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Seán Ronayne always knew he was different. Nicknamed 'nature boy' by the other kids, as a child he struggled to fit in and regularly escaped to the woods and coastlines around his home in Cork. The natural world was his happy place and where he discovered his true passion – identifying and understanding birds through their sound and song. A passion that would save him in the weeks and months following a near-death experience in his late teens. Even in the darkest times, nature became his guiding light.
As Seán found his path working as an ornithologist, he began to see how, by highlighting the wonder and beauty of the natural world, he could draw attention to the danger it currently faces. And, at the age of thirty-two, Seán received an autism diagnosis and his life finally started to make sense.
Here, Seán takes us on his journey. From his adventures in the Sahara Desert, the jungles of Nepal and the streets of Thailand, to discovering the night sounds of Catalunya, and his mission to sound record all the regularly occurring bird species in Ireland, Nature Boy is an inspiring story of love, connection and the healing power of nature.
Seán Ronayne is a Cork-born ornithologist and naturalist who has spent a life immersed in nature. Following a childhood spent exploring the fields and woods of his hometown, Sean 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 enroll in a Master's in Ecological Impact Assessment, specialising in ornithology.
He secured his first professional ornithologist 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. And following their return to Ireland in 2020, he embarked on his project to sound-record all of Ireland's regularly occurring birds, bringing him all over the country in search of rare and elusive species, some of which were on the cusp of extinction. 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 Sean'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.
Sean lives near Cobh, County Cork, with Alba and their dog Toby. Nature Boy is his first book.
"Seán's sensitivity to the natural world captivates the reader, allowing all of us approach closer and appreciate more the sublime beauty of what surrounds us"
– Manchán Magan
"A stunning testament to the wonders of nature"
– Pádraic Fogarty
"Seán is perhaps the greatest and most eloquent champion for Irish nature I have come across. Powerful, impassioned and deeply moving, please read this book, now!"
– Niall Hatch, BirdWatch Ireland
"With disarming honesty, eloquence and humour, Seán Ronayne recounts how he took possession of a childhood taunt and made it his adult mission"
– Magnus Robb
"Seán is a man who reveals wonder from within the ordinary"
– Ken O'Sullivan
"A gorgeously personal, and deeply moving, account of living a life fully immersed in the fantastic wonderland that is nature. Sublime"
– Eoghan Daltun
"Informative, inspiring and insightful, this book is a heartfelt and enthralling personal journey of a life ensconced in nature"
– Anja Murray
