Sky's the limit: Ireland's best places to view the stars

Look at the stars, see how they shine for you with our guide to Ireland’s dark skies, writes Domhnall O’Donoghue

Aurora Borealis, Derryclare Lough, Connemara, Co Galway. Photo: Fáilte Ireland and Chaosheng Zhang

Oscar Wilde once mused that everyone was in the gutter, but the lucky among us had our gaze fixed firmly on the stars. And as an Irishman, the witty scribe knew a thing or two about the magnificence of our skyscape.

In fact, our Stone Age masterpiece, Newgrange, whose passage and chamber are aligned with the rising sun around the winter solstice, is one of many reminders that the Irish people have long maintained strong celestial connections.