Ireland has a national park called Glenveagh, meaning “Glen of the Birches”, yet most visitors never notice that there are almost no birch trees left there today.

Emmett believes that disconnect between language and landscape reveals something important about how Ireland lost, and is slowly rebuilding, its relationship with nature.

The conversation moves through ecology, conservation, history, and place, connecting environmental recovery with culture, memory, and community.

What We Explore

• How colonisation and deforestation shaped both Irish landscapes and language
• Why place-names quietly preserve ecological memory
• Emmett’s journey from Dublin to managing Glenveagh National Park
• What basking sharks reveal about migration and interconnected ecosystems
• Practical rewilding inside a national park, including woodland and peatland restoration
• The importance of working with local communities rather than against them
• Why environmentalism based on guilt often fails to inspire meaningful change
• The hopeful signs emerging across Ireland’s landscapes today

Who This Is For

• People curious about rewilding and native woodland recovery in Ireland
• Anyone interested in conservation, ecology, and Irish landscapes
• Listeners looking for a more grounded and hopeful environmental conversation

Why This Conversation Matters

Emmett brings together ecological science, storytelling, and lived experience.

Alongside managing a national park and working in conservation, he also reflects deeply on history, language, and the role ordinary people play in shaping environmental recovery.

Rather than focusing only on problems, this conversation explores what becomes possible when nature restoration and human wellbeing move together.

Micro FAQ

What is special about Glenveagh?
It is one of Ireland’s national parks, and its Irish name, “Glen of the Birches”, points to a forested landscape that has largely disappeared over time.

Why are basking sharks important?
Emmett co-founded the Irish Basking Shark Group and has spent years studying and protecting these large filter-feeding animals along the Irish coast.

Is this episode only about rewilding?
No. The conversation also explores history, language, identity, and how people relate to the natural world today.

Is the conversation hopeful?
Yes. While acknowledging environmental challenges, Emmett also highlights the growing amount of restoration and conservation work happening across Ireland.