Wild Waters

Book excerpt: 'I often sit by the bank of the small river that flows through our farm in County Wicklow, fascinated by its many moods ... Getting to know a river is like reading the story of a person's life ... from its young energetic stages in the hills to the slower-moving mature river, through to the tranquil water of lakes and finally to its resting place in the sea.' Richard Nairn is an ecologist who has been visiting waterways around Ireland for over half a century, fascinated by how they sustain and enrich our lives. Here he sets out on a year-long adventure to explore every stretch and tributary of the Avonmore River, which runs through Co. Wicklow. From source to sea, he immerses himself in the wildlife, archaeology, history and people connected to the river. Travelling to explore more of Ireland's rivers, lakes, wet woodlands, ponds and canals, Richard details encounters with dragonflies, crayfish, otters and great flocks of migratory waterbirds, and finds himself awestruck by the sense of a lost wilderness they convey. With our waterways now under serious threat, this is a love letter to Ireland's rivers and lakes, and a reminder of what we stand to lose. 'Opens the window into a watery world. Personal yet panoramic.' Colin Stafford-Johnson, filmmaker.