Newport is considered the gateway town to Mayo Dark Sky Park and has been a community host town to Mayo Dark Sky Festival since its inception. The town is becoming known as a dark sky destination, attracting a growing number of international visitors in winter months, boosting the local tourism economy during the off-season.
However, the growth of artificial light at night from the town has become a threat to the retention of the gold tier award and as a community group, the Friends of Mayo Dark Skies have sought to protect this natural asset by seeking expertise and obtaining funding to retrofit lighting in the town and in particular at St Patrick’s Church:
With funding from The Heritage Council, we have appointed the award-winning lighting designer Kerem Asforuglu for this project. Kerem has prepared outstanding visual images of how the church and grounds will look when the lighting concepts are fully implemented.
Key Project Phases:
Phase 1 – Completion by end October 2022
We will remove flood lighting and install heritage lanterns on the horizontal levels. The light emitted from these fixtures is non-glare and a softer tone.
Completion of this phase means the church tower will be unlit for a short period.
Phase 2 – Completion anticipated end May 2023
This phase focuses on architectural lighting in the tower, highlighting the features of its heritage with subtle lighting. We also plan to include a special timed feature to showcase the Harry Clarke stained glass window at night by discreetly projecting its image onto the horizontal plane.
Phase 2 will go to tender as soon as possible with expected completion in Spring 2023.
Phase 3 – date to be confirmed
Viaduct Bridge – We are awaiting news of a start date for phase 3, the award of a funding application.
For more information, contact Georgia MacMillan 086 859 5166