29 Jul 2026

            Could nature itself help stop Ireland's wildfires?




            Wildfires have burned across Tipperary, Wicklow, Cork and Kerry over the past fortnight, during one of the driest spells in years. Almost none start naturally. But how far a fire spreads depends on what's growing on the land, and how wet or dry the ground is. More than half the land burned here over the past decade overlapped protected nature sites, according to analysis by The Journal Investigates. So why is our landscape so flammable, and would native woodland and rewetted peatland reduce the risk? Ecologist and environmental campaigner Pádraic Fogarty joins us.