Mayo Dark Sky Festival to return with stellar line up

The Dark Sky Festival will return to Mayo in less than two weeks with a jam-packed line-up.

Kicking off on November 1 until November 3, with events taking place across Newport, Mulranny and Ballycroy.

There really is something for everyone across the weekend festival.

For lovers of science and astronomy, Professor Lorraine Hanlon will bring us right up to date on Ireland's first satellite, Eirsat-1. 

She will recount just what it took for Ireland to reach orbit, for the team to put a two kilogram CubeSat into orbit, and, importantly, why it all matters.

Festival Favourite Dr Niall Smith will examine the legacy of Carl Sagan, and Derek Dempsey will take a look back at NASA's space shuttle programme.

Fusion engineer and science communicator Leah Morgan will delve into the remarkable world of fusion energy engineering, and Brian MacGabhann will examine the evidence for how prevalent extra-terrestrial life is likely to be, given our current knowledge of the universe.

Additionally, Brendan Owens has the fun job of looking back at Star Trek, exploring the science behind over 58 years of treknology including the transporter, replicator, tricorder and of course the warp drive.

For lovers of the great outdoors, culture & biodiversity, Jonathan Shackleton, cousin of the great explorer Ernest Shackleton, will ask the burning question, ‘What was the attraction of Antarctica for Ernest Shackleton, why have I and many others wished to follow in some of his footsteps?2

Meteorologist and author Joanna Donnelly explains the history and the science behind the Sea Area Forecast, while archaeologist Marion Dowd will discuss the discovery in 2016 (by the now head guide of Wild Nephin National Park and festival committee member Michael Chambers) of a boulder chamber on Bengorm Mountain, with human bones on the cave floor, which subsequently revealed that the cave had been used during Neolithic times, about 5,500 years ago, for mortuary rituals.

Author Anna Levin brings her new book 'Dark Skies' to Ireland for a talk and writing workshop on sharing our dark sky stories.

Content Creator and Adventurer Joshua Nueva will talk about how he captured images of one of the greatest Northern Lights displays that Ireland has seen in recent years in May 2024. 

That’s not all!

Children under 16 get in free to all the formal talks in Newport, Mulranny and Ballycroy, as well as a number of children’s events.

These include six guided planetarium shows each day in Newport National School, a Lego workshop in Mulranny Arts Centre, a water rocket workshop hosted by Science Ireland's Declan Holmes, and

a guided Seashore Safari on Mulranny Beach.

Weather permitting, a host guided free stargazing session at Burrishoole Abbey will take place from 8-9pm both Saturday and Sunday evenings, before an impressive festival finale. 

More information can be found on the festival’s website.

Tickets are selling fast, so make sure to book your place soon!