Search
27 Sept 2025
Search
27 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Some of the attendees at the important meeting, including (front row l. to r.) Lady and Lord Rosse and Archbishops John McDowell and Eamon Martin.
BIRR Castle Demesne hosted the Strategic Oversight Board of the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland on 11th September for their annual general meeting.
Among those attending were the Most Revd John McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh, and the Most Revd Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh, who led an Ecumenical Prayer Service set against the inspiring backdrop of the Great Telescope, known as the Leviathan, which was designed and built by the Third Earl of Rosse in 1845.
The gathering celebrated the shared heritage of the AOI’s historic sites, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Birr Castle Demesne, and Dunsink Observatory, and strengthened their united effort in the pursuit of UNESCO World Heritage status.
The partnership was formally recognised as a Shared Island initiative by the Republic of Ireland Government on 20 February 2024.
READ NEXT: Offaly site to be added to World Heritage Tentative List for Ireland
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
