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Nature Boy: A Journey of Birdsong & Belonging

with Seán Ronayne

Thurs 29 May, 2025,
8pm
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Duration: 90 minutes (plus 15min interval)

Date Thurs 29 May, 2025, 8pm
Location Hawk's Well Theatre
Price €15 (plus booking fees)
Seán Ronayne at the beach

How do we protect something we do not love or understand?

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.

“Seán Ronayne’s all-consuming quest has made him an unlikely celebrity, and his passion for nature is raising awareness about the seriousness of Ireland’s ecological crisis.” - Sean O’Hagan, The Guardian

“Ornithologist Seán Ronayne has become somewhat of a national treasure over the past year, via a memorable Tommy Tiernan Show interview followed by the remarkable RTÉ documentary Birdsong.” - RTE Culture

“Seán is perhaps the greatest and most eloquent champion for Irish nature I have come across.” - Niall Hatch, Birdwatch Ireland


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