From left; Moira Murrell, Chief Executive of Kerry County Council, Joan McCarthy, Head of Tourism Development, Abbey Cummings, Tourism Unit, and John Griffin, County Tourism Officer launching the astronomy course taking place this weekend.
IF you happen to be in the South Kerry area this weekend and looking for something to do, there will be an astronomy course for buddying star gazing guides held in the The Royal Hotel, Valentia, which commences at 6pm on Friday and continues until lunchtime on Sunday.
South Kerry is one of only three designated gold-tier Dark Sky Reserves in the world, with up to 6,000 stars visible to the naked eye on a clear night. Star gazing is becoming an increasingly popular pastime and it follows on from the success of the ‘Star Power’ workshop that took place in in Coláiste na Sceilge, Cahersiveen, before Christmas.
The course is being delivered by University College Cork and the Cork Institute of Technology and iss an approved UCC accredited course. It is assumed that participants have little or no prior knowledge of astronomy.
Brendan Touhy, Chairman of Kerry County Council’s Destination Kerry Tourism Forum, said: “This affords Kerry a great opportunity to attract new visitors, especially over the winter months, and locals need to be skilled and equipped to maximise its potential.”
A small number of spaces are still available and people can book online (cost of €50 including lunch on Saturday) at: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/star-power-astronomy-course-tickets-21519850452
