Mast light blots out the sky and pierces the eyes

AND so they have finally wiped out the sky. Stargazers lament. The strobe-like light atop the new TV mast at Mullaghanish near Ballyvourney in Co Cork must be the worst case of light pollution I have ever witnessed.

I cannot believe they are allowed to do this. Similar in its effect to strobe lighting at a disco, it is the most irritating and distressing light I have ever encountered. Visible all over mid-Cork, it flashes in through living room and bedroom alike, with great annoyance. As a hillwalker, stargazer and bat enthusiast, I find it most distressing to work in its presence. Is such a horrendous light atop the chimneys of Moneypoint at the mouth of the Shannon, the Spike in Dublin or even the Eiffel Tower?

I appeal to those responsible to find a more environmentally friendly solution and give back to people the right to observe the night sky – or at the very least to sleep in their bedrooms if they are unfortunate enough to have a window exposed to the flashing of this mega light. RTÉ, please reconsider.