A section of the Milky Way.
There are two Dark Sky locations in Ireland – the Kerry International Dark-Sky Reserve and the Mayo International Dark Sky Park. The concept is simple – each park consists of an area sufficiently free of artificial lights (from street lamps. houses, etc) that means it is possible to see plenty of stars in the night sky. Initiatives, such as reducing the number or type of outdoor illumination, can help preserve dark areas.
Actually, there are plenty of places in Ireland (particularly along the west coast) where the skies are relatively clear of street lights to spoil the view. The photo above was taken in a village in Co. Westmeath. I had just parked my car, and as I stepped out, the arc of the Milky Way was clearly visible across the night sky. I simply placed a compact camera on the roof of the car (with the lens facing straight up) to take the picture.
This photo was taken in my back garden in Galway city. The yellow tinge on the building under construction behind my house is caused by street lights on the street in front of the house. Despite the fact I live in the city (and the night was not especially clear) , the Milky Way is clearly visible, as are a good many stars.
The effect of even a single streetlight is apparent in this photo, taken at the pier in Cashel in Galway in March. It’s not long after dark, and the stars are beginning to appear in the sky. But the light from the streetlamp casts a very strong tinge when taking pictures (though, in real life, it’s probably a good thing to have the pier lit up at night).
Of course, the biggest challenge to photographing the night sky in Ireland isn’t the brightness or number of streetlamps – it’s cloud, and lots of it. And there isn’t much any of us can do about that.