Rivers and lakes are the arteries and beating heart of Ireland. To our ancestors these wetlands were their highways, providing valuable sources of food including fish and wildfowl as well as vital materials such as reeds for thatching and willows for basket-making. Today they supply us with drinking water and cleanse our waste, their energy is harnessed to provide power, they are vital habitats for many freshwater species, and they are treasured places for tranquillity and recreation.
Here, in a unique mix of nature, history and personal experience, ecologist Richard Nairn explores and celebrates the rivers and lakes of Ireland. Beginning with the Avonmore River system which flows through some of the most picturesque parts of Co. Wicklow, Wild Waters reveals the magic of Ireland's rivers and lakes and contemplates the consequences for them as the rapid deterioration of our natural environment continues.
Richard Nairn is an ecologist and writer who has published six previous books. This is the third volume of his memoirs following the acclaimed titles t (2020) and Wild Shores (2022). With a Master's Degree in Zoology, he previously worked as a nature reserve warden and was the first Director of BirdWatch Ireland. He is an experienced writer who has shown his ability to make complex subjects accessible and entertaining to a broad readership, while earning praise from scientists for meticulous research.
"[...] Wild Waters looks at our rivers and waterways. Nairn’s long experience brings a gravitas to his work, but this is also a personal journey around the lakes and rivers of Ireland [...]"
– Pádraic Fogarty, British Wildlife 35(1), October 2023