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music · Saturday 27 June 2026 · 8:00pm 
Nature Boy - A Journey of Birdsong and Belonging
At Backstage Theatre · Longford Town, Co. Longford
At Backstage Theatre · Longford Town, Co. Longford
Ornithologist Seán Ronayne has been recording every bird species in Ireland - nearly 200 of them - travelling to some of the wildest corners of the island, from the seabird colonies of Skellig Michael to the corncrake territory of Tory Island. In this illustrated talk he turns those journeys into a live performance that is part natural history, part personal memoir. Audiences at other venues have been moved to tears; they have also laughed. If you have ever stopped to listen to a blackbird in a garden or a curlew over a bog, this evening will feel like someone finally put words - and sounds - to the thing you were half feeling.
The show runs for roughly 90 minutes with a short interval. Ronayne narrates his quest through recordings, images, and stories, weaving together the calls of the birds with the landscapes and the people he encountered along the way. His own hypersensitivity to sound - a condition he discusses openly - turns out to be exactly the right sensitivity for this kind of work. The Guardian has noted his “passion for nature is raising awareness about Ireland’s ecological crisis,” and Birdwatch Ireland describes him as perhaps “the greatest and most eloquent champion for Irish nature.” RTÉ Culture has called him a national treasure. The central question running through the evening is a simple one: how do we protect what we do not love or understand? Expect it to linger.
The show tours nationally and comes to Backstage Theatre on Friday 27 June 2026. Backstage is a well-regarded regional venue with a strong programme of theatre, music, and talks - compact, comfortable, and easy to navigate.
Longford town sits on the N4 between Dublin and Sligo, roughly an hour and a quarter from Dublin by road. The M4 takes you most of the way from the capital before the road narrows into the N4 through Mullingar. Longford town is also on the Dublin Heuston to Westport and Ballina rail line, with regular daily services - the station is a short walk from the town centre. Backstage Theatre is centrally located in Longford town. Street parking is available nearby in the evenings.
Longford town is a working midlands market town with a few surprises - St Mel’s Cathedral is one of the finest early twentieth-century Catholic churches in Ireland, rebuilt and reopened after a devastating Christmas Day fire in 2009. The county itself stretches across drumlin country and bog towards Lough Ree on its western edge. There is more to see in Longford and across Co. Longford.
Heading to Backstage Theatre in Longford? Longford has plenty more to see. Read the Longford area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.