Some of the best places to look at the stars in Ireland

Two parts of Ireland have official designation as dark sky reserves and are being marketed to star-gazing tourists, writes Donal Hickey

WITH long nights coming in, more people might look up at the stars. Two parts of Ireland, in Co Kerry and Co Mayo, now have official designation as dark sky reserves and are being marketed to star-gazing tourists.

Artificial lighting is creating light pollution over urban areas, with photos taken from satellites and space craft showing this to be worst over Dublin, Belfast and Cork and along the east coast generally. All of which means the west coast is where you can get the clearest sky views after dark. There are more 400,000 street lights in Ireland. Add in advertising signs, spotlights on buildings, and floodlights and it’s easy to see why the stars are hard to see in certain areas, even on clear nights.