Celebrate the 2025 Dawn Chorus this weekend
Set your alarm, open a window, and experience the world as it wakes this Sunday, 4 May.
From midnight to 7am, RTÉ will be hosting one of the most enchanting and educational broadcasts of the year: RTÉ's live Dawn Chorus.
Perfect for nature lovers, early risers, and curious minds, International Dawn Chorus Day will be celebrated through seven hours of uninterrupted birdsong, insights, and music on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ lyric fm.
At the heart of this beloved broadcast is Mooney Goes Wild, RTÉ's long-running nature series that has, for three decades, deepened our national appreciation of the natural world.
What began as a creative radio experiment has evolved into Ireland's most ambitious and unique celebration of the natural world—a shared experience that links listeners across the country (and the globe) through the voices of birds at daybreak.
Led by presenter Derek Mooney, this year's broadcast will once again centre on BirdWatch Ireland's Cuskinny Marsh Nature Reserve in Cobh, Co Cork, where presenters Jim Wilson and Niall Hatch will describe the dawn's unfolding in real time.
Mooney will host from RTÉ's Dublin studios, guiding us through this auditory journey as birds begin to stir and sing with the rising sun.
Meanwhile, long-time contributors Richard Collins, Éanna Ní Lamhna, Eric Dempsey, and Terry Flanagan will beam in from locations across Ireland, capturing local choruses and offering expert commentary on the voices of nature as they emerge.
As the first birds warm up around 4am, RTÉ lyric fm adds a musical dimension to the morning's soundscape:
Aedín Gormley (Aedín in the Afternoon) delves into the music library to reflect on how composers and songwriters have been inspired by birds and bird song.
Lorcan Murray (Lorcan Murray's Classic Drive) brings bird-themed compositions, reflecting his deep appreciation of the links between music and the natural world.
Áine Gallagher contributes a meditative set inspired by his Ambient Orbit series, fusing birdsong and ambient textures for a period of sonic calm.
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