Mayo Dark Sky Park celebrates milestone anniversary
Mayo Dark Sky Park, situated in Ballycroy, marks a major milestone this May as it celebrates ten years as a Gold Tier International Dark Sky Park with a special anniversary weekend titled ‘Wild and Dark”’ from May 2 to 4.
A headline public event, timed to coincide with Mayo Day celebrations, takes place on Saturday, May 2, at Westport Cinema, hosted by Friends of Mayo Dark Skies. This event will see space reporter, engineer and science communicator Dr. Niamh Shaw, host a highly topical talk on NASA’s Artemis II mission, the farthest mission in human spaceflight and a precursor to humanity’s return to the Moon. Reflecting on her experience reporting on international space missions, Dr. Shaw will explore what Artemis II represents globally and why dark skies on Earth remain essential to our understanding of space. By placing Mayo’s protected night skies within the context of one of the most significant space missions of our time, the event highlights the Mayo Dark Sky Park’s unique position on both a local and global stage
This special cinema event will also include a brief presentation on Mayo’s dark sky milestones over the last decade and see the launch of the brand-new Mayo Dark Sky Festival website and commissioned video.
The celebrations then move to Ballycroy Visitor Centre and Ballycroy Community Centre for a rich programme of family friendly talks, planetarium shows, music, dance, science, culture and community activity on Sunday, May 3 and Monday, May 4.
A key moment of the weekend will be the unveiling of the new Community Constellations for Dark Skies icon by Youthreach Ballina during a special birthday reception on Sunday afternoon. All events are free, and booking is only required for the cinema event in Westport.
Speaking ahead of the celebrations, Georgia MacMillan, Mayo Dark Sky Park Development Officer, said: “In ten years, Mayo Dark Sky Park has become an internationally recognised leader in dark sky protection. We’ve been honoured as International Dark Sky Place of the Year, hosted the Global Artificial Light at Night Conference and delivered pioneering dark skies initiatives as a valuable contribution to rural tourism. These achievements show the strength and reach of dark skies across Mayo and this weekend belongs to the volunteers, community groups and stakeholders whose work continues to restore and protect our night skies.”
Booking details and further information are available here.