, our waterways were treated with respect, yielding valuable resources vital to everyday life, but now they are under serious threat. Wild Waters is a love letter to Ireland’s rivers and lakes, a reminder of what we stand to lose, and a powerful case for the role that well-managed waterways can play in the future.