Derek Mooney

Derek Mooney is an Irish radio and television personality as well as a highly respected radio producer.

Mooney is one of Ireland's best-known television personalities and is one of Ireland's most prolific broadcasters in the area of natural history. He has presented Habitats, The Nature Line, Nature Trails and Mooney Goes Wild On One, all for RTÉ Radio 1. The latter programme won first Prize at the Prix Europa Radio and TV Awards in October 2000 for a unique program about nesting Jackdaws called Jackie and Daw with Vincent Hyland. The following month Mooney won a second award - the ESB Millennium Environment Award - for the best item during the year on the environment in print, radio or television. His television shows on the natural history world include Wildtrack on RTÉ and Nature Detectives for the BBC.

His other television credits include being a co-presenter of RTÉ children's television shows Echo Island and TX. Following the retirement of Mike Murphy in 2002 he became the presenter of the hugely popular Winning Streak, a Saturday night game show but has now been temporarily replaced by Laura Woods while he presents You're A Star. In addition to all of this Mooney has also presented and produced RTÉ's Liveline, and some religious and daily magazine programmes.

Mooney once said: "Just because I present a TV show doesn't mean I am public property. "I do my job but at the end of the day I like to go home and just close my door. That's why I don't go into my private life, I never have."