Corncrakes are small, migratory birds that move between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. They are shy and elusive, living in the cover of long grasses, crops, and other tall vegetation. While rarely seen, they are easily identifiable by their call: a loud, almost mechanical-sounding noise that was once a prominent feature in the soundscapes of rural Ireland. In Irish folklore, the corncrake is said to have lain on its back in the long grass, with its two legs pointed upward, and boastfully exclaimed “Tréan le tréun, tréan le tréun” (strength to the corncrake, strength to the corncrake). According to this lore, the birds saw themselves as our defenders, preventing the sky from collapsing around us.

In the last fifty years, the number of corncrakes in Ireland has declined drastically. The shift to industrial-scale agriculture has almost eradicated their breeding habitats (along with a diverse array of other species). And while the sky may not have come crashing down to earth, the corncrake’s disappearance exposes the severe environmental degradation that results from profit-driven and extractive approaches to living from the land. Today, surviving populations can only be found along the outermost peripheries of our western coastline, in the Gaeltacht regions of Donegal, Galway, and Mayo.

The roots of this exhibition date back to 2022, when Ormston House partnered with Corncrake LIFE, a conservation project working with farmers to improve habitat for the bird. We connected artists with ecologists, landowners, and rural communities to learn about the corncrake, its decline, and the social and political context in which conservation work is implemented.