TAS day trip to Birr Castle Demesne - Sun July 15th

Hi folks,

just a late invitation extension to you all. TAS is going for an informal day out in the grounds of Birr Castle tomorrow (Sunday). Anyone is welcome to come along, bring the family (the more the merrier, as it will mean a discount!). We are encouraging a packed lunch so that we may take advantage of a picnic area at some stage.

We are meeting at the main entrance (away from the older main gate) at 12:30pm. Wear comfortable clothing, bring a brolly just in case, and we hope to see you there! Just in case, my mobile for contact is 087 6825910.

Seanie.

A tip for all visiting Birr castle with children.

When you go to the telescope make sure that you approach it in a direction where the kids cannot see the lake and the ducks. The ducks will win out all the time.

Seanie,

Wish I could have tagged along more but as I said we had to get away quickly but at least I finally got to see how big 36 inches really is. I actually forgot to bring a camera though .

Seanie,

Wish I could have tagged along more but as I said we had to get away quickly but at least I finally got to see how big 36 inches really is. I actually forgot to bring a camera though .

36 inches? I could have shown you that myself! The scope is actually 72 inches in diameter Kieran! It was nice to have you down. We had some spectacular weather all day. It didn't rain till Dee and I got back to Tullamore just before 6pm.

The flowers were in full bloom, with some very rare specimens pointed out by our in-house team of conservationists and expert gardeners, Maire and Girvan McKay, and Denise Matthews. John Flannery was always ready with the DSLR to snap something, accompanied by a Dunnes Stores bag, soemtimes swaying to the tune of "Of aurorae, where art all of thou gone to...". :lol:

It was a god trip, with the eventual picnic by the lake with countless ducks. John Flannery, again, was experimenting the relationship between ducks and Original Flavour Hoola Hoops - and you know what? There is a relationship!

Thanks to those who came (11 in total). Most spoke about doing it again, and try to get to see the other two thirds of the demesne next time!

Seanie.

Good to hear a great time was had by all. Couldn't go myself due to a family event, but I'm glad the weather stayed dry for you all.

Hi Seanie

Haven’t been in Birr castle demesne for ages, sounds like it was a good day out and you were all lucky with the weather. If there is any pics of the days event especially around the telescope would you consider posting? Wouldn’t mind going there next time, with a bit more notice of course .

What is the status of the leviathan, is it operational for astronomical observations, has it been used in this manner lately?

Clear skies
Mike

If there is any pics of the days event especially around the telescope would you consider posting? Wouldn’t mind going there next time, with a bit more notice of course .

The rolls of negative are currently in the photographers being processed (and backed up to CD too), so yes, I'll post a few when I get them! I know Flannery has tonnes of pictures he'll probably add to his flickr account in the next few days too.

What is the status of the leviathan, is it operational for astronomical observations, has it been used in this manner lately?

It is defunkt. It has not worked since I think 2002/03. It only worked for less than 2 years before the hydraulic mechanisms ceased functioning. More money is needed to get it fixed, but there is also a dispute going on about a 'warranty', as it was a specialist crowd from England that carried out the repairs (with renowned engineer Michael Tubridy). I am open to correction on some of this though.

Next time Mike, I'll give more notice on these boards if we do such an event. The reason I didn't was that the forecast was not supposed to be favourable, so I thought I'd keep it to the local members/society friends, instead of making those further afield possibly make a long trip that would thus not be worth it should the weather have failed. That's why I posted this thread a day before, as I was pretty sure about the weather being favourable.

The next 'big' thing to look forward to will be the annual TAS Perseids Star-B-Q in Tullamore on Saturday August 11th. Once we know more, you'll also know, and will be more than welcome to come down, camp-over included.

Seanie.