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Birdsong star Se谩n Ronayne among those honoured at UCC Alumni Awards
- Wildlife sound-recordist Se谩n Ronayne is among those being honoured by Alma mater.
- Other recipients of UCC alumni awards include Irish rally driver Billy Coleman
Ornithologist and wildlife sound-recordist Se谩n Ronayne was among those honoured at the 福利1000在线 College Cork (UCC) Alumni Achievement Awards last night. Se谩n graduated from UCC in 2009 with a Bachelor in Zoology and later returned to complete master鈥檚 degrees in Marine Biology and Ecological Assessment.
Se谩n is best known for his project to record the vocalisations of all of Ireland鈥檚 approximately 200 bird species, resulting in an extensive archive of wildlife soundscapes. This work informed the multi-award-winning documentary Birdsong. His debut book, Nature Boy: A Journey of Birdsong and Belonging, won Dubray Biography of the Year at the Irish Book Awards and was long listed for the 2025 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing.
鈥淚mmersing myself in the sounds of nature is the most beautiful thing I could ever do. To be recognised with an Alumni Achievement Award for turning my passion into my life's work makes it even more special. I'm grateful for the role my time at UCC played in that journey鈥� said Se谩n.
Alongside Se谩n, seven other inspirational alumni will also be honoured at Thursday evening鈥檚 ceremony with an Alumni Achievement Award - one of the highest accolades given by UCC.
The other awardees include:
- Dr Saranna Fanning, Assistant Professor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital;
- Renowned Irish rally driver Billy Coleman;
- Ruth Cotter, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Inc鈥檚 Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer;
- Organist and Carillonneur Chevalier Adrian Gebruers;
- Sharon Cunningham, CEO and co-founder of Shorla Oncology;
- Consultant in geriatric and stroke medicine Professor R贸n谩n Collins;
- Sarah O鈥橩eeffe, Group Vice President and Senior Vice President of Product Research and Development at Eli Lilly and Company.
President of UCC, Professor John O鈥橦alloran commended those receiving awards this evening; 鈥淚 am delighted to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of our awardees. Each awardee brings immense pride to the university, embodying our values and demonstrating our global impact.鈥�
The Alumni Achievement Awards are an annual celebration of UCC鈥檚 alumni. Since 1998, the university has honoured a total of 133 graduates. Notable past winners include Derry Girls star Siobhan McSweeney, Olympic gold medallist rowers Paul O鈥橠onovan and Fintan McCarthy, author Doireann N铆 Ghr铆ofa, RT脡 broadcaster Marty Morrissey, psychologist Maureen Gaffney, and Michelin-starred chef Ross Lewis.