The Dawn Chorus to air this Sunday on RTÉ Radio 1 and lyric fm
Kenneth Fox
Nature lovers, night owls and early risers are invited to experience one of RTÉ’s most unique broadcasts of the year, The Dawn Chorus, marking International Dawn Chorus Day, on Sunday, May 3rd 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 the 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 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.
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 the 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 will 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.
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.
