hi folks,
your e-mail signature brought a wry smile to my face Shane -- well done on conquering Leinster and best of luck for the All-Ireland ...
without beating about the bush, the "other one" is Astronomy Ireland and I guess them not being part of IFAS is the tricky business of whether it's a club or a business. The IFAS constitution is quite clear on the requirements for clubs and the set conditions exclude AI. It's unfortunate as we are all in the same hobby but it's got to be that way at the moment.
I'd rather too that this mail does not generate a heated discussion about AI like what happened before on the Yahoo group and led to accusations and counter-accusations. So, we'll just leave the topic of them at that.
I, along with the IAS, were closely tied to the Trinity group when they were active though they seem to have gone fairly quiet recently. My involvement was at the time that there were regular lectures, an Astronomy and Space Week which included a visit by a Nasa astronaut. I bumped into one of their founder members recently and must check with him as to what's happening. We have asked them a few times if they were interested in affiliating to IFAS but nothing so far.
there are a number of other groups I know of that are not in IFAS but are start-up clubs in schools though one of the most active is Gonzaga College in Dublin. The school club has close links with the South Dublin Astronomical Society. Some of the Gonzaga guys are keen to come down to Birr this year.
as well, the IFAS newsletter Arcturus is circulated to individuals on e-mail so word does get around about the organisation and reaches people who may not have an astronomy club in their locality.
another group I was wondering about was West Cork who were based in Schull. Anyone know anything about them?
John F.
  