Founded in Arizona in 1988, the IDA was set up by two astronomers to protect night environments from skyglow – excessive, artificial light directed upwards into the sky. Globally, light pollution has increased by at least 49% over 25 years. Amidst mounting concern from ecologists and astronomers in the 1980s, the IDA was the first recognised authority in the dark sky movement and remains the largest today. The body has supported applications in 49 countries, from Japan to Hungary. It now counts more than 190 sites in its dark sky program, protecting over 110,000sq km (42,471sq miles) of dark places around the globe, including dark sky reserves, parks, islands and sanctuaries.
Ireland is home to two Dark Sky Parks and one Dark Sky Reserve, all accredited by the International Dark Sky Association, a non-profit organization which aims to protect the night-time environment and dark skies. All three have achieved rare gold Tier status by ensuring a certain level of darkness and this recognizing them as being some of the best places in the world to view the night sky.
Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve, which was accredited in 2014, is Ireland’s first Dark Sky Reserve. It incorporates a 270-square-mile area of County Kerry, including the Ring of Kerry and part of the Wild Atlantic Way. Mayo Dark Sky Park, accredited in 2016 IS nestled between the Nephin Mountain Range and the Atlantic coastline and extends over roughly 60 square miles of Wild Nephin National Park while OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory, a 3,700-acre area located in Davagh Forest in the Sperrin Mountains, received accreditation in 2020. Several more groups are aspiring to get Dark Sky status, but proving night skies are pristine or up to the standard of IDA accreditation is no easy feat. It can take up to seven years to achieve dark sky status and each group has to undertake regular sky quality assessments, that involved submitting light meter readings in the darkest areas of their region.
