Long Summer Days and Dark Night Skies

When planning a day out on the water, bear in mind the long days of the Irish summer. In mid-May the sun rises at 5:40 am and doesn’t set until 9:29 pm, while by July the sun is rising at 5:24 and setting at 9:59. The light will linger for another hour or so on clear evenings.

Once the sun has set, you will be beneath some of the clearest night skies in Europe—providing the mist holds off. Southwest Kerry is recognized as the Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve due to the lack of light pollution in the area, and in 2014 the reserve achieved Gold Tier status, representing the highest level of darkness and greatest visibility of night-sky features. Over the Ring of Kerry an unusual array of phenomena are visible, including a great view of the Milky Way. Anyone with even a slight knowledge of astronomy will be thrilled at the array of stars.