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Mayo Dark Skies

@mayodarkskies

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Protecting and restoring our dark skies over Mayo and beyond for present and future generations of all living things.
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Get ready for the 10th anniversary of Mayo Dark Sky Festival coming soon! Here’s a snippet of some of our amazing speakers and presenters on the theme of Nature and Dark Skies: 🧠 Darragh Ennis, entomologist, neuroscientist and “The Menace” from The Chase 📺 Ella McSweeney, award-winning journalist from RTÉ’s Ear to the Ground 🦇 Kate McAney, bat conservationist and champion of Ireland’s nocturnal wildlife 🌊 Conor Ryan, bringing science and communities together across land and sea 🐋 Richard Sabin, marine mammal expert with stories from museum collections 🪶 James O’Neill, uncovering the hidden lives of the Woodcock and Red Grouse 🎧 Andrea Parisi, the amazing Corncrake - a rare and precious migratory visitor to Ireland 💡 Bettymaya Foott, lighting design, conservation and a love of dark skies [Music Jack Lukeman - Bowie’s Starman and finale performer 1st Nov] 📅 30 Oct – 1 Nov 2026 · Newport · Mulranny · Ballycroy 🎟️ Tickets & full programme: link in bio by @mayodarkskies
Don't miss this! Jack Lukeman's new EP "Dark Skies Shine the Brightest Stars" is out tomorrow (25 September). We are thrilled to be collaborating with Jack on this special edition which he will be performing in Newport on 1st November at the 10th Mayo Dark Sky Festival! The new release will include Jack's interpretations of Don McLean's Vincent and David Bowie's Starman, alongside original material exploring the stars, darkness and our place beneath them. #JackLukeman #JackL #DarkSkies #BrightestStars #mayodarkskyfestival by @mayodarkskies
The students of Youthreach, Ballina were delighted and honoured to take part in the Community Constellations project for @mayodarkskies recently. The students had the opportunity to draw and name 3 different constellations from the array of stars in the Mayo Sky. 3 new constellations, ‘Cnoc’, ‘Craobh na Choiligh’ & ‘Madra Rua’ were named. These 3 constellations then combined to form “Iolar” the eagle, a symbol of both the majesty and awe-inspiring nature of Mayo’s dark skies. As a project icon ‘Iolar’ celebrates a new network of communities engaged in protecting and restoring the night skies over county Mayo for present and future generations. Thank you to the @maryrobinsoncentre Mary Robinson centre for the invitation and to take part in this event. @msletb @mayocollegefet #youthreach #youthreachballina @mayodarksky by @mayodarkskies
That’s a wrap on Mayo Dark Sky Festival 2026! ✨🦊🌌 What a weekend. Ten years of dark skies, and we think this was our best festival yet. 🎉 A huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who made our 10th anniversary so special: our volunteers, presenters, artists, guides, musicians, lantern-makers, local businesses and every single one of you who came out under the stars. We couldn’t have done it without you. 💙 And what a finale! 🏮 On Sunday night, hundreds of glowing lanterns created by artist Tom Meskell prepared Newport for our Lantern Walk, leading us over the viaduct to St Patrick’s Church for Jack L’s Dark Skies concert. We couldn’t have dreamed up a more magical way to close the weekend. Watch our video below for some of our favourite moments. Once we’ve had a minute to catch our breath (and a good sleep 😴), we’ll be sharing highlights from all the incredible events and fascinating speakers we had the privilege of hosting over the weekend. Stay tuned! 🔭 Huge thanks also to our partners National Parks and Wildlife Service(NPWS), Fáilte Ireland and Community Foundation Ireland for their support. 🙏 See you under the stars next year (and put those dates in your calendar 29 - 31 October 2027!) 🌠 #MayoDarkSkyFestival #LanternWalk #JackLukeman #Newport #DarkSkies #mayo @communityfoundationireland @failte_ireland @npwsireland @ugniusbra Tom Meskell @newportmayo Tom Meskell Jack Lukeman 📸 Image credits: Ugnius Braza by @mayodarkskies
All Attendees for tonight’s Lantern Walk and Jack Lukeman Parking info🚗 Joining us in Newport this evening? Please ONLY park at: 🅿️ Newport National School (Eircode F28 ED89), the main car park 🅿️ The Hub car park on the Westport side of town, for overflow or if you are coming from Westport. Gather for the lantern walk at the playground beside Newport Medical Centre from 6pm, ready for the Lantern Walk at 6.30pm We will walk slowly up onto the viaduct (narrow in places) and up to Castlebar Street, turning right towards the Church steps. 🎶 Our Lantern Walk then walks to St Patrick’s Church for the Jack Lukeman concert at 7pm 💙 We kindly ask everyone to keep the town as centre free as possible as there is a large funeral in Newport today. Please park in the designated locations to ease the traffic in town and for respect for the family and mourners. Thank you so much for your understanding. 📍 School map: https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Newport+National+School+F28+ED89 See the map in the second photo. #MayoDarkSkyFestival #LanternWalk #JackLukeman #Newport by @mayodarkskies
🏔️🌊✨ Stories of land, sea & sky: Ballycroy Visitor this weekend At the heart of Mayo Dark Sky Park, Ballycroy Visitor Centre is full of stories, from the mountains, the sea and the stars. Saturday 31 Oct (free) 🥾 11am: Guided history walk through the hidden stories of the Nephin Beg mountains 🌊 1pm: The history of Blacksod Lighthouse, and stories of the sea 🎬 3pm: Film: The West Mayo Flying Column in the War of Independence Sunday 1 Nov 🌿 11am: Guided nature walk in Wild Nephin (free) 🌍 1pm: Earth, a Cosmic Spectacle with artist Louise Beer (free) 🐋 3pm: Richard Sabin of the Natural History Museum, London, on whales, dolphins and Hope, the Wexford blue whale 🎭 All weekend: Shadows of Samhain, Martina O’Connor’s masks and costumes inspired by Irish myth, plus treasure hunts for the kids! 🚌 A free shuttle bus runs between Newport, Mulranny and Ballycroy all weekend. Kids go FREE · booking details and the full programme are at mayodarkskyfestival.ie (link in bio) #MayoDarkSkyFestival #Ballycroy #WildNephin #Samhain #Folklore #FamilyDayOut by @mayodarkskies
A welcome new arrival to the library. Thank you, Eoin, for an inspirational talk in Ballycroy last night. by @mayodarkskies
🔭🪐 Space weekend in Newport! From the edge of the solar system to the junk orbiting above our heads, Newport is the place to be for astronomy this weekend. Saturday 31 Oct 🔭 10am · Stephen Kershaw (KTec Telescopes): a practical guide to telescopes 🪐 11.30am · Derek Dempsey FRAS, founder of Newport Astronomy Club: Pluto’s discovery, demotion and new horizons 🎻 2.30pm · Karen Dervan: the Voyager Golden Record, reimagined 🌫️ 4pm · John Zarnecki: Titan, the moon where the sky is always cloudy Sunday 1 Nov 🎬 10am · Free family film: Touching the Asteroid 🛰️ 11.30am · Niall Smith, co-founder of Blackrock Castle Observatory: “Look out! There’s space debris about!” 🧱 2.30pm · Michael Wise: how space telescopes really get built 🌟 4pm · Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell: the discovery of pulsars 👧 FREE planetarium shows both days at Newport National School (no booking, just turn up). 🏮 And on Sunday night: the Lantern Walk at 6.30pm, then Jack L at 7pm. Kids go FREE · 🎟 link in bio #MayoDarkSkyFestival #Astronomy #Newport #Planetarium #Pluto #SpaceScience #KidsGoFree by @mayodarkskies
🌌✨ Stars in sight for tonight! After last night’s cloud kept the stars hidden, we’re delighted to say the forecast for tonight, Saturday 31 October, looks much more promising, with clear skies forecast in Newport from 8–9pm. 🌙 Join us for stargazing at Burrishoole Abbey, 8–9pm (free), and let’s enjoy the wonders of a dark night sky together on Halloween night. 🧣 Wrap up warm! It’ll be cold and still, at around 4°C, dropping further later in the evening. Hats, gloves and a flask are all a good idea. As always, stargazing depends on the weather. We’ll keep a close eye on conditions and share any updates here and by email to subscribers, so please check before setting off, especially if you’re travelling just for the stars. Finally, if you're arriving by car, please be mindful of other stargazers in a dark location and turn head lights away from the astronomers and telescopes. Please try not to arrive late by car as it can impact the enjoyment of those observing the night sky and hamper their dark adapted vision. Do also be mindful of local residents and park considerately. Fingers crossed for a star-filled evening! 🤞⭐ #MayoDarkSkyFestival #Stargazing #Halloween #Newport #BurrishooleAbbey #DarkSkyPark by @mayodarkskies
🦇🌙 It is a wild and dark Halloween weekend in Mulranny! Two days of stories from the creatures of the night, and the people who spend their lives watching over them. Saturday 31 Oct, hosted by conservation biologist Marina Mulligan 🔦 11am · Louise Tomsett (Natural History Museum, London) on Wildlife in the Dark: night surveys in Borneo that uncovered species never recorded there before 🐦 12.30 · James O’Neill on the woodcock, Ireland’s secret night-time wader 🧠 3pm · Darragh Ennis (yes, The Menace!) on why wildlife needs darkness Sunday 1 Nov, hosted by RTÉ’s Ella McSweeney 🦇 11am · Kate McAney, bat conservationist and lifelong champion of Ireland’s nocturnal wildlife, on a career in wildlife without a sense of direction! 🎧 12.30 · Andrea Parisi on listening to corncrakes in the dark 📸 3pm · Bettymaya Foott on photographing the night we’re trying to protect Kids go FREE · 🎟 link in bio #MayoDarkSkyFestival #Mulranny #IrishWildlife #Bats #NightWildlife #Biodiversity @blondiemarina @bonesgiles @ellamcs by @mayodarkskies
Calling Birders! 🐦🌙 Two days. Two secret birds of the Irish night. Saturday: James O’Neill introduces the woodcock, Ireland’s secret night-time wader. Perfectly camouflaged by day, it comes alive after dark. James researches the hidden lives of woodcock and red grouse in the Irish landscape, and he’ll reveal what they get up to while we sleep. 📍 Sat 31 Oct · 12.30pm · Mulranny Sunday: Andrea Parisi tunes in to the corncrake: crex crex… crex crex… It’s one of Ireland’s rarest birds, heard far more often than it’s seen, calling through the summer nights. Andrea uses acoustic monitoring to listen to our landscapes, and he’ll share what those night-time recordings reveal and why they matter for the corncrake’s future. 📍 Sun 1 Nov · 12.30pm · Mulranny One hides in plain sight, the other is almost only ever heard. Together they’re a reminder of how much of nature’s story unfolds in the dark. 🌌 🎟 Book via link in bio ☝️ #MayoDarkSkyFestival #Woodcock #Corncrake #IrishBirds #IrishWildlife #Mulranny #Birdwatching @@mulrannytourism by @mayodarkskies
🔭🧱 How do you build a telescope and send it into space? Astrophysicist Michael Wise, Director of SRON, the Netherlands Institute for Space Research, takes you behind the scenes of how space telescopes really get built, piece by piece. 📍 Sun 1 Nov · 2.30pm · Newport · Kids go FREE 🎟 Link in bio #MayoDarkSkyFestival #SpaceTelescope #Astronomy #SpaceScience #Newport by @mayodarkskies

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