Solar Eclipse Viewing and Live-Stream, Ballycroy Visitor Centre

What to Expect

Ballycroy Visitor Centre, in Wild Nephin National Park, hosts a sunset solar eclipse viewing and live-stream event on Wednesday 12 August 2026, running from 5pm to 9pm. Visitors get an in-person view of the sunset eclipse as it reaches near-totality, at around 94 percent, from one of Mayo’s official Dark Sky Park locations, alongside a live-stream of the total eclipse being seen elsewhere in the world. Ronan Newman, founder of Irish Astronomy Week, gives an informative presentation putting the event in context, with organisers noting it is a genuinely rare opportunity - Ireland will not see another solar eclipse like it until 2090. Eclipse glasses are provided on-site so visitors can view the phenomenon safely, and parental supervision is required for children attending.

Mayo Dark Sky Park, centred on Wild Nephin National Park and the Ballycroy area, is one of only a handful of internationally recognised dark sky places in Ireland, and its visitor centre regularly runs talks and observation events that make the most of the area’s exceptionally low light pollution. Because this particular eclipse reaches near-totality rather than full totality from Mayo, the visitor centre’s decision to pair the live in-person viewing with a live-stream of the full eclipse elsewhere gives attendees the chance to see both the local sky effect and the complete phenomenon on the same evening, guided throughout by an astronomer rather than left to interpret the event unaided.

Good to Know

• Date and time: Wednesday 12 August 2026, 5:00pm to 9:00pm
• Venue: Ballycroy Visitor Centre, Wild Nephin National Park, Co. Mayo
• Speaker: Ronan Newman, founder of Irish Astronomy Week
• Eclipse coverage: near-totality, approximately 94 percent, visible at sunset
• Booking required, spaces limited - reserve via the Eventbrite listing
• Eclipse glasses provided; parental supervision required for children
• Contact: 098 49 888 or mayodarkskypark@npws.gov.ie

Getting There

Ballycroy Visitor Centre is on the N59 between Newport and Bangor Erris, in the heart of Wild Nephin National Park and the Mayo Dark Sky Park. There is on-site car parking, though the centre is remote, so allow extra driving time from Castlebar or Westport, both around 45-60 minutes away.