The SDAS has been in existence for the last 15 years or so and has had some terrific meetings, great get-togethers, and a shared sense of astronomy being fun. I now feel it is time for the Society to move on to the next level.
We've only ever had one AGM as such and that was in the dim and distant past when I was elected Chairperson. For a long time there has been no Committee and in fact, people didn't want the formality of club rules and regulations getting in the way of actually doing astronomy.
Despite this loose structure having worked, I feel that the Society should offer more. Some people have come forward to help the last few years but for one reason or another I couldn't actually get myself organised to put a proper structure in place to run the meetings, maintain our web page, coach beginners, and run observing nights, amongst other things a club should be doing.
To this end, I am proposing that anyone who is currently on the SDAS mailing list and who wishes to join an astronomy club should join the Irish Astronomical Society. I spoke with their Committee a few times recently and they are delighted to welcome the SDAS into the IAS. They have offered a membership fee of 20 euro which is a reduction on their normal subscription and I am very appreciative of this gesture. The IAS web page is
irishastrosoc.org/wp/
The IAS have an active membership and a committee structure that will enable much more to be accomplished. They also have a regular newsletter and will continue with the regular monthly meetings that they have shared with the SDAS the last couple of years. These talks will return to the original Dublin city centre venue for the IAS lectures of Ely House in Ely Place next September.
The SDAS will no longer officially exist as an astronomy club from June 1st but Gonzaga College will host at least two IAS meetings during the year. We also plan to continue with the Ethnea and Michael Cummins memorial lecture in Gonzaga and a number of ideas for a speaker for 2014 are being mooted.
Gonzaga have a school astronomy club and there are beginners classes planned for 2014 along with the occasional workshop/practical meetings that will be held in the College. The school's recent acquisition of a 12-inch Meade SCT will enable us continue the excellent relationship between Dublin-based astronomy clubs and the College. I'd like to thank the staff of Gonzaga College, and in particular Joe O'Briain, Kevin Whirdy, the Jesuit Community, and former Principal Patrick Potts, for the use of the College for SDAS meetings over the last decade.
My own plans the next while is to focus on two big astronomy projects -- one that has been slowly simmering the last 18 months or so while the other is a more recent idea which could prove quite exciting but will require a lot of time and development.
Finally, I'd like to once again thank the IAS and their Committee for the warm welcome they are extending to the SDAS.
John (Flannery)
SDAS
  