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Upcoming talks in association with Dublin City Libraries
Bealtaine 09 Festival - All free events,but booking is necessary. 


May 6th 2009 Dolphins Barn Library 6:30pm 

Introduction to Amateur Astronomy in Ireland
-Deirdre Kelleghan 
Dolphin’s Barn Library, Parnell Road, Dublin 12 Tel. 454 0681, Email. dolphinsbarnlibrary@dublincity.ie


May 12th 2009 Ballymun Library 6:30 pm 

Introduction to Amateur Astronomy in Ireland 
- Deirdre Kelleghan
Ballymun Library, Main St., Ballymun, Dublin 1 Tel. 842 1890, Email. ballymunlibrary@dublincity.ie



Ireland and the Moon Landings: Some Personal Reminiscences Professor Denis O'Sullivan DIAS

Thursday 14th May 6.30pm Admission Free. Booking Essential.
An illustrated talk with Professor Denis O’Sullivan of NASA, on his work with the Apollo Missions, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Moon Landings in 1969. 
138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2
For booking contact: Dublin City Library and Archive, Tel. 01 6744873

25 April 2009 Personal Note: After the next AGM (on 27th April 2009) I am stepping down as Webmaster of this site after 10 years. I would like to thank all the readers and particularly those who contributed material for this site, John O'Neill.

Images of the M31 by John Murphy and the Moon by Liam Smyth.

An obituary for Prof. Tao Kiang (DIAS) appears in the Irish Times for 18th April 2009. Prof Kiang had a wide range of astronomical research, but had a particular interest in celestial mechanics and asteroids.

Deirdre Kelleghan has pictures of the recent IAS Star Party at Glendalough, Co Wicklow.

Orbit-Newsletter (published 31 March 2009) is available to IAS Members here.

New Members!: If you join now, your annual sub is good until 1st August 2010.

21 March 2009: A new version of out PDF Brochure/Application is available.

Our speaker for 20th April 2009 has been changed. See Meetings.

Our Annual Sky-High 2009 guide to the sky for 2009 is still available. Non-members may purchase it directly from us or from Eason's, O'Connell St., Dublin 1. (Members get it as a benefit of membership)

See details on our Publications page.

An obituary of our late honourary member Máire Brück (who died on Dec 11th, 2008) appears in the Irish Times for Saturday 24th January 2009.

Jan 2009: Some of the children's astronomical drawings from my "Deadly Moons" workshop generated in Blackrock Castle Observatory, Dublin schools, other rural schools, libraries and immigrants groups in Ireland are exhibited in UNESCO this week as part of the IAU-UNESCO Symposium on the 'Role of Astronomy in Society and Culture'. There is a news item about it on the UNAWE website.

Over 1000 children in Ireland have taken part in Deadly Moons in 2008. I will have some close up images soon. Here are a selection.

- Deirdre Kelleghan.

New DSLR Image of the Pleiades (M45) by John Murphy.

Jan 2009: The site has been reorganised with special pages for Dublin Sidewalk Astronomers and our activities in International Year of Astronomy 2009. Also Links updated.

26 Oct 2008: Binary Eclipser U Sge ephemeris updated.

An Asteroid has been discovered by Dave McDonald, Celbridge, Co Kildare. It's provisional designation is 2008 TM9. It is only the second asteroid discovered in Ireland, the first being 9 Metis back in 1848. 2008 TM9 is currently a very faint 20th magnitude object in Pegasus. We congratulate Dave on his discovery!

Dave will give a talk on his discovery to the Society in Feb. 2009.

The British Astronomical Association Out of London/ Irish Astromonical Society Joint Meeting was held in Dublin from 5-7th Sept 2008.

See photos of this very successful event.

Sketches and photo of the recent partial solar eclipse of 1 Aug 2008 by Deirdre Kelleghan.

Astro Sketching at Blackrock Castle Observatory, Cork.

Details of the Meetings Programme 2008/09 for the new session starting in September 2008.

From 24 July 2008: Site Maintenance, many files are being reorganised.

Annual Membership Renewal falls due on 1st August 2008 (this date is the start of our year). The membership fee is €45 (concession rate €36; family rate €55). Early renewal is appreciated and it facilitates the smooth running of the Society. Thank you if you have already renewed. Renewals include a copy of Sky-High 2009.

Please send your remittance to:
The Hon. Treasurer
Irish Astronomical Society
P.O. Box 2547
Dublin 14

New members are also welcome.

Student of affiliated College wins prize:

Ashley Haberland (age 10), a student of Saint Andrews Junior College in Blackrock, Co Dublin has won one of the prizes in the European Southern Observatory's Catch a Star 2008 Competition.

She did a beautiful water-colour painting of a nebula. Ashely's work was judged by astronomical artist Gary Harwood, a member of The International Association of Astronomical Artists.

Saint Andrews is affiliated to the IAS. Well done Ashley!

At the 70th AGM on 13th May 2008 a new Committee was elected. Also, the subscription rate remains unchanged in the coming year, starting 1st August 2008.

In the Shadow of the Moon special edition and new stunning images of the moon from JAXA (Japenese Space Agency) for school children.

If you are a secondary school teacher you may be fascinated to know that the IFI The Irish Film Institute are running a series of screenings around Ireland as part of their educational schedule. Contact details.

These screenings, which are country wide, are targeted toward leaving cert history students. The Apollo Programme is on the leaving cert paper, seeing this film would help students understand the achievements of these wonderful people in an historical context.

Check out the list of venues and check with the IFI to see if there are places available,indeed if there are any left at this time. It seems to be well booked by schools already. If you can not get connected with IFI this time around make sure to get on their mailing list for future educational events.

1 Jan 2008: Nova in Vulpecula. Details and Image.

Recently we celebrated our 70th Anniversary. The Society was founded on the 5^th October 1937.

An extensive history of the Society and Irish Astronomy
entitled Irish Astronomical Society - A History 1937-2006 has been published privately by James O'Connor. See details including an review and information on how to purchase a copy (directly from the author).

Society Visit to Newgrange

Saturday March 3rd 2007 was a beautiful spring day, many of us had not been to Newgrange for years. The visitors centre was outstanding, our guide from Duchas made it a very special visit by her passionate interest in this ancient sacred place.

Standing within the passage tomb, there was a marked stillness and we all came away with huge respect and admiration for our neolithic ancestors. A profound place for astronomers to visit, we were all keen to get back home to set ourselves up for the total lunar eclipse later on that evening.

In the photo (courtesy Deirdre Kelleghan) left to right is: John O'Neill, Deirdre Kelleghan, Catherine Chambers, Patricia Carroll, Elizabeth Caird, Tom Cormack and Carmel Cormack.

The Lindsay Centennial Symposium took place in Armagh on 26th January 2007 to honour Dr Eric Lindsay (1907-1974) who was a pivotal Director of Armagh Observatory (1937-1974) and founder of Armagh Planetarium (1968).

IAS (Honorary) Members Dr Maire Brück and James O'Connor, in separate talks, spoke on the early days of the IAS from the 1930s to the 1950s.

(photo by J.O'Neill)

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