Sometimes, life gets busy, and without realizing it, may skip looking out the window to watch the garden birds bobbing from branch to branch or miss the bee that buzzes by your feet as you walk to work, but nature and wildlife are always surrounding us—no matter how busy we may get.
To celebrate this Earth Day, I asked my colleagues to reconnect with nature by asking them about their favourite moments in nature. Here is what they had to say.
Sarah Hegarty, Marine Advocacy & Campaigns Officer
My favourite part about Ireland’s natural beauty is that it’s so accessible! There are parts of the world that are very hard to get to or explore, but we can go and see so many beautiful places right on our doorstep. We can walk, climb, swim, cycle, you name it, and it’s nearly all free! So, get out there!
September is my favourite time of year here. The sea is as warm as it’s going to get for the year, with the most fun waves. There are incredible sunsets. The harvest moon always blows my mind!
My favourite memory in nature is my first dive. When I was young, I wanted my superpower to be the ability to breathe under water. When I finally got to do that, I was so happy! And it opened up the underwater word to me.
Earth Day is always a great time to reflect on everything the planet gives us (which is literally everything) and how we need to actively appreciate our shared home more.
Cian O’Flaherty, Project Officer Survey & Monitoring Team
My favourite memory in nature also happens to be one of my earliest ones. My grandfather used to bring me out the back of the field to point out a nesting pair of buzzards way up in the treetops. It showcases the Irish landscape at its finest, highlighting the mutualism between agriculture and nature, a relationship we should continue to strive toward.
As for my favourite part about Ireland’s natural beauty, Connemara was once referred to as a landscape of “savage beauty” by Oscar Wilde, and I’d have to agree. Bogs, mountains and an endless coastline. The raw & rugged beauty of Ireland’s nature is something that I’ve always felt an affinity with.
Earth Day reminds me of the innate personal responsibility I feel to leave the Earth with a net‑positive impact.
Aisling Kinsella, I-WeBS National Coordinator
Ireland stands out for its remarkable natural beauty. Despite its small size, the island holds an impressive range of landscapes from the flat, open bogs of Offaly to the rugged sandstone ridges of the Reeks in Kerry.
My favourite place is the Wicklow Mountains National Park, where each season brings its own character. In spring, the air fills with the song of meadow pipits and skylarks soaring above the heath. Summer transforms the mountainsides with vivid yellows and pinks as gorse and heather bloom, while bilberries offer a tasty snack for both people and wildlife. Autumn paints the Derrybawn woodland trail in rich tones of orange and brown, and in winter, the Glenmacnass waterfall crashes dramatically over ancient granite, its full cascade shaped by 400 million years of history.
Earth Day offers a chance to celebrate all of this and more, while also reminding us of the responsibility we share to protect and preserve our landscapes. By doing so, we help ensure that future generations can stay connected to nature as it shifts with the seasons, and continue to live in balance with Mother Earth and all that she offers.
Donovan Rule, Finance and Project Manager
I love the Irish summertime, the long daylight hours and the beautiful coastal views all along the Wild Atlantic Way but especially up north. I do also love a quite Wicklow Valley stream during the summer months, all the more with some fresh otter tracks or a white-throated dipper plunging into the fast-flowing water and emerging with a grub.
Oonagh Duggan, Head of Policy and Advocacy
One of my earliest memories of birds is my aunt Teresa taking me down the fields at my uncle’s farm to see a Sand Martin colony in an old sand pit. I was only about 7 and I can still see the birds flitting in to their nest holes and around in the air. But the best part was that I was walking hand in hand with my aunt and still do and she still loves nature and birds too. She helped shape my love of nature.
Kaylin Doherty, Communications Officer
Kaylin Doherty, Communications OfficerAs someone who didn’t grow up in Ireland, I am in constant awe in the beautiful landscapes throughout the island. Whether it’s hiking through Wicklow or watching the sea in Kerry, there are so many places here where I feel truly connected to the world around me. I remember during my first hike after moving here, I was sitting in the sun near a waterfall in Glendalough, taking in the views around me. In that moment, I was filled with such serenity and bliss, and I knew moving to Ireland was the right decision for me.
To me, Earth Day is a reminder to take a pause and appreciate the world around us. It’s easy to get caught up in our own world, but today is a day to appreciate the beauty of our landscape and all that it gives us.
