Seán Ronayne
Seán Ronayne | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1988 (age 36–37) Cobh |
| Occupation | ornithologist, writer |
| Notable works | Nature Boy: A Journey of Birdsong and Belonging (2024) |
Seán Ronayne (born 1988) is an Irish ornithologist and writer from Cobh, County Cork.[1] His autobiography, Nature Boy: A Journey of Birdsong and Belonging, won the 'biography of the year' award at the 2024 Irish Book Awards.
Biography
[edit]Ronayne was born in 1988 in Cobh, County Cork.[1] He was fascinated by birds from a young age and, after his secondary education at Coláiste Muire in Cobh, he studied zoology at University College Cork (UCC). He obtained masters' degrees in marine biology and Ecological Impact Assessment from UCC.[1]
He is especially fascinated by bird vocalization, and set himself a goal to record the sounds of all circa 200 bird species of Ireland.[2][3][4][5][6] He published two albums with bird songs, and donates a quarter of the proceeds to BirdWatch Ireland.The first album, Wild Silence, was released in May 2024,[7] and a second album, Hope, was published in October 2024.[8]
A 52-minute documentary film about Ronayne, Birdsong, was released in 2024.[9][10][11]
With his 2024 autobiography, Nature Boy: A Journey of Birdsong and Belonging,[12] Ronayne won an Irish Book Award in the 'biography' category in 2024.[13][14] In the book, he wrote about birds, ornithology and his life with autism and ADHD.[1]
Ronayne has lectured about birds and ecology in Ireland.[15][16][17][18]
Personal life
[edit]Ronayne lived in Barcelona with his Catalan partner from 2018 till 2020. They moved to Ireland in 2020,[19][20] and their daughter was born in Dublin in 2024.[21]
Bibliography
[edit]| Year | Title | Publisher | ISBN | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Nature Boy: A Journey of Birdsong and Belonging | Hachette Books Ireland | ISBN 9781399738156 | Irish Book Award 2024 in the category 'Biography' |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Leonard, Sue (2024-11-16). "Beginner's pluck: Ornithologist and environmental communicator Seán Ronayne". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ O'Hagan, Sean (2024-02-18). "'Total immersive obsession': meet the man on a mission to record every bird in Ireland". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2024-02-19. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ White, Hilary (2024-10-15). "Seán Ronayne: 'I remember my mam saying: "Seán, you're too young to die. Don't give up, fight it"'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ Ronayne, Seán (2024-10-16). "Seán Ronayne: Don't let birds battle their way here to find an empty larder". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 2024-12-24. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ Mullally, Una. "Seán Ronayne: 'I never had dreams of making lots of money ... I knew what made me happy, and that was nature'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2024-05-18. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ Lawrance, Thomas (2024-05-26). "Cork's Birdsong man and partner announce pregnancy as doc airs on RTÉ". Cork Beo. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ "Wild Silence, by Seán Ronayne". Irish Wildlife Sounds. Retrieved 2024-12-24 – via BandCamp.
- ^ "Hope, by Seán Ronayne". Irish Wildlife Sounds. Retrieved 2024-12-24 – via BandCamp.
- ^ "Birdsong". Birdsong. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ Stelling, Tamar (2024-12-20). "Kijken: man zoekt tjielp". De Correspondent. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ Gallacher, Alex (2024-07-04). "A Reflection on Field Recordings and Nature Boy Seán Ronayne's 'Wild Silence'". KLOF Mag. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ McGarrigle, N.J. (2024-10-11). "Nature Boy by Seán Ronayne: A refreshingly open account of autism, difference and finding peace in nature". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2024-10-11. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ Ryan, Niamh Aine (2024-12-18). "Two local authors in mix for Irish book of the year". Cork Independent. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ "Nature Boy: A journey of birdsong and belonging". Irish Book Awards. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ Mythen-Lynch, Katie (2024-01-25). "His Cobh talk is booked out, so bird whisperer Seán Ronayne has announced a city event". Yay Cork. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ "Celebration of Ballyhoura's Biodiversity with Seán Ronayne of Irish Wildlife Sounds". Ballyhoura Development CLG. 2024-05-08. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ "Seán Ronayne". The Conference. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ "Climate Writing Session with Kerri ní Dochartaigh, Seán Ronayne and Parents For Future UK". Irish Writers Centre. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ Sheridan, Colette (2024-10-25). "Cobh 'Nature Boy' is loving life as book sends message of hope". echo live. Archived from the original on 2024-12-24. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ Fitton, Daire (2024-07-29). "'Birdsong' creator Seán Ronayne teams up with Cork charity to rescue baby bird". Cork Beo. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
- ^ Ronayne, Seán (2024-11-02). "Do we have enough safe hands to save Irish nature?". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 2024-11-03. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
External links
[edit]- "The Sparrow Developed A Cork Accent! - Seán Ronayne On The Beauty & Intelligence Of Birds". Cork's 96fm Opinion Line. 2024-05-20. Retrieved 2024-12-24. (Episode of the podcast Cork's 96fm Opinion Line, May 2024)
- "Irish Wildlife Sounds and the Race to Record Ireland's Birds". Bandcamp Daily. 2024-06-14. Retrieved 2024-12-24. (Interview on Bandcamp Daily, June 2024)
- "Ornithologist Seán Ronayne on his new book Nature Boy". The Pat Kenny Show Highlights. 2024-11-07 – via Spotify. (Episode of the podcast The Pat Kenny Show, November 2024)