Pilíbín Get involved

Birds of Éire · The Pilíbín Project

The dawn chorus,
brought to the bedside

Real Irish birdsong, recorded in Irish woodland and named in Irish and English, for children spending long weeks in hospital.

Bring Pilíbín to your ward Meet the birds

Dia duit! The woods are busy, and the wren is singing louder than birds twice its size.

Try another time:

Can you spot the three birds
hiding in our forest?

Found 0 of 3
A quiet room with armchairs facing a sunlit Irish forest, where a robin, a blackbird and a wren are perched.

Swipe the picture to look around the forest

A field recording microphone on a small tripod among mossy rocks in an Irish woodland.
our microphone, listening in the woods

Our story

When hospital walls hide the forest

Some children spend weeks or months on a ward, far from gardens, parks and the sound of birds at the window. Pilíbín brings that sound back in.

We record real birdsong in Irish woodland and shape it into gentle soundscapes for hospital spaces. Each bird is introduced by name, in Irish and in English, so a recording becomes something a child and a parent can talk about together.

Accessibility comes first. There are haptic options for deaf and hard of hearing children, and bilingual materials that support language learning alongside recovery.

Why “Pilíbín”?

say “PIL-ee-been”

Pilíbín is the Irish name for the lapwing, the crested bird in our logo. It was once common across Irish farmland and is now one of our most threatened breeding birds. We named the project after it to remember that the birds need looking after too.

The birds

Meet the singers

Six birds you'll hear in our recordings. Every one is named in Irish first, then in English. Tap I heard it each time you catch one, or Colour me in to paint your own. The “say” lines are a rough guide, because Irish sounds a little different from county to county.

My listening cardÉist!

A moment of connection

Imagine a parent and child in a hospital waiting room. A soft voice says “Spideog… Robin.” The robin begins to sing, and the parent leans in.

“Oh, listen. Remember when we heard that in the garden?”

For a minute they're somewhere else together, close to home and close to each other. That's what we make: small human moments that help healing along.

Dawn chorus

Who sings first?

Roughly when each bird joins in on a spring morning. Times shift with weather, season and place.

An illustration of a hospital bed in a sunlit forest clearing, with small birds perched on the bed frame.
the whole idea, in one picture

Why it works

Calm you can hear

There's an old idea that when birds are singing, all is well nearby. Researchers are now measuring that feeling. In a 2022 study in Scientific Reports, people who listened to six minutes of birdsong reported lower anxiety and fewer worrying thoughts afterwards.

That study was with healthy adults, not children in hospital. So we're doing this carefully: every pilot measures what changes on the ward, using the observations staff already make, and we'll share what we learn.

Source: Stobbe et al., “Birdsongs alleviate anxiety and paranoia in healthy participants”, Scientific Reports, 2022.

6 minof birdsong in the 2022 study
295adults took part
8 to 12weeks for a ward pilot
2languages for every bird

What guides us

Four promises we keep

Real birds, real forests

Everything is recorded in Irish woodland. No synthesised or stock audio.

We measure what matters

Each pilot is measured with the ward team, and we publish what we find.

Built to last

Simple, sturdy kit that keeps playing long after the first season.

Proud of our heritage

Language, nature and care, woven together. Every bird keeps its Irish name.

Get involved

Help us bring the forest in

We're looking for our first pilot ward, and for partners to help fund it.

Hospitals and hospices

Host an 8 to 12 week pilot on one ward. We set it up and measure it with your team, using what your staff already track.

Funders and sponsors

Help cover the recordings and speakers for the first wards, and see exactly what your support makes possible.

Friends of the project

Know a nurse, a play specialist or a hospital arts officer? An introduction helps more than you'd think.

Say hello

We'll only use your details to reply to you.

Colour me in

Spideog

Pick a colour, then tap part of the bird.