Dark skies designation could be a tourism winner for County Kerry

One of Ireland’s great strengths as a tourist attraction is what it does not have — a lot of people.

Ireland, for historical and economic reasons, is one of the most underpopulated countries in Europe. That brings its own disadvantages, but it also means that there are swathes of the western seaboard which are are largely uninhabited.

It is to the credit of the Kerry Dark Skies Association, the county council and Fáilte Ireland that they have spotted the opportunity which has led to the Iveragh Peninsula being designated a dark skies reserve.

To be designated as a gold tier dark sky nature reserve is something that many places aspire to, but few will ever achieve. There is simply too many people in the world and too much light pollution.

There are lots of dark places, but few that are really accessible like the Iveragh Peninsula is accessible.

Light pollution has obliterated the wonders of the night sky for most of the world’s population. Awareness of this is growing as is the potential for astrotourism.

Given the capricious nature of our weather, people will not necessarily come to Co Kerry for the pristine skies, but it can be a critical part of the mix.

The skies cost nothing and exploiting this priceless resource for tourism is relatively inexpensive if one has the vision to do it.

Proposals to build the Republic’s first planetarium and to locate public observatories show a desire to make this a place worth visiting in the future.

The people of Kerry have been tourism-savvy for generations. This is a great opportunity to create something special.