Moonlight and magic at Mayo Dark Sky Festival
THE towns and villages bordering Ireland’s only Dark Sky Park have teamed up once again to organise the sixth Mayo Dark Sky Festival, which takes place from November 4 to 6.
The festival offers talks on science, culture and the environment, family friendly science workshops, as well as seashore safaris, walks - and a little stargazing!
The festival was established in 2016, to celebrate all facets of Mayo’s pristine dark skies. Organised by the Friends of Mayo Dark Skies in response to Wild Nephin National Park being awarded gold tier Dark Sky Park status by the International Dark Sky Association, it proved so popular that they decided to make it an annual event.
It takes place in the villages around the Dark Sky Park - Newport, Mulranny and Ballycroy.
“The 2022 festival is certainly our most ambitious one to date,” according to festival director Fiona Hopkins. “Thanks to funding from the Fáilte Ireland Innovation Scheme Grant, we have been able to curate a world class line-up.
“We are delighted to be welcoming Brother Guy Consolmagno from the Vatican Observatory to the festival this year. Brother Guy has written the seminal book for amateur astronomers, ‘Turn Left at Orion’.
“As director of the Vatican Observatory, he offers a unique perspective on cosmology. In his talk he will look into the stories behind how St. Paul, St. Augustine, Galileo, Kepler and Newton, and on up to Stephen Hawking, have all cast their own peculiar take on the big questions of the universe.
“As well as Guy Consolmagno, festival speakers will include Professor Mark McCaughrean, the senior advisor for science and exploration at the European Space Agency. Mark is working with the James Webb Space Telescope team, and is promising to bring us all the latest data from there.
“Professor Sera Markoff from the University of Amsterdam will also join us to talk about her work on the Event Horizon Telescope team - the team that captured the first ever photograph of a Black Hole.”
But it’s not all serious science. Dark Skies are not just about astronomy, they also give us the opportunity to experience our culture and heritage in a new way.
On the evening of November 4, opening the festival in Ballycroy, will be cellist Patrick Dexter. Patrick became a social media phenomenon during the Covid-19 pandemic when, as countries around the world entered lock down, he began playing music from his remote cottage in Mayo and sharing it online. Since then his performances have been viewed millions of times and his music became a needed comfort for countless numbers of people all over the world.
Patrick will bring his special gift to Ballycroy to set the scene for the festival weekend and to accompany festival goers as they head outside for a little stargazing.
The festival is really popular with families, as the committee has made it their policy that ‘kids go free’ to all events. This year will see a planetarium set up in Newport National School, with live commentary by the staff of Blackrock Castle Observatory, and the team in Mulranny is planning a very special Sunday Seashore Safari in that glorious coastal setting.
As if that were not enough, Mulranny will also play host to some top-notch talks including one from trans-atlantic rower Karen Weekes, who will describe her own unique experience of the night skies as she rowed single-handedly across the Atlantic Ocean.
The weekend will finish on Sunday with a lantern walk up to Newport’s iconic St. Patrick’s Church where festival goers will be serenaded by the unique combination of harp and clarinet with duo Dathanna.
Fiona reminds us of the reasons behind the annual festival. “We really want to share our passion for the pristine night skies of Mayo with as many people as possible.
“Clear unpolluted skies are now, sadly, a rarity - the Milky Way is so obscured by the effects of modern lighting that it is no longer visible to over 50% of Irish people. Mayo Dark Sky Park is managed by National Parks and Wildlife so that visitors can explore and enjoy all year round, and November is a particularly rewarding time to do so.
“The skies are dark from 6 p.m., the weather can be mild, and there are some beautiful stars, constellations and planets to be seen, including Cassiopeia, double star Albireo and planet Saturn. On a clear night, it really is quite magical.”
Mayo’s rugged Atlantic seaboard offers a dramatic backdrop to a relaxed and fun-filled festival.
Full programme of events and everything needed to plan your trip are on the festival website at www.mayodarkskyfestival.ie.