Nature Boy with Séan Ronayne

Nature Boy

Ornithologist Seán Ronayne from Cobh, Co. Cork is on a mission to record the sound of every bird species in Ireland – that’s nearly 200 birds. Often joined by his partner Alba, he travels to some of the country’s most beautiful and remote locations to capture its most elusive species and soundscapes: the busy seabird colony of Skellig Michael; a native woodland free from road noise in the Burren; the corncrake stronghold of Tory Island; a solitary nest in the Donegal uplands.

 In this sound-packed, illustrative talk, Seán will bring you on a beautiful journey through Irish birds, sharing their sounds, stories and struggles. Along the way we get to know Seán, whose hypersensitivity to sound has proven both a struggle and a strength. At once inspiring and cautionary, Seán’s journey illustrates the beauty and importance of sound, and what listening can tell us about the state of our natural world, and how it can also heal and nourish the soul.

 Expect laughter, expect tears, and expect the unexpected. Not to be missed – you will never look at the world around you in the same way again.

What Ronayne calls his “total immersive obsession” with birds and their songs has made him Ireland’s best known ornithologist and a passionate advocate for biodiversity and ecological awareness. After a recent appearance on a popular Irish TV chatshow hosted by the comedian Tommy Tiernan, which went viral on social media, he has also become an unlikely and somewhat reluctant celebrity. “I’m essentially a shy person, so it was a bit stressful,” he says of the experience, “and I honestly never expected the huge public reaction, but it was great to be able to promote the subject I care about the most.”

Click to view

https://www.rte.ie/video/id/11394/