< dark sky directory

Ireland dark sky parks

List of darkest parks and places in Ireland for stargazing, astrophotography, astrotourism, star parties, and astronomy club events. Often these are national and regional parks and forests that are either remote or "protected" against light pollution.

Also ask your local UK astronomy club for guidance as they will know the darkest places.

Dark Sky Park Location
Antrim Coast
Ballycroy County Mayo
Connemara County Galway
County Clare County Clare
County Offaly County Offlay
Davagh Forest
Kerry Dark Sky Reserve
Lough Gur County Limerick
Mayo Park County Mayo
Rathbeggan Lakes County Meath
Sheep's Head Way County Cork
Wicklow Mountains National Park County Dublin


UK light pollution maps w/ Bortle

2023 nighttime satellite image of the UK (showing Ireland) from the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.

UK nighttime satellite map

2015 light pollution map of the UK showing sky brightness at the zenith from World Atlas data. Colors correspond approximately to the Bortle scale, with pink being the brightest (most light-polluted) and dark gray being the darkest skies. Use as a guide to find the darkest sky locations near you.

UK night sky light pollution map