Schull and What was That?

Expedition to see the solar eclipse and survey some of the geology of West Cork. Leader Bettie Higgs

The trip to West Cork is a long one especially from Belfast but we felt it was worth it to see the eclipse at almost the most southerly point in Ireland and beside the only observatory in southern Ireland in Schull.

We did not know what to expect and, indeed we were not disappointed. Tuesday evening in the atmospheric and well-equipped planetarium in Schull in West Cork turned out to be most enjoyable and informative. The planetarium was full for the night's proceedings which were conducted very ably by a young man called David Sweetnam. We were treated to a video of Moon landings covering the exploration of the lunar surface over the last 3 decades, followed by the star show for the night sky of 10th August 1999.

David pointed out the main features visible in the night sky - from the position of some galaxies, to constellations, to individual stars and planets. However we were really there to hear about the eclipse, due to happen the next day. David gave a very in-depth, coherent explanation of the astronomy of eclipses and why this one was occurring at this time and close to our position on Earth. He demonstrated this by using a globe and an orange and followed this with a question and answer session. One smart-assed OU student (mature!) asked David what appeared to be a 'tricky' question which he handled most adeptly.

We left the planetarium, gazing heavenwards trying to pinpoint some of the 'bodies' David had spoken of in what was a clear, cloudless night sky. Eclipse day dawned - a cloudy, rainy morning. Undeterred we headed for the Planetarium ever hopeful that the rain and cloud would lift. RTE Television, local radio and journalists gathered round to report 'live' the atmosphere and people's reaction to the Eclipse. Despite the continuing rain and overcast skies, there was an atmosphere of anticipation. Progress in other parts of the country was monitored on the TV sets in the Planetarium - John Leahy Junior could not give away Eclipse glasses let alone sell them at a discount (He'd already sold them all! Ed!) and we were scunnered to see the sunshine in Dublin!

RTE Television popped back and forth to a wet and miserable reporter outside the Planetarium and David Sweetnam gave an interview during one of these sessions. Much to everyone's disappointment the rain persisted, becoming very heavy at times, and the dense cloud cover meant we saw none of the Eclipse. Those of us who remained outside the Planetarium however sensed a stillness and a darkening as the Eclipse was happening behind the clouds overhead.

There was much relief that the 'yellow rose of Tesco's', who was standing outside in the rain, had no plastic bags with her this time! It has to be said that the 'star' of the Eclipse was David Sweetnam. A highly articulate 17 year old student in Schull Community School he has a great interest in astronomy, along with the 20 or so other members of the local astronomy club. When asked what branch of astronomy he would like to study and specialise in he replied "Astronomy is too pedantic for me. I intend to study History and the Classics". Oops!

Best wishes to all in the Schull Astronomy Club and boy are they lucky or what to have such a facility (the only Planetarium in the South) and unbridled enthusiasm in their truly beautiful town.

By Michael Andrews

And finally……

Many congratulations to our Regional Organiser John Leahy and his wife Mary on the birth of their baby daughter Sadhbh, a little sister for MaryAnne, John and Jennifer. John had to dash away from the Eclipse trip in the middle of the night when Mary went into labour, but he saw more of the Eclipse than the rest of us.

The sun was shining in Drogheda, he has the photographs to prove it !.

The afternoon saw us visiting Mizen head where the unmanned lighthouse has been turned into a tourist attraction. The rock folding taken from the bridge to the lighthouse illustrates the stresses which caused formation of the mountains and valleys of west Cork and Kerry.

Bronze Age Mining on Mount Gabriel

The morning after the Eclipse saw a bunch of intrepid travellers scaling the misty slopes of Mount Gabriel in our search for evidence of our early ancestors. It was boggy underfoot on the lower slopes and as we squelched our way heavenwards, sometimes crawling under barbed wire, the mists began to clear until eventually the sun came out. We stopped at a tiny but deep hole in the landscape and marvelled at the cramped conditions our predecessors must have worked in. There were several mines cut into the hillside in a relatively small area, probably following the seam, and as we searched around in the undergrowth, and listened to our leaders, we could almost imagine ourselves back in time, bent over double, mining the copper.

The method of extraction, having found a likely seam, was to light a fire with wood and twigs and, using rounded pebbles from the beach which we could glimpse away in the distance, to hammer out bits of the seam containing the mineral. The charcoal remains have been analysed and identified as birch or hazel, suggesting that some early form of coppicing provided a regular supply of fuel for their fires. A really interesting little interlude!

The journey back down was uneventful - unless you followed Brendan. He had us crossing hummocky ‘break yer ankles’ terrain and scaling vertical rockfaces with hardly a handhold. However, there were no casualties - except for the poor American tourist who was tightly stuck in one of Southern Ireland’s specialities - a tiny but lethal roadside ditch! You have been warned!!