New club

HiJohn, Good to hear you have sttled in and your gear has arrived safely. I look forward to seeing the results as you further develop your AP skills.
That is some set up at the observing site. I wonder can you give any details as to how this was achieved e.g. does the club own the land/buildings/equipment,how are the operating costs managed etc? Any issues with security? SAC came very close to building it's own observatory on Gallows Hill in the early nineties, but security worries at that particular site caused it to be abandoned.
In 2004 SAC had an American astronomer (cannot recall his name) who made contact with the club when he was in Limerick region and he gave a talk at a club meeting which included images of the San Diego club site (in the mountains and well away from the city) that was similar to what your new club has but did not have all of the creature comforts you describe. They did have individual secure lock up buildings to house their scopes.

Site looks fab!
Would be great to have something like that here.

Hi Conn

The land is leased from the local council but its on a national park area. The club gives educational talks and observing session to the public there so there is some form of concession. The buildings are paid for by the club using membership fees and charges for public evenings. Security doesn't seem to be an issue and there are scope permamnetly stored there , including an 18" dob and an old 8" refractor.
It would be nice if IFAS had a national observing site somewhere central , say in the midlands. Maybe there is some grant funding available if part of it is used for educating the public.

Hi John, Thanks for the info ... I was just curious as to how it was done. I agree that it would be a terrific thing if such a set up existed in Ireland. I suspect that such a project is probably beyond the wherewithal of an individual club and of course the uncertainty of clear nights is a very discouraging factor. Enjoy your new facilities to the full.