Barry O’Donoghue hails from just outside Tralee, is a mountain man from the Stack’s Mountains and grew up there farming with his family. There, he still manages an area of semi-natural grassland, scrub and a rare example of ancient native woodland for nature. Barry holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in agriculture and environmental science and a PhD on Hen Harriers, a species with whom Barry’s name has become synonymous in Ireland and internationally. Barry works as a Grade 1 Wildlife Inspector with the National Parks & Wildlife Service, with remit among other things for agriculture. There he leads on a number of streams of research and policy. Barry has been central in establishing various conservation programmes including Corncrake LIFE, the Hen Harrier Project, the Curlew Conservation Programme and more recently a new €30m project aimed at Breeding Waders. Barry has a deep interest in landowners and communities, particularly in isolated, rural areas seeing them as a central part of future efforts for the protection of nature, water, soil and heritage, in all its forms.