S6E1: Birdsong with Seán Ronayne

To kick off season 6 Daithí is joined by ornithologist and wildlife sound recordist Seán Ronayne, otherwise known as ‘Nature Boy’. Seán is an award-winning author for his memoir ‘Nature Boy’ and is well known for his mission to record the calls of every regularly occurring species of bird in Ireland, as captured in the RTÉ documentary ‘Birdsong’.

Seán reflects on his lifelong affinity with wildlife recounting how his relationship with nature played a pivotal role in his youth both providing him with a calming safe space as well as positioning himself as different from his peers at school.

We gain insight into how Seán adapted to lockdown measures during the pandemic by bringing nature to him through his recordings and how he feels his autism diagnosis is linked to his work. We also explore how bird habitats and species are affected by climate change and human interference and how the work done by people like Seán can be effective in reaching people and inspiring conversation about climate change.  

Thanks very much to Emma Sheridan for support with research, design and promotion.