Northern Lights Ireland: Where, When + How to See Them

Yes, you can see the Northern Lights in Ireland, but several factors need to fall into place for them to be visible.

In order to see Aurora Borealis in Ireland, geomagnetic activity needs to reach a certain level and the skies need to be clear of both cloud and light pollution.

• When they’re visible: Between October and April
• The best place to see them: From Ireland’s north and west coast

How to see the Northern Lights in Ireland

It’s worth taking 20 seconds to read the points below, first, as they’ll get you up-to-speed quickly:

1. How they form

The Northern Lights are formed when charged particles collide with the earth’s magnetic field causing the release of energy in the form of light. The light varies in colour depending on the type of particles. For example, oxygen molecules deliver a greeny/yellow colour.

2. The best time to see them

The best time to see the Northern Lights in Ireland is between October and April. Aurora activity requires specific conditions to take place along with clear skies. Peak time for the Northern Lights is between 00:00 and 02:00.

3. Where is the best place to see the Northern Lights in Ireland?

The Northern Lights are at their most visible in areas with very low levels of light pollution when skies are clear from cloud. Parts of Ireland’s west and north coast, like the Inishowen and Mullet Peninsulas, provide some of the best opportunities to see Aurora activity, according to Met Éireann.

4. Monitoring their visibility

There are several ways to know if Aurora Borealis is visible tonight. The first is by proactively monitoring the swpc.noaa.gov website. You can also use a free or paid alert service (info below).

How to know when Aurora Borealis is visible in Ireland

More often than not, people trying to see the Northern Lights in Northern Ireland and the Republic are left disappointed.

However, on those special occasions when the weather in Ireland is just right, an experience like no other takes place.

Here’s a quick checklist that explains very clearly how to know when the Northern Lights are visible.

1. The right solar conditions are key

In order to be able to see Aurora Borealis in Ireland, geomagnetic activity needs to reach a certain level.

This level is measured on a scale of 0 to 9 with a Kp number. In a nutshell, the higher the Kp number is, the larger the Aurora is.

A very handy resource is the swpc.noaa.gov website. The have a scale that’ll show you how likely it is that Aurora will be visible.

2. Clear skies are essential

Let’s just say there’s the right solar conditions for seeing the Northern Lights in Ireland tonight.

Don’t get too excited just yet. Clouds can (and often do) hamper many quests to see Aurora Borealis.

It’s worth checking this page (it’s updated every 15 minutes) on the Irish National Meteorological Service’s website as it shows very clearly what the cloud cover is like.

3. Get to an area with low light pollution after midnight

The final step, once conditions are right, to seeing the Aurora Borealis in Ireland is to get to an area facing northward with very little light pollution.

I’ve stuck a map of the locations below (scroll down a bit) but arguably the best place to see the Northern Lights is the west and north coast.

4. Use an alert service

There are a number of different ways that you can get notified when the Northern Lights are visible in Ireland.

If you use Twitter, there’s the Aurora Alerts Ireland. This is an active account dedicated to providing updates. Another good Twitter account is Alan O’Reilly’s Carlow Weather.

If you aren’t on Twitter, this monitoring app allows you to select your location and see how likely it is that Aurora will be visible.

Parts of Ireland where the Northern Lights are visible

We get emails constantly asking what is the best place to see the Northern Lights in Ireland. The map above will give you an insight into the places that Aurora Borealis is most frequently visible from.

Counties Donegal, Antrim, Sligo and Mayo are the key areas, however, the lights have been visible from many other places in Ireland, as you’ll see below.

County Donegal

You can see the Northern Lights in Donegal reasonably frequently. Some of the most common places they can be seen are from the Fanad Peninsula, the Inishowen Peninsula and the Rosguil Peninsula.

You’ll often see photos of the Northern Lights at Malin Head (Inishowen) – the most northerly point in Ireland.

County Mayo

If you’re looking to see the Northern Lights in Mayo, your best bet is to head to either Achill Island (Minaun Heights, in Particular) or to the North Mayo Coast.

Places like the Mullet Peninsula, Downpatrick Head or any location along the north coast with little/no light pollution are all great vantage points.

County Sligo

There have been regular sightings of the Northern Lights in Sligo in recent years, most frequently from the Mullaghmore Peninsula.

Mullaghmore is a little peninsula a short drive from Sligo Town with some great viewpoints facing northwards.

Northern Ireland

You tend to see the Northern Lights in Northern Ireland from the Antrim Coast (Dunluce Castle, the Giant’s Causeway and Whiterocks Beach, in particular).

Aurora Borealis has also been seen from parts of County Tyrone as recent as March of 2023.

County Dublin

It’s very, very rare that you’ll see any trace of the Northern Lights in Dublin, however, some news outlets online would lead you to believe otherwise.

The most recent sighting of Aurora Borealis in Dublin was in early 2023, with travellers aboard flights from Dublin to the UK posting photos of the sky above the capital alight.

County Kerry

Although rare, it has been possible to see the Northern Lights in Kerry in recent years. Ideally, you’d want to be in the Dark Sky Reserve and facing north.

Another possible location would be from Valentia Island where light pollution is very low.

County Galway

Although it’s reasonably rare to see the Northern Lights in Galway, it can be visible there at certain times, usually from parts of Connemara.

In recent years, it was visible in Spiddal, Moycullen and the Mutton Island Causeway.

County Cork

In 2023 those lucky enough to live in parts of West Cork were treated to an eyeful of the Northern Lights.

It was also visible from Cloughduv, not far from Cork City.

More Irish bucket list experiences

If you’ve had a nosey at the Northern Lights and you fancy tackling some other bucket list experiences, here are several to try:

• The highest cliffs in Ireland
• The highest mountain in Ireland
• The Kerry Dark Sky Reserve
• The best things to do in Ireland