Events

We have a really exciting programme organised for the 2023 Dark Sky Champion training course for our tourism and hospitality businesses in County Mayo. Two guest speakers have kindly agreed to join us and we will host workshops in Westport and in Ballycroy (approx 2 hours per event, repeated in both locations). To register for […]

Special Guest Dr. Sibylle Schroer who will present her talk “Human Centric versus Nature Centric Lighting” Monday 6th February at 7pm / Online Event  To open our 2023 series of talks, we are thrilled to welcome Dr Sibylle Schroer to present her talk entitled “Human Centric versus Nature Centric Lighting” In 2017, Sibylle received the

Dark Skies at Night Be part of Irish Research by joining one of these weekly walks in Mayo Dark Sky Park wonder | wellbeing | escape | wilderness | retreat | companionship | fear | nocturnal | mythology | hygge | adventure | comfort | tourism | sustainability | excitement | nature | culture | conservation

Dark Skies at Night Be part of Irish Research by joining one of these weekly walks in Mayo Dark Sky Park wonder | wellbeing | escape | wilderness | retreat | companionship | fear | nocturnal | mythology | hygge | adventure | comfort | tourism | sustainability | excitement | nature | culture | conservation

Join Professor Kevin Gaston, University of Exeter, to hear about his work on the environmental consequences of light pollution. Kevin is also a board member of the International Dark Sky Association and has recently co-authored (with Dr Alejandro Sanchez de Miguel) this Annual Environmental Review paper reviewing the impact light pollution has on people, wildlife

Moving out of this world…. from angels and demons to photons and quarks…we cannot wait to hear from Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ – Director of the Vatican Observatory and co-author of the classic astronomy book (with Dan Davis) “Turn Left at Orion”. Brother Guy will be presenting his talk on “Catholic” Cosmologies in Newport on Sunday afternoon. 

Astrophotography is the focus of our gallery exhibit at Ballycroy Visitor Centre, and we are delighted to welcome the return of Chasseurs de Nuits with the Award winning collection of works from the Photo Nightscape Competition. Chasseur de Nuits exhibition is kindly sponsored by the Embassy of France and joins the existing exhibition of talented astrophotographers Aisling McGuire

Friday 23rd of September is #CultureNight and we look forward to celebrating it at the #BallycroyVisitorCentre in #WildNephinNationalPark An entertaining evening with traditional music by local musicians and a chance to try some delicious boxty. Sean Lysaght will be launching his book ‘New Leaf’ and we’ll finish off the evening appreciating our wonderfully natural dark

The Mayo Dark Sky Festival is back with a bang! In 2021, covid restrictions meant that the festival could not go ahead as planned, so we are really looking forward to welcoming people back to Newport, Mulranny and Ballycroy from 4 – 6 November, for a feast of events celebrating Mayo’s dark unpolluted skies. This year

Newport is considered the gateway town to Mayo Dark Sky Park and has been a community host town to Mayo Dark Sky Festival since its inception. The town is becoming known as a dark sky destination, attracting a growing number of international visitors in winter months, boosting the local tourism economy during the off-season. However, the growth of artificial