Ireland is a land replete with amazing natural wonders, but we live in an age when our native wildlife is under threat like never before. Centuries of hunting and habitat loss have wiped out some of Ireland’ s most iconic creatures, from the once-feared grey wolf to the flightless great auk – Ireland’ s very own ‘ penguin’ . In The Living and the Dead, bestselling wildlife writer Conor W. O’ Brien journeys across the island in the footsteps of some of our extinct species, from the enormous right whale to the minuscule mountain ringlet butterfly. He reveals the remarkable stories behind their loss and the vital lessons they impart for today’ s conservationists. We also learn how, across the country, passionate people are fighting to protect critically endangered species and reintroduce those once lost. Ireland’ s conservation triumphs, including the return of the common crane and the great spotted woodpecker, are celebrated in these pages. Such comebacks offer a vision of a return to a wilder Ireland, where magnificent white-tailed eagles soar once more.