Birds, bugs, bogs, botany and biodiversity: some clergymen naturalists associated with Ireland

Clergymen naturalists have made a significant contribution to nature in Ireland and some, such as Edward Allworthy Armstrong (1900-1978) and John Joseph Moore SJ (b.1927), are international figures. Their work, largely carried out in the field, was done mainly in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries and, although some were professionals, for the majority it was leisure time activity. While most of them were Protestants, some Roman Catholic clergymen have played a part in the more recent environmental movement. The majority were botanists but ornithology and entomology were also important pursuits. The present account focusses on those three disciplines, each with biobibliographical notes, and it serves as an introduction to the subject. There is also a section on biodiversity, conservation and environment, but geology has been excluded.