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The Living and the Dead: Tales of Loss and Rebirth from Irish Nature
Ireland is a land replete with natural wonders, but we live in an age when our native wildlife is under threat like never before. Centuries of hunting and habitat loss have already wiped out some of our most iconic species, from the once-feared grey wolf to the flightless great auk – Ireland’s very own ‘penguin’.
In The Living and the Dead, acclaimed writer Conor W. O’Brien travels the country to tell the stories of our amazing lost wildlife, from the mighty sturgeon to the minuscule mountain ringlet butterfly. He reveals the tragedies behind their demise and the lessons they impart for today’s conservationists. For across the country, passionate people are fighting to protect endangered species and reintroduce those once lost. The return of creatures long gone, like the common crane and great spotted woodpecker, are celebrated in these pages. Such comebacks offer a vision of a return to a wilder Ireland, one in which humans and nature thrive in a land where eagles fly again.
In The Living and the Dead, acclaimed writer Conor W. O’Brien travels the country to tell the stories of our amazing lost wildlife, from the mighty sturgeon to the minuscule mountain ringlet butterfly. He reveals the tragedies behind their demise and the lessons they impart for today’s conservationists. For across the country, passionate people are fighting to protect endangered species and reintroduce those once lost. The return of creatures long gone, like the common crane and great spotted woodpecker, are celebrated in these pages. Such comebacks offer a vision of a return to a wilder Ireland, one in which humans and nature thrive in a land where eagles fly again.
- GenresIrelandNonfiction
215 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 21, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
January 29, 2026
The book is almost as much a love-letter to the Irish landscape as it is a description of several native Irish species - as the title suggests, some no longer with us, others barely hanging on and some recovering with a bang.
Conor's language makes it a lyrical and emotional read as he details a mix of heart-stirring travesties, extinction near-misses, and warming success stories, all presented from the picturesque, remote or delightfully wild stages of rural Ireland.
The book is split in two - one half detailing what Ireland has lost, and the latter half, what it has managed to hold on to, and what has returned through Herculean reintroduction and conservation efforts.
A wise choice - you finish the book with semblance of hope for the future of wildlife in Ireland, and not with the pit in your stomach you had reading about the Great Auk. Conor does his best to impress on you that as long as nature is given time and space to do its thing, there is hope, and leaves you with a new appreciation for the animals we live alongside.
Conor's language makes it a lyrical and emotional read as he details a mix of heart-stirring travesties, extinction near-misses, and warming success stories, all presented from the picturesque, remote or delightfully wild stages of rural Ireland.
The book is split in two - one half detailing what Ireland has lost, and the latter half, what it has managed to hold on to, and what has returned through Herculean reintroduction and conservation efforts.
A wise choice - you finish the book with semblance of hope for the future of wildlife in Ireland, and not with the pit in your stomach you had reading about the Great Auk. Conor does his best to impress on you that as long as nature is given time and space to do its thing, there is hope, and leaves you with a new appreciation for the animals we live alongside.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review