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.

Biography
Seán Ronayne is a Cork-born ornithologist, wildlife sound-recordist, author, and environmental activist who has spent a life immersed in nature. Following a childhood spent exploring the fields and woods of his hometown, Seán went on to study Zoology at University College Cork (UCC), as well as a Master’s in Marine Biology, also at UCC.

After graduating, he worked at a seabird sanctuary in the UK, and then returned to Ireland to enrol in a Master’s in Ecological Impact Assessment, specialising in ornithology. He secured his first professional ornithology job in 2017, and in 2018 he moved to Barcelona with his partner Alba, a Catalan native, where he began recording birds and wildlife in earnest.

Upon returning to Ireland in 2021, he embarked on a mission to document the vocalisations of every Irish bird species, a daunting task revealing the precarious state of Irish ecology. With 63% of its birds at risk of extinction and minimal native woodland, Seán utilises his recordings and narratives to advocate for nature’s preservation, sharing the beauty and urgency of Irish biodiversity. He has now just three species left to record, out of almost 200, and has amassed a collection of over 12,000 recordings of Irish birds and other wildlife.

In spring 2024, Birdsong, a documentary about Seán’s recording project, was released to great acclaim. Birdsong is directed by Kathleen Harris and produced by Ross Whitaker and Aideen O’Sullivan for True Films. Seán has also made appearances on several shows, including The Tommy Tiernan Show, The Blindboy Podcast, and A Note for Nature. He is currently working on a number of media projects.

He released two digital albums of long-form Irish wildlife recordings on BandCamp in 2024; Wild Silence, and Hope, reaching the best-selling charts for a number of weeks.

His first book Nature Boy, won Irish Biography of the Year (2024), and was also shortlisted for overall Irish Book of the Year (2024). He is currently writing his second book.

Seán lives near Cobh, County Cork, with Alba, their daughter Laia, and their dog Toby.

@irishwildlifesounds (Instagram)

Main image: Tristan Hutchinson