Happy yet?

So, I took part in the Science Gallery's National Happiness Experiment during the Summer and the results are now in!

The nationwide survey (the first of its kind in Ireland) was conducted by the Science Gallery and researchers from Trinity's School of Psychology and involved the team using text messaging to contact the 3,309 participants and gauge their mood over a six week period.

The results show that:

• The average happiness over the six week period was 6.8 (on a 0-10 scale).

• Being treated fairly was a key factor in how happy we feel.

• There was a strong link between health and happiness. Those who considered themselves to be quite healthy scored significantly higher in terms of happiness and life satisfaction.

• People who felt positive about phone and text use were on average happier and more satisfied.

• The changing weather during the six-week experiment did not affect happiness levels.

• The county we live in does not effect our happiness levels.

The results of the experiment have been published in book form - see here for details. Half of the proceeds for the book goes to St. Vincent de Paul. A wonderful gesture which will make some people very happy this Christmas. Despite this, and given the 'citizen science' nature of the experiment, it's strange that the results don't seem to have been made freely available.

Picture Special: Stalking Deer in Killarney

Alone in Killarney National Park with a solitary powerful red deer stag as day broke on a frosty foggy November morning is a good as it gets for a nature lover and photographer, writes Dan Lettice.

Having located the Stag as the sun came up it took quite a while of slow, careful and very quiet approach to get close enough to get a good shot of him. Using a tree for cover I grabbed my shots before the Stag decided I'd had enough and moved away into nearby forest but not before at I was able to wonder at the sheer size and power of Ireland's largest wild land mammal.

Killarney national parks deer population is thought to be something between 700 and 800 animals. It is made up of lowland and highland animals. The lowland red deer are considered to be made up of two loose populations, one in Knockreer estate and one in Muckross estate. The highland deer population can be found mainly on Torc and Mangerton Mountains.

Red Deer have been present in the Killarney area since the last Ice Age and their survival was greatly aided by their protection in the 19th century in two of the large estates, Kenmare and Muckross estates. There was however a considerable decline in the numbers from 1900 to 1970 when there were possibly less than 100 red deer left in the Killarney area. Thankfully since then the herd population has increased considerably through rigorous protection. The herd in now fully protected by law and high priority is given to protecting its genetic purity.

In late September and early October the rut will begin, the stags will become more aggressive and less tolerant of each other and they can be heard ‘roaring’ as they seek to gather hinds together to form a harem which they will attempt to protect from other stags. When the hinds come into season he will mate with the fittest hinds. Stags can often be seen during this time clashing with each other in competition for the hinds.
Calves are born around June.

Viewing or photographing the deer in Killarney is probably best done around rut time when the stags are most active but care should be taken to avoid coming between a stag and his hinds. Whenever you choose to view these magnificent animals, being in the close presence of a big powerful stag is a wonderful privilege.

Science Gallery: Fota Wildlife Park Picture Special

Ring-tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta) are 'near threatened' in the wild and thought to be the oldest living representatives of all the primates.



Ostrich (Struthio camelus)

European Bison (Bison bonasus) with Fota House in the background.

Red Lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis)

Agile Gibbons (Hylobates agilis) -one of the most acrobatic of all the primates. The animals are endangered in the wild.



A pair of Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus) feeding. These animals are critically endangered in the wild, with small pockets remaining in India.

Harbour Seal  (Phoca vitulina)



Rotschild Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) at Fota Wildlife Park. These animals are endangered in the wild and are the tallest land mammals. The males can reach up to 5.9 m in height.



An illusive Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens) at Fota. A relative of the racoon and also known as the Firefox.



Science Gallery: Wexford Wildfowl Reserve Picture Special

This weekend, Communicate Science visited Co. Wexford and the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve. The reserve is based in the Wexford Slobs - lands reclaimed from the sea in the 1840's, with the building of the sea wall and the pumphouse (pictured). A history of the land reclamation projects in Wexford harbour is available here.

The North Slobs was land reclaimed from mudflats for agricultural purposes. A long dyke was constructed to keep out the sea and the land was kept dry by the pumps housed in the pump house. The traditional use of the land for winter crops and summer grazing is still maintained.


The North Slob lies three metres below sea level so a pumping system is required to remove surplus rainwater into the harbour. In 1850, the pumphouse housed a Watt Steam Pump. This remained in use until the 1940's. In 1912, the building was extended and a Reece Wolverhampton Vane Pump was installed. This pump is still maintained as aback-up pump to this day. It has the potential to pump up to 100 tons of water a minute and is powered by a six-cylinder diesel engine.


In the 1950's this diesel engine was replaced by an electric motor, while the present Primary Electric Pump was installed in the late 1960's and can pump water from the North Slob at a rate of 64 tons per minute.

This reclamation and drainage provides a unique environment for wildlife to flourish and the reserve is supported by an excellent visitor centre (with FREE entry) maintained for the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government by National Parks and Wildlife.

One interesting piece of information (which I picked up in the outstanding visitor centre) was that in 1951, the managing director of Guinness, Sir Hugh Beaver was shooting on the North Slob when he got into a discussion with some companions about whether the Golden Plover was the fastest game bird in Europe. This conversation inspired him to publish the first edition of the Guinness Book of Records which was published in 1955.

There is also an interesting display depicting some important stages in the evolution of dinosaurs to birds.

The North Slob and the adjacent Raven Nature Reserve are also Ireland's only hare sanctuary with up to 200 hares present at any one time.

The Raven Nature Reserve makes up the major part of the sand dune system, at the north side of the entrance to Wexford Harbour and forms the boundary of the North Slobs to the east. The dune system was heavily planted with conifers during the 1930's which means that what was once, botanically, the finest dune system in Ireland is now mostly conifer plantations with small areas of dune remaining. It's still well worth a visit and is a popular spot for walking.

J. Michael Wilson's poem The Raven captures something of the history and the biodiversity of the area:

On Nature's dunes man-planted pines-
Create a bastion to the tides.
High skies greet primroses, orchids, butterflies;
The darkness wakens badgers, owls;
While woddcock rode across the dusk
To the cries of plover, geese and seals-
Music for the toads' shrill evening song.