Listen to the birds sing! Experience mother nature in a seven-hour radio marathon

The Dawn Chorus airs Sunday 3 May from midnight to 7am on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ lyric fm

Nature lovers, night owls, early risers and curious minds are invited to experience one of RTÉ’s most evocative broadcasts of the year, The Dawn Chorus, marking International Dawn Chorus Day, on Sunday 3 May 2026.

From midnight to 7am, RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ lyric fm join this global moment, offering seven uninterrupted hours of live birdsong, observation, insight and music, capturing the instant Ireland stirs and daylight gently takes hold.

At the heart of this much‑loved tradition is Mooney Goes Wild, RTÉ Radio 1’s long‑running nature programme. For more than 30 years, Derek Mooney and a team of naturalists have deepened our understanding of the natural world. Through vivid storytelling, live field reporting and conversations with leading experts, the programme has brought the science of ecology, conservation and biodiversity to life, helping listeners not only to hear nature, but to understand it.

The live broadcast of the Dawn Chorus is the clearest expression of that mission. What began as a bold radio experiment has grown into one of the most distinctive broadcasts in Irish radio, a shared experience connecting listeners across Ireland and around the world through the voices of nature at daybreak.

Once again, the broadcast will centre on Cuskinny Marsh Nature Reserve, BirdWatch Ireland’s reserve on Great Island in Cork Harbour. As the sky brightens, ornithologists Jim Wilson and Niall Hatch will follow the unfolding dawn in real time, identifying species as they join the chorus and explaining what their calls reveal about the season, local habitats and the wider environment.

From RTÉ’s Dublin studios, Derek Mooney will guide listeners through the night and into morning, weaving together live reports, audience contributions and expert interpretation. Elsewhere, long‑time collaborators Richard Collins, Éanna Ní Lamhna, Eric Dempsey and Terry Flanagan will connect from woodlands, wetlands, gardens and coastlines across the country, capturing local dawn soundscapes as each place wakes in its own way.

RTÉ lyric fm presenters Aedín Gormley, Lorcan Murray, Peter Curtin and Ellen Cranitch introduce a musical dimension to the broadcast, exploring how composers and songwriters, across eras and genres, have drawn inspiration from birds and the natural world. When RTÉ lyric fm first began broadcasting in 1999, birdsong accompanied those early test broadcasts, a fitting echo of the station’s enduring connection to sound, nature and the dawn.

Listeners are once again invited to take part by sharing their own dawn chorus recordings via WhatsApp, whether from a city street, a suburban garden, a local park or open countryside.

The programme will also feature recordings from the East Coast Nature Reserve in County Wicklow, and Lohja, beside Lake Hiidenvesi, in Finland, in collaboration with Finnish broadcasting partners, Yle.

Tara Campbell, Head of RTÉ Radio 1, said, “The Dawn Chorus is always a highlight of the year on RTÉ Radio 1 when we devote seven uninterrupted hours to the wonder of nature. Derek Mooney and his reporters and contributors bring knowledge, colour and energy to what is a truly unique listening experience.”

Derek Mooney, presenter of The Dawn Chorus, commented, “People always ask me about The Dawn Chorus and whether it’s only for experts, it’s not – it’s for everyone. It’s a listening experience. It’s not an exercise in bird indentification! It’s something I look forward to every year. I invite everyone to stop, listen and enjoy the birds!”

So set the alarm, open a window, step outside if you can, and listen as the country, and the world, comes to life. Join us on RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ lyric fm and the RTÉ Radio Player app, from midnight to 7am, Sunday 3 May 2026, for a morning of wonder, connection and natural harmony.

The Dawn Chorus airs Sunday 3 May from midnight to 7am on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ lyric fm.

Interviews with Derek Mooney and contributors are available on request.

-ENDS-  

Audrey Donohue, RTÉ Communications Lead