Mooney is an Irish

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 radio programme broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1

RTÉ Radio 1

RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...

. Presented by Derek Mooney

Derek Mooney

Derek James Mooney is an Irish radio and television presenter, as well as a radio producer. He currently presents a weekday afternoon programme called Mooney on RTÉ Radio 1....

, the programme airs Monday to Friday from 15:00 to 16:30.

Mooney is the 18th most listened to programme in Ireland. It is presented by Brenda Donoghue or Aonghus McAnally when Derek Mooney is absent. Donoghue is currently pregnant. As Mooney Goes Wild, the programme was known for its coverage of nature and now features annual web broadcasts of Blue Tit

Blue Tit

The Blue Tit is a 10.5 to 12 cm long passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and western Asia in deciduous or mixed woodlands...

s nesting and hatching. In 2009, Mooneys Blue Tits nested live online in the gardens of Irish President

President of Ireland

The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...

, Mary McAleese

Mary McAleese

Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...

.

History

Mooney Goes Wild started in 1995 on Saturdays on RTÉ Radio 1. It mainly focused on wildlife

Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....

 and nature

Nature

Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...

. Jackie and Daw

Jackie and Daw

Jackie and Daw was a video/radio documentary documentary by Vincent Hyland that followed a pair of nesting Jackdaws, named Jackie and Daw , over a period of two years...

 was broadcast on Mooney Goes Wild. Mooney Goes Wild on One won the prestigious Prix d'Europe

Prix d'Europe

The Prix d'Europe is a prestigious Canadian study grant that is funded by the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec of the Government of Quebec. Established in 1911, the award has been distributed annually to a single individual through competition with the exception of 1960-1973 and 2009...

 in Berlin in 2000, with the award given for a programme that observed the lives of two nesting jackdaws.

On 2 October 2006, the programme moved to the weekday slot.

In early 2009, RTÉ weather presenter Nuala Carey

Nuala Carey

Nuala Carey is a full-time weather presenter on Raidió Teilifís Éireann .Carey was educated at Muckross Park College, Dublin and graduated from University College Dublin with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Sociology. After graduating from UCD she worked on AA Roadwatch, which involved...

 launched a nationwide search to find herself a man on Mooney. Reports of her escapades at several dating events accompanied by her friend Ciara were broadcast on the radio programme.

In 2011, it featured a world record attempt at having the most people dressed up as a leprechaun

Leprechaun

A leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. Like other fairy creatures, leprechauns have been linked to the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish mythology...

 in the one place. People came from Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 and Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

 to participate in the "Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Leprechauns".

Mooney combined with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra

RTÉ Concert Orchestra

The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is one of the two full time professional orchestras in Ireland that are part of RTÉ, the national broadcasting station. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, has grown from a small studio-based recording group to...

 and the RTÉ radio audience to create Mooney Tunes from the Grand Canal Theatre

Grand Canal Theatre

The Grand Canal Theatre is a 2,111 capacity world class theatre in Dublin, Ireland which opened on 18 March 2010. Designed by Daniel Libeskind of New York and RHWL Architects of London, it is located in the Grand Canal Dock area and the concept of the theatre was created by Mike Adamson of Live...

 for RTÉ over Christmas 2011, an obvious pun on the similarity between the presenter's name and the word "Looney" as used in Looney Tunes

Looney Tunes

Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...

, the Warner Bros.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...

 animated cartoon

Animated cartoon

An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...

 series.

Format

The programme's focus changed more to general chat and interviews. It also has live music and music discussion. Recently Mooney was the first place to preview six contests going up to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Dermot O'Neill

Dermot O'Neill (gardener)

Dermot O'Neill is a well known Irish gardener and editor of Garden Heaven magazine, who has appeared on many radio and television programmes for both RTÉ and the BBC Northern Ireland and has contributed regular columns for the RTÉ Guide and numerous Irish newspapers and magazines including The...

 is a frequent guest on the programme. As well as talking about gardening

Gardening

Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...

 he was once offered to learn opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

. He took up the challenge and performed at a New Year's Day

New Year's Day

New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...

 concert on Mooney. Authors, such as Joan Geraghty, have spoken about their books on the show.

Mooney has also searched for a Little Orphan Annie

Little Orphan Annie

Little Orphan Annie was a daily American comic strip created by Harold Gray and syndicated by Tribune Media Services. The strip took its name from the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, and made its debut on August 5, 1924 in the New York Daily News...

 to star in an Irish tour of the musical Annie

Annie (musical)

Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...

. The finalists were reduced to three. The competition was won by Nastasia Vashko from Limerick.

Fridays are dedicated to the original format of the show. Mooney's guests talk about nature and wildlife in Ireland. Annually Nestwatch has cameras in birds' nests. It is similar to the setup of the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

's Springwatch. One nest box was installed in the gardens of President Mary McAleese at Áras an Uachtaráin

Áras an Uachtaráin

Áras an Uachtaráin , formerly the Viceregal Lodge, is the official residence of the President of Ireland. It is located in the Phoenix Park on the northside of Dublin.-Origins:...

 in 2009 at her own invitation. The male Blue Tit is currently missing and the female Blue Tit has only laid six eggs, half of what was initially expected.

Terry Flanagan

Terry Flanagan

Terry Flanagan was an Irish soccer player who played for Bohemians, Dundalk and Thurles Town during the 1970s.He was top scorer in the League of Ireland for the 1973/74 season with 18 league goals from 26 games . Awarded Bollox of the Month in October 1973. His total for that season was 29 goals...

, a reporter from the show, has visited national school students to observe their freshly hatched chicks.

The weekday programme originally lasted two hours, but was shortened when Drivetime

Drivetime (RTÉ)

Drivetime is an Irish news and current affairs radio programme broadcast by RTÉ Radio 1 on Mondays to Fridays between 16.30 and 19.00. It attracts approximately 229,000 listeners daily....

 was extended. There are news, sport and nuacht (news in Irish

Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

) bulletins during the programme.