Wild Woods: The Magic of Ireland's Native Woodlands

by Richard Nairn

Richard Nairn has spent a lifetime studying - and learning from - nature. When an opportunity arose for him to buy a small woodland filled with mature native trees beside a fast-flowing river, he set about understanding all its moods and seasons, discovering its wildlife secrets and learning how to manage it properly.

Wildwoods is a fascinating account of his journey over a typical year. Along the way, he uncovers the ancient roles of trees in Irish life, he examines lost skills such as coppicing and he explores new uses of woodlands for forest schools, foraging and rewilding. Ultimately, Wildwoods inspires all of us to pay attention to what nature can teach us.

"A book to inspire anyone who wants Ireland to grow more Irish trees." - Michael Viney

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Ireland, Irish Literature, Science, Ecology, Environment

1 pages, Audiobook

Published October 2, 2020

Reviews

[Sarah M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was nice.

Not gonna lie, I was expecting something a lil more whimsical and magical

The structure was also a little all over the place and because I was listening to it on audio I think that hindered my experience as I struggled to keep up

But it was decent overall and learned a bit from it 🌳✨🍄

[Derrick Baynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The magic of this readable book is that ,without hectoring, it describes how the deleterious effects of climate change can be reduced, relatively easily, in Ireland. The premise is based on solid science

[Michaela Mc dermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to plant a lot of native trees now and watch the wildlife around me.

[Kristian Gunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst the book is organised by seasons, I found it lacking structure and fairly haphazard with its distribution of content. The author’s knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject matter come shining through however.
He reiterates the proven benefits to people being immersed in nature, how native woodland has been decimated over the years and needs developing, how kids aren’t in touch with their local environments anymore, spending more time with electronic devices, yet he himself is just another private landowner whose woodland oasis is accessible to himself only and not available for the general public to benefit from.
Ireland needs to implement a Land Reform Act as Scotland did in 2003. Allow the right to roam over the vast tracts of wilderness across the country that’s currently trapped behind walls and fences as part of enclosed privately owned estates. Look closely enough and most of these huge estates were acquired and maintained by immoral or unjustified means, and need to rightly be made accessible to the people again, to enjoy and reap the said proven benefits of being totally immersed in nature.

[Brian Gormley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.1 out of 5. This guy is living my dream. Buy a piece of land and rewild it - plant trees, remove invasive species, try and keep out deer, sleep under the stars in your own piece of heaven. An enjoyable book, more so because it’s based in Ireland where I live. So many of these books are about people buying abroad and their hilarious interactions with the funny locals as they try and make their new lavender farm pay its way (but they actually fund their new life by writing about their hilarious interactions etc).
Lots of detail about the plant, bird and animal life in the woods, and the history of the woods. It gets a little bit scientific at times, but very enjoyable.

[Adrian Fingleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because I wanted to get an insight into how the author had bought a small tract of Wicklow wood and was 're-wilding' it by gradually stripping out invasive species. It turned out to be a very informative publication that also covered the long term history of forests and de-forestation in Ireland, and brought us to a number of sites around the country where traces of those 'old forests' can be seen.

I guess if I had one disappointment it would be that that the book does not go into the wildlife that is contained in the small wood to any great extent. I know it's all referenced - mammals, birds and insects - but I'd probably be more interested in that area than some of the details about trees. But that's a small concern, overall it's a very good book, logically constructed, and I think it offers a sort of template in broad terms for anyone else that has similar inclinations.

[Andrew Westle · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the last year I have come to appreciate even more so, the importance of nature. As I have closely observed the change of seasons. The European seasons are so very different to what I am used to, with each specific season so clearly defined. While appreciating nature and the landscape I currently find myself in, I am perhaps not as aware of the intricacies of the forests and their unique aspects.
This book based in Ireland, reveals so much about the importance of wild places, and perhaps more interesting for me, the amount of work that goes in to the upkeep of forests. In Australia while the Bush is worked it’s perhaps not as reliant on human intervention.
If you love wild places and have a yearning for nature, this might be a book for you.

[Dan Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suspect that if I had read Wild Woods instead of listened to the audiobook, I might have rated it higher. And I'm positive if I had a better familiarity with Ireland's geography that my enjoyment would have been raised. So that's on me. Nonetheless, some of the material was irritatingly repeated, as if the book were a collection of previously published materials handed to an editor too lazy to deal with the repetitions.
[Audiobook note: On the plus side, the publisher got an Irish citizen to narrate. And the reader had, to my untrained ear, a facility with the Gaelic words strewn through the text. On the negative side, the reader's sibililants (i.e. "s"-es) were so mushy as to be hard to follow. This definitely degraded my enjoyment.]

[Samuel Rogerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate how concise Nairn is with the information provided within Wild Woods, the delivery has the perfect amount of anecdote and first hand language. This makes the scientific aspects of this book feel tangible and close to home, regardless of the reader's proximity to Ireland. Most of the nature books I have read are not always scientific in terms of the author's knowledge, this makes Wild Woods feel different in a pleasant way from your standard nature story.

[Peter Thew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author purchased a county Wicklow farm and riverside woodland. The book tells of his efforts to manage the woodside back to its natural state by some clearance but largely by letting nature do what it does best. Inspiring and a call to arms for the proper development and management of Irish woodlands

[Nicole R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The prose of the book is what had me interested in reading it, however I listened to the audiobook version. I would steer anyone clear of that path, due to the 'hard listening' I had to do. The narration ( in my opinion) was all over the place and made it hard to follow the book. I will be picking up the physical copy and giving it another go.

[Doireann O'B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice read, the author writes about nature really nicely, although a lot of the book is a bit more dry it is still interesting. The structure of the book is quite random but it's still a very pleasant read and informative. I expected it to be more about his woodland specifically but it was a lot more broad

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for the Audiobook

Enjoyable read, clearly written with love, just feel that it wasn't the best format for it

It did make me want to garden though, so that's something

Would recommend to nature lovers - just maybe not as an audiobook

[By Book and Bone (Sally)]

Made the mistake of starting the audiobook while I can't get a physical copy from the library... I'm going to wait for the book. The audiobook is just terrible and makes an interesting subject seem really dry.

[Tim O'Riordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant read. Interesting to find out about the current development (or lack of) of woodlands in Ireland. Good to know that there are people, as well as the state, who are concerned about Irish woodlands and that some positive work is being done.

[Deirdre Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really love this book and plan to read it again. Sycamore is listed as a native in the coppicing section on page 31 but thus may have been accidental as the author deals with how to gradually eradicate it as an invasive later in the book. As a horticulturalist and tree-lover I.really recommend it

[Ciara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative little book on Native Irish Trees, and species that benefit from them, vs the invasive species we're seeing take over. Grounded in science, but weaves in some history, and some personal anecdotes.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book.

[Stephen Saint · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, easy-to-read look at the natural history of woodland in Ireland and a glimpse into the magic they can bring to a person's life.

[Heather Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really enjoyable and interesting read. Richard put so much into the book it is packed with amazing information and a valuable piece of work.

[Marc · Rating 2 out of 5]

The very first word of the introduction is spelled incorrectly. I wrote to the publishers to seek clarification, however they never did respond.

Enough said.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice little ramble through the woods, with plenty of segways and interesting details.

[Fiona O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable, educational read.

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did as an audio book, and that might be part of the issue, but not what I was hoping for.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading it in the Irish countryside and it made me so much more appreciative of what I was seeing and the dense Irish history. I did get lost in some chapters and ultimately lost interest towards the end. But I did love some of the nature descriptions.

[Donal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional insight before planting my own small woodland

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eloquent book of the author's work through the seasons to restore a native woodland in Wicklow. The author's voice is one of love and sensitivity for the natural world.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good, that I want to move to Richard Nairn forest, learn everything about it and then buy some land and plant everything what I can on it, just to get my own badgers and squirrels 🤣❤️