2024 Conference

About Nuala

Nuala Madigan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council. The Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) are based at the Bog of  Allen Nature Centre in Lullymore. The IPCC’s mission is to conserve a representative sample of Irish peatlands for people to enjoy today and in the future.

Nuala  is a graduate of Agricultural and Environmental Science with a Masters of Education. Working with the IPCC, her previous role as Environmental Education Officer has allowed her to work across all generations exploring and promoting the many values Irish peatlands offer our local communities.

Today Nuala manages the day to day operations at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre, site management and represents peatland biodiversity and habitat on a number of national advisory boards.

About Jesmond

Jesmond Harding is the author of two books, “Discovering Irish Butterflies & their Habitats” published in 2008 and “The Irish Butterfly Book” published in 2021. He published articles in various periodicals including the Irish Naturalists’ Journal, Peatland News (Irish Peatland Conservation Council), Wings (BirdWatch Ireland) and the online nature magazine Wildlife Extra. He featured in the third series of “Living the Wildlife” (episode 2) and “The Burren: Heart of Stone” (episode 1).

He was part of the expert group that drew up the red list for Irish butterflies in 2010. He is a member of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Burrenbeo Trust, and a founding member of Butterfly Conservation Ireland. He is Conservation Officer for Butterfly Conservation Ireland. Jesmond gives talks on butterflies and advises on habitat creation and management.

He is currently involved with several Lepidoptera recording programmes. He is a lead member of the coordination committee for the Butterfly Atlas Project 2010-2021, on the Peatlands National Park campaign group which promotes the establishment of a new national park in Kildare and East Offaly, and works with the Burrenbeo Trust to manage limestone habitats. Jesmond manages Butterfly Conservation Ireland’s website and Butterfly Conservation Ireland’s reserve at Lullybeg, County Kildare.

About Seán

Seán is a Zoologist out of Trinity College Dublin who before working with Irish wildlife studied sea turtles in Mexico, drafted reports on koalas in Australia and wrote wildlife articles.

Seán has worked as an Irish wildlife carer and educator for nearly three years now, having helped to rehabilitate hundreds of native species whilst teaching the public about wildlife, conservation and biodiversity.

Seán has worked with Kildare Wildlife Rescue since it’s founding in early 2022. At the conference Seán will focus on the devastating effects that domestic and feral cats have on our native wildlife each year. As well as the problems, he will also talk about the solutions to help keep our wildlife and cats safe.

About Méabh

Méabh graduated as a zoologist from Trinity College Dublin. Following a short stint working in environmental education, she undertook a doctoral research project in University College Cork, investigating the feeding ecology and breeding biology of Ireland’s rarest Corvid, the Chough, along the southwestern seaboard.

In recent years Méabh has returned to her native county of Kildare, and has worked on the intersection of biodiversity, education, and behaviour change; overseeing the development and national delivery of the biodiversity themes for An Taisce’s award-winning Green-Schools’ programme.

Méabh now works as Biodiversity Officer with Kildare County Council.

About Dermot

Dermot is a farmer from North Kildare with a deep passion for biodiversity and conservation. He transitioned from an intensive dairy system in 2005 and since then has managed a mixed farm of forestry, beef cattle and sheep. Since adopting a less intensive farming system, the external inputs needed on the farm have been significantly reduced.

Almost one third of Dermot’s farm is under native woodland forestry and the 5.5 km of hedgerows on the farm are cut only when absolutely necessary. He believes a hedgerow is no use unless its producing flowers and berries – and adding biodiversity to a farm.

Dermot continuously puts in place measures that increase biodiversity on the farm. He devotes 10 acres of his land to an annual wild bird cover crop – ensuring a food supply for birds throughout the winter months. He has dug a pond, installed swift boxes, a sand martin wall and erected barn owl nest boxes internally in his sheds. This attitude of ‘build it and they will come’ is the inspiration for his talk.

About the Kildare Bat Group

For over a decade, the Kildare Bat Group has united a diverse and tightly-knit team of explorers dedicated to studying the townlands, forests, and rivers of Kildare. Through their participation in monitoring programs, they have gathered crucial data for Bat Conservation Ireland.

Additionally, they have worked tirelessly to dispel myths and educate the public about bats through captivating presentations, guided excursions, surveys, and conservation initiatives, all fueled by their unyielding enthusiasm.

About Tom

Tom McCormack is a passionate conservationist and birder with over 15 years of experience in wildlife preservation, focusing on avian species and their habitats. As a active voice in the protection and breeding of the Northern Lapwing, Tom has spearheaded this ground-breaking project that has significantly contributed to the resurgence of this iconic species in Kildare.

Without a background in ecology and environmental management, Tom combined scientific expertise with hands-on fieldwork, collaborates closely with local landowners, communities, volunteers, and government agencies. His approach to habitat restoration and species monitoring have made him a respected figure in the conservation community. Tom is also an advocate for citizen science, believing that empowering non-professionals is key to sustaining biodiversity efforts on a broader scale.

At the Kildare Biodiversity Conference 2024, Tom will share insights from his groundbreaking work on Lapwing breeding strategies, offering practical solutions and inspiring stories from the field. His talk, “Championing the Lapwing: Strategies for Successful Breeding and Conservation,” promises to be an informative and motivating session for anyone passionate about protecting Ireland’s natural heritage.

About Maria

Maria O’Neill is a founding member of Ballymore Eustace Environmental Group (BEE Group) a community service which provides information on local Environmental Sustainability Initiatives. It supports local organisations, schools and businesses in their efforts to be environmentally sustainable for example through Recycling Campaigns and community projects such as Plant/Seedling Shares and Seed Library.

Members participate in local monitoring of Bees, Butterflies and Swifts.  It keeps the community informed about two important current projects in Ballymore Eustace namely the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) and the Sustainability Energy Community (SEC).

It fosters connections with other similar groups locally, regionally and nationally in order to share experiences and prevent duplication of ideas and effort.

About Jim

Dr Jim Carolan is a lecturer and researcher at the Department of Biology Maynooth University. Much of Jim’s research involves understanding the biology of important pollinator species, the interactions that occur between crops and their pests, biodiversity improvement and reducing our dependency on chemical pesticides.

Jim has a keen interest in improving sustainability and environmental awareness within the University and in 2016 he joined the Maynooth Green Campus, becoming its chairperson in 2021. Through the efforts of the Maynooth Green Campus and its several working groups and partners, major changes have occurred in the University particularly in the areas of improving and managing biodiversity. To date over 20 acres of the Maynooth grounds are now managed for biodiversity.

Jim is also the coordinator of the MGC Biodiversity Working Group and in collaboration with Mr Stephen Seaman, Head of Grounds Department at Maynooth University they have established several biodiversity projects, including habitat mapping, biodiversity recording and the establishment of biodiversity walking and information trails. Jim understands the importance of education and reaching across communities, which are essential when contending with the challenges we face and he believes that even small actions can be extremely meaningful and effective.

About Ann

Ann Fitzpatrick is a district conservation officer with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, based in the Wicklow Mountains National Park.

She manages the national park’s conservation ranger and education guide teams, overseeing their day-to-day responsibilities, including multiple habitat restoration projects.

Ann has a special interest in birds of prey – throughout her career, Ann has been involved in ringing and monitoring projects for a range of raptor species, and was involved in the very successful reintroduction of the red kite to Wicklow. However, her primary interest is the peregrine falcon – she has been monitoring the breeding success, population changes, and movements of the peregrine falcon across Leinster for over a decade. Aside from raptors, Ann also manages a nest box project for goosander, monitoring goosander breeding success across the Avonmore and Avoca rivers.