Celebrated award winning ornithologist set for Laois

A TALK relating to the fascinating findings of one of Ireland’s most celebrated Ornithologists is taking place in the Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise on Friday 5 September.

Seán Ronayne also known as ‘Nature Boy’ is a wildlife sound-recordist, award-winning author and environmental activist. He has spent a life immersed in nature and embarking on a mission to document the vocalisations of every Irish bird species. He has now just three species left to record, out of almost 200.

He has also amassed a collection of over 12,000 recordings of Irish birds and other wildlife and is bringing his extraordinary findings – ‘A Journey of Birdsong and Belonging’ – to Portlaoise.

His journeys has taken him to some of the island’s most breathtaking and remote landscapes, in search of its rarest and most elusive voices.

Often accompanied by his partner, Alba, Seán has recorded in the bustling seabird colony of Skellig Michael, a pristine woodland in the Burren, the corncrake stronghold of Tory Island, and the lonely uplands of Donegal. Each destination holds a story—not just of birds, but of belonging, biodiversity, and beauty.

In the sound-rich, illustrative talk in the Dunamaise Arts Centre, Seán invites audiences to experience Irish birdlife in a profoundly moving and unique way. Blending field recordings with personal stories, he sheds light on his own hypersensitivity to sound—an aspect of his life that has brought both deep challenges and unexpected gifts.

At once inspiring and cautionary, Seán’s journey illustrates the fragile brilliance of Ireland’s natural soundscape, and the powerful ways in which listening can connect us to the world, and to ourselves.

The show starts at 7pm. Tickets are priced at €18/€16 each and available by phoning the Dunamaise Arts Centre Box Office at 057 866 3355 or by logging onto www.dunamaise.ie