Mayo Dark Skies

24/10/2026

🚨 THE MENACE IS COMING TO MULRANNY 🚨

Yes, that Darragh Ennis from The Chase and Beat the Chasers! Before he was a Chaser, he was a neuroscientist at the University of Oxford, studying insect brains. 🧠🪲
Question for the family: which of these is harmed by too much light at night?
A) Bats B) Moths C) Migrating birds D) All of the above

Drop your answer below 👇, then come and hear the real answer from The Menace himself.
📍 Sat 31 Oct · 3pm · Mulranny Arts Centre · TICKETS on Mayo Dark Sky Festival website · kids go FREE

23/10/2026

We are so thrilled to see Newport Tidy Towns win the National Dark Sky Ireland Special Award announced today at the TidyTowns Ireland Conference.
Amazing work done on so many themes from this dedicated community group and their work towards keeping night skies free from light pollution is another example that the TidyTowns programme is about so much more than ‘Tidy’ towns.
A truly well deserved national award for the town of Newport Mayo, congratulations.

Mayo Public Participation Network - PPN Mooney Goes Wild Community Foundation Ireland Leave No Trace Ireland Mayo County Council Mayo North Tourism, Ireland Dara Calleary TDDepartment of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht

Feeling absolutely thrilled to have won this!!!!!
Brilliant achievement for everyone involved who give their time so freely.
Let's keep the momentum going and who knows with the whole community involved we could win the Big One!!!

23/10/2026

The Natural History Museum, London comes to Mayo!

🐋 In March 1891, a 25-metre blue whale stranded on a sandbank in Wexford Harbour. She never returned to the sea, but her story was only beginning.
Her skeleton travelled to London, and since 2017 she has been the centrepiece of Hintze Hall at the Natural History Museum, named "Hope" as a symbol of humanity’s power to shape a sustainable future. 💙

On Halloween weekend, Richard Sabin, the Museum’s Principal Curator of Mammals, who led the science behind bringing Hope down from the ceiling and re-hanging her, unlocks the hidden lives of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises at our 10th birthday festival.

📍 Sun 1 Nov · 3pm · Ballycroy Visitor Centre Wild Nephin National Park - Páirc Náisiúnta Néifinne Fiáine

His colleague Louise Tomsett, Senior Curator of Mammals, reveals the hidden world of wildlife after dark 🦇
📍 Sat 31 Oct · 11am · Mulranny Arts
Half-term sorted! Swap trick-or-treat for whales, bats and the stars: planetarium shows, stargazing, guided walks and the Lantern Walk in Newport Mayo. Kids go FREE, and grown-ups get a 2 day weekend ticket for just €40.

🎟 Book via the Book Now button on Mayo Dark Sky Festival web Page (http://www.MayoDarkSkyFestival.ie☝️)
Images: © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London

23/10/2026

🌊 Little explorers. Big discoveries. Brilliant family memories!
Looking for something different to do with the children this Halloween weekend? Join us in Mulranny for three lovely family adventures at the Mayo Dark Sky Festival!...

🦀 SEASHORE SAFARI - Saturday 31 October
Explore the shore with ecologist Conor Ryan and discover the fascinating wildlife on our doorstep. (Outdoor event)
Adults €5 • Children FREE

🌍 PLANET CHAMPION WORKSHOP - Saturday 31 October
Bring your curiosity along for an hour of family-friendly science and discovery with Declan Holmes!
Adults €5 • Children FREE

🧱 LEGO WORKSHOP - Sunday 1 November
An hour of building, creating and letting imaginations run wild with Mixies Brixies. For children aged 5–12.
Children €5

Choose your adventure — or make a weekend of it!
Places are limited, so book ahead to secure your spaces.
👉 Full details and booking: www.mayodarkskyfestival.ie

21/10/2026

Wildlife film-maker Eoin Warner (Ireland’s Wild Islands) opens the 10th Mayo Dark Sky Festival, fresh from launching his memoir Through the Long Grass. Then it’s harp, fiddle and goosebumps from Connemara siblings Séamus & Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta, before we head out under the stars for a dark sky walk. ✨

📍 Fri 30 Oct · 7pm · Ballycroy Visitor Centre, Wild Nephin National Park (Mayo Dark Sky Park)
Places are limited!
🎟 Book via the Book Now button on our Page (website on the image ☝️)

21/10/2026

🗓️ 28th and 29th of October, Mayo Dark Sky Fringe Festival Event Alert!

Join Marjolijn van Heemstra for a magical DUSKING experience in Mayo Dark Sky Park / Wild Nephin National Park. (Ballycroy Visitor Centre or Letterkeen Trailhead)

👉 Book your dusking experience today: https://mayodarkskyfestival.ie/fringe-festival/ -events

🎧 Dusking is a twilight watching practice and poetic audio performance created by Dutch artist Marjolijn van Heemstra.

🌌 It gained significant prominence in Ireland following its feature role at the 9th International Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) Conference 2025 in Westport, County Mayo, and subsequently during dark sky events in the North York Moors National Park where it captivated audiences and gained BBC TV coverage for its subtle yet powerful impact.

🌅 The concept refers to an ancient Dutch ritual where people sit together at twilight without turning on any artificial lights. Participants quietly watch the day fade into night to naturally mark the shift from work to rest. Just under an hour of neither producing nor consuming anything, simply sitting and watching as darkness falls, as boundaries blur, the day fades away and gives way to the night.

❗️More on dusking: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260317-dusking-the-dutch-twilight-ritual-helping-people-slow-down

🎭 The Mayo Dark Sky Festival will also host Marjolijn's Dusking at "The Hug" in Mulranny Arts Centre on Saturday the 31st at 17:30 (event is free, but please book in advance) 👉 https://mayodarkskyfestival.ie/events/dusking-event/

20/10/2026

What do a blue whale, a pulsar and The Menace from The Chase have in common? 🐋🌟🧠
Fiona Hopkins explained it all on Mooney Goes Wild last night 😉 Listen back here 👉 [lhttps://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/961a4059-ac07-49e4-8ff6-b4e8017698c3/

10th Mayo Dark Sky Festival · 30 Oct – 1 Nov
Mooney Goes Wild

19/10/2026

🎉 Friday Night Dark Sky Walks with Mayo Dark Sky Park are BACK! Don't miss out, Book Now!

👉 BOOKING REQUIRED as spaces are limited: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/2003571667793?aff=oddtdtcreator

🌚 Dark Sky walks are for the mind and body to reset and enjoy nature under naturally dark skies.

🌌 IF conditions allow, we will enjoy some stargazing ✨ with a tour of the night sky along the way, and a visit to a restored cottage 🏚️ as part of the National Park’s restoration project.

🥾 The walks are held at the Letterkeen Trailhead/cottage (Letterkeen, Srahrevagh, Newport, Co.) on the Vary’s Loop trail (2.5 km loop), with a gravel and boardwalk surface.

⏰ The duration of the walk is approximately 2.5 hours, and walkers should dress accordingly for the time of year and weather; warm clothing and comfortable shoes.

🚐 Shuttle pick-up at 7:30pm at Ned Lyons statue in Newport, Co. Mayo. Return to Newport at approx 10:30/11pm.

❓Commonly asked Questions can be found at the event link.

📷 Event Cover Photo By Shane Lavelle



Wild Nephin National Park - Páirc Náisiúnta Néifinne Fiáine Dark Sky Ireland Research Ireland Newport Mayo Mulranny Tourism Newport Astronomy Club Ballycroy Community Council Mayo North Tourism, Ireland Mayo County Council Mayo Public Participation Network - PPN

14/10/2026

A huge thank you RTÉ 2fm and Doireann Garrihy for having Georgia and Molly on the show yesterday from Mayo Dark Sky Park @ Wild Nephin National Park🌌

We loved chatting about our dark sky walks under some of the darkest skies in Europe, and everything coming up at our 10th anniversary festival this Halloween weekend, 30 Oct – 1 Nov, in Newport, Mulranny and Ballycroy.

🎧 Missed it? Listen back on the 2FM website (link in bio)
✨ Full programme and tickets: mayodarkskyfestival.ie
Music Starman - Jack Lukeman Official