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Wilderland has two websites, one always-on, higher resolution website that is heavier to run, and one experimental, situated site, that is solar powered, and in the Nephin Park
The solar site might not always be on or available, it also has other quirks, and will be slower. Adjust your expectactions for this Permacomputing + Small Web alternative.
Half the park is after dark.
After dark, Wild Nephin National Park becomes Mayo Dark Sky Park, Ireland’s first International Dark Sky Park. Nestled between the remote Nephin Mountain Range and the unspoiled Atlantic coastline, the Dark Sky Park extends across an area of 150km2 and its borders encompass the entire lands of Wild Nephin.
Mayo Dark Sky Park is officially certified as a Gold Tier standard International Dark Sky Park, the highest possible accolade, meaning it is internationally recognised as one of the best places in the world to view the wonders of the night, and showcases some of the darkest, most pristine skies in the world.
A Dark Sky Park is more than just dark, it is a place where exceptional starry skies are protected and valued as an important educational, cultural, scenic and natural resource. By protecting our dark skies we help ecosystems and wildlife, attract off-season tourism and reduce our carbon footprint.
Clear unpolluted skies are now a rarity - the Milky Way is so obscured by the effects of modern lighting that it is no longer visible to over 50% of Irish people - and that figure is even higher for North America and mainland Europe.
Wilderland's artists are engaging with Mayo DSP to develop works exploring dark skies, from astronomy and light pollution, to biodiversity at night and our experience of the darkness in both wild nature and urban settings.. Through creative public engagement and collaborative public artworks in the community, they are helping to raise awareness for the Dark Sky Park's aims and share its passion for the pristine night skies of Mayo with as many people as possible.
Find out more about the Dark Sky Park and how you and your community can help combat light pollution on the Mayo Dark Sky Park website.
And you can follow our artists' activities on their individual and project pages on this website, and see all our Dark Sky events and workshops on our events page.
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Mayo DSP holds the Mayo Dark Sky Festival each year on the first weekend of November, to celebrate all facets of Mayo’s natural dark skies. Organised by the Friends of Mayo Dark Skies, it takes place in the communities around the Dark Sky Park – Newport, Mulranny and Ballycroy.
The festival covers all themes connected with dark skies including astronomy, culture, wellbeing and biodiversity, as we learn more about the impacts of light pollution on all of these areas of our lives.
This year’s festival takes place from the 31st October - 2nd November 2025, offering talks, walks, exhibitions, performances and family friendly events in a warm and welcoming environment.
You can find out more and book tickets on the festival website.
In 2025, Mayo Dark Sky Park and Dark Sky Ireland are co-hosting the ALAN Conference, a multidisciplinary, international conference on artificial light at night and its impact on biodiversity, cultural science, and human wellbeing.
ALAN is the largest international scientific conference on the impacts of artificial light at night, covering the topics of biology & ecology, governance & regulation, health, measurement & modeling, social sciences and humanities, and technology & design.
Find out more on the ALAN website.