Celebrate the 2025 Dawn Chorus this weekend
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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Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Clodagh Finn: It's not the Hunger Games, it's not Miss America — it's our weird, beloved Rose of Tralee
I can already feel the dread rise up in me as the clock ticks down to another Rose of Tralee festival. How, in this millennium, can we still have a Lovely Girls contest, to use one of the kinder terms adopted by the sneery naysayers? Sometimes I wonder that myself, but then the Tralee native in me takes over. Rose of Tralee? Bring it on, she says, along with the buzz, the spotlight (so rare for Kerry's county town) and the crowds, sadly also rare even at the height of the tourist season. It is hard to envisage now but, in the festival's heyday, the town filled with so many people that you had to elbow your way through the streets. It was Mardi Gras, Kerry-style. Or that is how it felt to grow up in a place which, for one week in late August, pulsed with people, music, food and glorious spectacle. The street festival — varied and boisterous — and the Rose competition in the big tent — controlled and curated — seemed worlds apart, but one kept a curious eye on the other. On selection night, news of the crowned Rose filtered down on to the heaving streets before fireworks burst into the autumn sky. The festival was held later then and it delayed our return to school by a week — another reason to love it — but one year we were back in time to welcome the winning Rose. There was a surge as we rushed out of the science lab, without a hint of irony, to greet (or maybe scrutinise, we were teenage girls after all) this young woman who was only a few years older than ourselves. She was down-to-earth and smiling. She wore a sash with the words 'Rose of Tralee' emblazoned on it — there was no sashay — yet it felt like the kiss of celebrity. And success. And it had all played out on television in our local town. It was reality TV before we had a name for it. You could say the organisers of the Rose of Tralee festival were early adopters of a trend that would develop with such force later Miss America was first televised in 1954, attracting a staggering 27m viewers. A little more than a decade later, in 1967, a small festival in a small town in Ireland followed suit. What is staggering is that it is still doing so, and that it is such a hit with viewers. Here are the stats, courtesy of RTÉ: 'Across the two days of the festival, an average audience of 412,900 tuned in on RTÉ One. The show also had a 1-minute reach of over 1.3m across both nights.' By way of contrast, last year the Miss America Pageant was streamed 1.2m times on YouTube. RTÉ presenters Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas will host the Rose of Tralee competition. Picture: Andres Poveda I'm not equating one with the other, just making the point that the Rose of Tralee Festival has shown an uncanny knack of tapping into the endless appetite for televised competition. Far from being outdated — 60% of last year's viewers were between 15 and 34 — it appears to be scarily on trend. It's not Squid Game: the Challenge — there isn't enough prize-money for one thing — and it's certainly not the Hunger Games, but the enduring popularity of the Rose of Tralee Festival, the TV show, seems linked to the collective drive to turn everything into a contest. There was a time when a game show and a cookery show were entirely distinct, but the edges started to blur and then the 'win, win, win' theme of the game show seeped into everything else — gardening, baking, painting, pottery-throwing, design, dancing. Pick a human activity and you will find a TV show pitting practitioner against practitioner on a channel somewhere. Why does everything have to be a competition these days? In some ways, the hobby or activity contests are at the benign end of the scale. They judge what a person can do rather than the person themselves. Having said that, The Apprentice, which purports to evaluate the business skills of its participants, is a study in ritual humiliation. I have heard it well-described as a 'theatre of cruelty'. And it has given the world Donald Trump, a man who has turned world politics into a kind of dystopian reality TV show. Next to all of that, the Rose of Tralee is a breath of fresh air. It's certainly a competition, but you can't really describe it as a beauty contest. The organisers have wisely put the emphasis on connecting the global Irish diaspora. This week co-host Dáithí Ó Sé framed it like this: 'It's such a celebration of Irishness and Irish women, and really pinpoints what women are doing at this particular time. In the 1970s, you would have had teachers and nurses, and today you're talking about engineers, doctors and mechanics. That is what I love about it.' He has a point. This year's Laois Rose, Katelyn Cummins, is a dairy farmer and an apprentice electrician. She has already used her selection to encourage other young women to consider a trade as a career option Also, to the critics and the detractors, here's what she said when she was chosen to represent Laois: 'The whole experience has been amazing. I've met so many lovely girls. I've made friends for life for definite. And now I can't wait to make even more memories and friends in Tralee.' Post-festival, many of the Roses tell interviewers that they have had the time of their lives. And, as far as we know, they were willing and happy participants. Since 2021, the festival has been open to married women, trans women and it upped the age limit to the ripe old age of 29 to be more 'inclusive'. It also recruited a female co-host Kathryn Thomas. Why then, does it still rankle? And it does. In March 2022, for example, the audience in a packed Vicar Street in Dublin laughed riotously when comedians Deborah Frances-White and Kemah Bob took out their carving knives to tear the Rose of Tralee to sorry shreds? By a surreal twist of fate, they did that routine just before turning to me. I found myself in their elevated — and very funny company — because I had been invited with the then Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland to talk about Her Keys to the City, a joyous project that celebrated 80 of the capital's overlooked women. But just before I began to talk about the strong, independent, forgotten women who shaped Dublin, I had to own up, rather sheepishly, to being from Tralee. The place collapsed with laughter. And then, as now, I did my usual uneasy August dance, drawing inspiration from Deborah Frances-White, aka The Guilty Feminist, herself. As she says, her show and podcast provide a forum to discuss our noble goals as 21st-century feminists but, also, the hypocrisies and insecurities that undermine them. She gives this example: 'I'm a feminist but … one time I went on a women's rights march, and I popped into a department store to use the loo, and I got distracted trying out face cream. And when I came out the march was gone.' And here's what I say every time the Rose of Tralee Festival comes around: 'I'm a feminist but … I won't be saying zip about the procession of dresses, the party pieces and the patronising patter. They all say they enjoy it. And Tralee needs them. Can you please, just this once, let us have this overdue, if imperfect, fleeting moment in the sun.'
Irish Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kayleigh Trappe says doing Dancing with the Stars helped her 'battle her demons'
Social media star Kayleigh Trappe has said taking part in RTÉ's Dancing With The Stars helped her "battle her demons" and helped her mental health. The Monaghan native previously opened up about battling with her confidence when she was younger. But Kayleigh said taking part in the show earlier this year helped her mental health, crediting her dance partner Irvinas Merfeldas. She told the Irish Mirror: "I think growing up, I would have struggled with that (confidence) a lot. I thought I had dealt with all my demons but when you're on a show like that, even one of the things Irvinas was quick to point out was the mirrors. "So in the studio, you're surrounded by mirrors the whole time. And he said, 'this makes you uncomfortable at the beginning', I was like, 'it does'. And he was like, 'why?' Kayleigh Trappe, Friday's Most Stylish Celebrity Judge, Comedian and Presenter with Katie Young, enjoying the thirteenth year of Athlone Towncentre's Fridays Most Stylish at the Galway Races (Image: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy) "And I just didn't understand why. But by the end, he was like, stop looking in the mirror," she said, laughing. "It's just funny, the little things that come out of you and obviously you're on television. On my first day, I was wearing a pink tutu and pink in my hair. "But again, I wear wigs for a living, so I just wanted to embrace every bit of it. I told them to throw me in anything. And I was just glad that I was comfortable with it all. "In the end, it came out of it a lot happier, like up above mentally as well." She admitted when the show ended, she felt like somebody had "died". "Obviously, when the show ended, it was like someone had died. If you need me, I'm in bed crying because it was just such a big part of my life. "But luckily, days like today, getting to judge Friday's Most Stylish is fantastic. "Working at different bits and bobs, television as well. There's plenty of bits like that coming up, so there's no stopping it anyway, hopefully, unless I cancel myself in the morning." Kayleigh was speaking to us ahead of her judging duties at Friday's Most Stylish at the Galway Races, where Clodagh Cosgrove was crowned the winner in a competition sponsored by Athlone Towncentre. The 36-year-old scooped a luxury shop and stay break, winning €2,500 to spend at Athlone Towncentre, as well as a luxury two-night stay in the four-star Sheraton Athlone Hotel and a €500 voucher for Fields jewellery. The Athlone native impressed the judges with her purple dress with orange flowers, which was preloved that she wore to a wedding. Her shoes were from Zara from a few years ago and her handbag was from Depop. She completed her race-going outfit with a purple head piece that she got from Depop that only arrived on Friday morning. Clodagh Cosgrove from Athlone, Co Westmeath was the winner of Athlone Towncentre Friday's Most Stylish Lady at the Galway Races (Image: Hany Marzouk) Clodagh, who works in finance in Dublin, said: "I am so shocked. I haven't been to the races in years. I went all out for today. I've never won at the races before. I am really shocked. It's amazing style here. I really am speechless." Clodagh is also mam to four-year-old Emily and two-year-old George. One of the key reasons Clodagh was chosen as winner of Friday's Most Stylish was due to the way she created a wholly individual look, incorporating pieces from high street stores. Kayleigh said: "I definitely love colour. I love creativity. I love a story behind it, especially with the sustainability outfit in mind. "This is my second time here at the Galway Races. There's something for everybody. I wouldn't have a breeze about betting but I love the style element of it." Wearing a top from Aoife McNamara, she matched her outfit with a skirt that's three years old from a boutique in Westport called The Dressing Room. She matched her outfit with a hat from Sinead B Millinery. Kayleigh said: "I was very conscious of trying to keep it sustainable and re-wear a few things." Marietta Doran, Shirley Delahunt, Athlone Towncentre and Kayleigh Trappe (Image: ©INPHO/Tom OHanlon) Thousands of fashionable punters arrived at the Ballybrit racecourse for Friday's Most Stylish. Talking about Friday's Festival meet, Michael Moloney, CEO of Galway Racecourse, said "the Friday of our seven-day Festival has grown from strength to strength". "Style competitions at Galway Racecourse such as Friday's Most Stylish sponsored by Athlone Towncentre add to the excitement and enjoyment of the day. Advance ticket sales were very strong again this year, proving its huge appeal and popularity.' Athlone Towncentre Manager Shirley Delahunt says "we are thrilled to see another deserving winner of this year's 'Friday's Most Stylish' competition". "The decision of choosing a winner proved to be highly challenging with so many beautiful looks worn by women enjoying this evening's cacing in Galway. "Clodagh has demonstrated that racing style is more about reflecting one's individual personality and love of style as opposed to spending an exorbitant amount of money on clothing one cannot wear more than a handful of times. "Friday evening of race week is a highlight in the calendars of stylish race goers from far and wide. "We have seen a real evolution of style at the races over the last number of years which perfectly complements the high street stores and boutiques we house in Athlone Towncentre.' For more of the latest breaking news from the Irish Mirror check out our homepage by clicking here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Irish Times
15 hours ago
- Irish Times
Seán Rocks to be laid to rest following Mass in his native Monaghan town
Broadcaster and actor Seán Rocks will be laid to rest at a cemetery in his native Monaghan town following a requiem Mass at St Macartan's Cathedral on Monday morning. Mr Rocks, who presented the arts programme Arena on RTÉ Radio 1, died at St Vincent's University Hospital on Wednesday following a short illness. The 64-year-old, who lived in Dundrum in Dublin, had been on air the previous Friday. In a notice on his family offered their thanks to the staff at the ICU in St Vincent's for the 'excellent and devoted care' they gave Seán. They also expressed their appreciation for the kindness extended to them by staff on-site at a very difficult time. Mr Rocks will be deeply missed by his beloved Catherine, sons Christian and Morgan, his brothers and sisters Pádraig, Siobhán, Ciarán (Luisa), Gráinne (Kevin), his niece Hannah, his nephew Matthew, extended family, friends, work colleagues and his many listeners. Mr Rocks was predeceased by his parents Paddy and Philly and his brother Eamon, who died in infancy. READ MORE He will lie in repose at Clerkin's funeral home, Milltown, Monaghan, on Saturday and Sunday from 3pm until 6pm. The funeral procession will arrive to St Macartan's Cathedral on Monday for 11am Mass with burial following in the adjoining cemetery. The Mass will be live streamed.
