Galway Starparty 2012 U-turn

Ronan, if there are IFAS clubs who want to run an IFAS starparty, I dont think anyone in SAC would object or try to quash it,
If people want to go ahead with such an event, we have no problem with that.
As for each club participating equally in it, if thats the rule for organising it then it'll never realistically happen, can you really expect every club to donate time/people to such an event equally ??
There has to be a genuine interest in those running it for it to succeed.

As for the whirlpool been called a starparty, it was never a tag I was comfortable with especially as the light pollution got worse over the years. Lets face it, it was a conferance with observing in some badly light polluted skies, it wasnt always like that. Another celtic tiger hangover.


WSP subcommittee, Yea, how could I ever forget that, an unmitigated disaster and absolutely not the way to go.

John, the WSP was tried again in 2010, not by SAC and it was a financial fiasco, SAC was completely vindicated in dropping it in 2008 after seeing what happened in 2010.

Weather is always an issue in this part of the world, so it does seem that most people in IFAS who go to events are far more interested in conferances. Thats not knocking anything, thats just an expression of what I see.

If the guys at SAC are not interested then I suppose it cant really happen, anyone from Midlands AC reading this as very quiet on the topic?,MAC-now holders of Ireland's only offical Starparty.

I think the thought of Cosmos being 'Ireland's only official star party' shouldn't be used. There never was an 'official' star party here. Unless you're the head of some Dublin-based Astronomy company could you use that term (under some charitable pretenses) and make the public believe you are Ireland's official astronomical anything. Whirlpool was credited with being Ireland's national star party in 1986 simply because it was the only one of its kind, that also became the longest-running one too, it was never 'official'.

Cosmos, born from the same fire as the Irish Astrofest in 1992, was to complement Whirlpool, each event being 6 months apart. Both were completely independent from each other with no responsibilities, only courtesy, extended to one another. The same for GSP (CSP) when it started in 2004.

When IFAS was born in 2002/3 it was deemed that the AGM would best suit the WSP because of the location (Birr), the time of year (autumn heading to a new year), as well as being Ireland's foremost annual astronomical event. Cosmos allowed an EGM to take place roughly 6 months later to keep IFAS Council Members in touch at a second face to face event and keep the IFAS treadmill going. When WSP finished in 2008, Cosmos picked up the role as AGM venue in 2009, still because of its long-standing nature in Irish astronomy and its location (Tullamore).

My own thoughts on an IFAS-led event:
Any club, anywhere in Ireland, can do it's own thing and call it a star party, conference, observing session or whatever, and aim it at national level. To do one that is IFAS-led would prove difficult due to time management concerning a potentially large amount of people spread all across the country - and that would happen if all 2 Reps from each club got involved - and keep things on track running smoothly. Otherwise, I think you would get the same ol' same ol' people doing the work, voluntarily of course, and appear that a clique exists and a lack of proper committee involvement is seen. IFAS can do without the aggro of such drab consequences among its ranks (not that it would be an inevitability, but it would appear likely to happen). You all know how tedious it can get at times when you have your own club committee working in the background for such large events.

IFAS participates in a small but recognised way in SolarFest each summer. IFAS encourages its member clubs to exploit this website to their individual gain to promote their events, whatever they are, for the betterment of the astronomical experience in Ireland. IFAS committe members do the work of acquiring funds to be shared equally among its member clubs through Discover Science & Engineering Ireland and channels leading to UNESCO for IYA and 100 Hours events in the past 2 years. And since 2004 with this website, IFAS leads the way for the only internationally-recognised (though not official, of course) online portal for chatting, sharing, swapping, selling, posting, constructing, deconstructing, helping and promoting the hobby of Astronomy in Ireland.

I don't think an IFAS-led event is crucial to how things are done here!

Seanie.

In a way guys, IFAS already runs cross country simultaneous starparties in the form of Global Astronomy Month, International Observe the Moon night and so on (thanks Deirdre for pushing these and making us all aware of the events).
I think if we had more of these, that would be a great way to go.

Now that's a very good point indeed!

What about a social event?
I've seen lots of 'tweetups' (for the tweeps)
and the like...
would an annual IFAS meetup of some kind
be as much a hassle?

Frank_Ryan_jr wrote: Now that's a very good point indeed!

What about a social event?
I've seen lots of 'tweetups' (for the tweeps)
and the like...
would an annual IFAS meetup of some kind
be as much a hassle?

I wouldn't think so. I would suggest it simply take the format of:

1. Nominate a venue (pub or licensed restaurant) in a location easy to get to (regardless of its co-ordinates, and this can be rotated every e.g. 5/6 months)
2. Designate a person to take requests for bookings via PM on this site or by SMS/phonecall.
3. Meet on aforementioned date at aforementioned location, B&B stay optional.
4. Everyone pay for themselves, partners and friends welcome, get sloshed, have fun, and watch the stars from the sidewalk while lying on your back after last orders. :whistle:

Sounds like an easy plan - well done Frank for taking this on! :silly:

Seanie.

*Nods*

wha!?!?
:smashpc:


:laugh: