Tune in as Killarney National Park set to livestream dawn chorus

The chorus, coinciding with Pieta’s Darkness into Light, will last 30 minutes either side of  sunrise on May 6 at Muckross Abbey

Sam Bayley, Padruig 'Brac' O'Sullivan, Trisha Beecher, Jess Burkitt, May Sheehan, Kieran Somers, Sean Forde, and Denis and Oscar Lovett prepare for the Dawn Chorus presented by conservation rangers of Killarney National Park, National Parks and Wildlife Service. Picture: Valerie O'Sullivan 

The countdown is almost over until Killarney National Park’s Dawn Chorus event takes place, filling the Kerry air with the melodic sound of birds.

Beginning just before 5am tomorrow morning, May 6, the performance will see the cloisters of Muckross Abbey “come alive with bird song”.

The chorus, coinciding with Pieta’s Darkness into Light event, will last 30 minutes at either side of the sunrise.

The musical symphony will begin with the song of a robin, followed by the soft tones of the blackbird, then the songs of thrushes, wood pigeons, wrens, warblers, sparrows, and finches.

The live-stream event is presented by the conservation rangers of Killarney National Park and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). You can tune in live https://fb.me/e/2J2OVZS0g from 5am.

The event will feature bird expert Sam Bayley, who will identify the native bird song of Skellig Michael, the puffin, kittiwakes, gannets and razorbills.

The Dawn Chorus event on Saturday May 6 will be livestreamed on Killarney National Park's Facebook page. Picture: Valerie O'Sullivan 

Conservation rangers Sean Forde and Jess Burkitt will take the role of identifying bird song on Innisfallen island.

Renowned accordion player Bryan O’Leary will also perform at the event, joined by Derry and Rosie Healy, who will provide the morning’s live entertainment.

NPWS district conservation officer Mary Sheehan described the chorus as “a great opportunity to showcase our work as conservation rangers, choosing the ecclesiastical sites of Innisfallen Island, Muckross Abbey, and Unesco heritage site of Skellig Michael".

To record and livestream the bird song is a privilege. It serves as a reminder of how the monks lived their lives in silence and in song, devoted to God and to nature. 

"We encourage people to pop in their earphones and listen to the bird song while walking ‘Darkness Into Light’ on Saturday morning,” Ms Sheehan said.

The live stream can be found here on Killarney National Park’s Facebook page.