The Seán Chorus

In this episode, Seán recalls his beginnings and how a Catalan woman walked into a Cork city bar and changed the trajectory of his life forever.Interwoven with more sound recordings, Seán details his move to Catalonia, including encounters with roe deer, flamingos recorded over Barcelona's skyscrapers, screaming neighbours and amateur trumpetersThis is a HeadStuff podcast produced by Hilary Barry and Dan Wilcox. Original artwork is by Matt Mahon.

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This episode is a celebration of autumn bird migration — the great movements of birds that arrive on Irish shores each year from Scandinavia, Siberia, and beyond.

With field recordings of yellow-browed warblers, redwings, fieldfares, ring ouzels, and mixed flocks of chaffinches, goldfinches, bramblings, redpolls and siskins visibly migrating over East Cork. Plus the nasal calls of bramblings arriving off the sea in West Cork, the high-pitched trill of waxwings, the roding displays of woodcock, short-eared owls calling after their sea crossing, and the distinctive chuwit of a spotted redshank in Ballycotton.

As mentioned in the episode, please check out the "YouTube of Birdsong" website https://xeno-canto.org/

This is a HeadStuff podcast produced by Hilary Barry and Dan Wilcox. Original artwork is by Matt Mahon.
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Originally recorded Summer 2026

This very special episode is an immersive field audio essay, recorded live in two of Sean's favourite local spots in East Cork — a rewilding quarry he has known since childhood and the Knockadoon peninsula.

With on-site recordings of sand martins, stock doves, blackcaps, chiffchaffs and swallows, a remarkable discovery of breeding tufted ducks, the tumbling displays of rock and meadow pipits, herring gulls overhead, by-the-wind sailors washed ashore, and the tell-tale droppings of coastal otters.

The episode ends with the sound of waves on a rocky shoreline — a moment to simply listen.

This is a HeadStuff podcast produced by Hilary Barry and Dan Wilcox. Original artwork is by Matt Mahon.
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Originally recorded June 2026

This episode of The Sean Chorus podcast is an immersive celebration of the sounds of the Irish summer, from birdsong and buzzing insects to coastal wildlife.

With more recordings from Ireland and beyond, including owls, wrens, golden orioles, guillemots, a minke whale and the rare Roussel’s bush cricket, as well as the often-maligned ragwort and the wildlife it supports.

The episode ends with a mystery sound for listeners to identify!

This is a HeadStuff podcast produced by Hilary Barry and Dan Wilcox. Original artwork is by Matt Mahon.

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This episode of The Sean Chorus podcast is Sean Ronayne's personal tribute to his friend and mentor Manchán Magan, the acclaimed Irish author and broadcaster who died last October at age 55.

Sean traveled to the Hill of Uisneach, the ancient mythological "navel of Ireland" - where Manchán's ashes were scattered. He spent a night recording birdsong and folklore-rich wildlife (blackbirds, chaffinches, willow warblers, a skylark, and a snipe flying overhead unexpectedly), weaving each into Irish mythology and memories of Manchán.

This is a HeadStuff podcast produced by Hilary Barry and Dan Wilcox. Original artwork is by Matt Mahon.
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