Stations Alive With The Sound Of Birds

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Train Delays Of 30-45 Minutes

Train stations across the country are coming alive with the sounds of spring this morning.

On Chorus is a public art project by sound artist Christopher Steenson. The project will use Iarnród Éireann train station PA systems across Ireland to play the sound of birdsong from 08:00hrs to 09:00hrs until 29th November.

At the same time that birdsong will be heard in Iarnród Éireann train stations, birdsong will also play on the a website created especially for the project www.on-chorus.com each day between 8:00am and 9:00am, for people who are still self-isolating or unable to travel.

Currently, public transport is reserved for essential workers as part of Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions.

“Birdsong is something that is very dear to my heart,” said Niall Hatch, Head of Development and Communications with BirdWatch Ireland, Throughout Covid-19 restrictions, it became even more important to me, as I know it did to people all across the country. Hearing the sound of the birds singing around my home, and especially the beauty of the dawn chorus, became a real source both of entertainment and of comfort to thousands of people, many of whom had never really paid it much heed before.

Steenson’s On Chorus project is aimed at “providing the public with the opportunity to experience art at a time when most cultural institutions in Ireland remain closed. By collaborating with a national organisation like Iarnród Éireann, On Chorus demonstrates an innovative way that art can be presented publicly in the face of changing health restrictions, as a result of the current pandemic.”

www.on-chorus.com will provide information about the project, as well as presenting a series of 35mm photographs created by Christopher Steenson.