John Nooney hosted an event for the eclipse at Clonkill Observatory.
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John Nooney hosted an event for the eclipse at Clonkill Observatory.
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John Nooney of Clonkill Observatory projected an image of the eclipse to a screen, so visitors could see it safely.
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John Root sent in this photo with this note: ‘Padraig Killduff brought along his four-inch refracting telescope to give a safe image on a white board. The photos include one of maximum coverage of the sun with a camera filter (see above right).’
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John Root sent in this photo, taken at Lough Ennell.
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By Karen Cunningham from Rochfortbridge; she didn’t realise the bird was in the photo till she looked at if afterwards.
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Sandra Griffith viewed the eclipse using a colander.
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By Julieann McCormack Cahill.
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This is how Adrian Dunne viewed the eclipse.
Published:
Wed 19 Aug 2026, 4:00 PM
John Nooney of Clonkill Observatory doesn’t do as many public events as he once did, but he decided he couldn’t miss the solar eclipse last week, and opened up to guests so they could observe it safely and enjoy the benefit of his years of experience.
John’s main interest is telescopes and building them, more than the spin-off from using them, he told the Westmeath Examiner. He started building his observatory in 1968, and he has run it as an “educational facility to help inform people of matters pertaining to all space related activities”.
Last week, John wanted to do something for the eclipse and posted a notice at the end of his drive so locals could call in on the evening. “I had a setup in the yard, a telescope, and fortunately I have that equipment. I showed a projected image of the sun on a screen as it was happening, and we also had goggles because looking at the sun is very dangerous – you have to emphasise that you could do harm so you have to protect your eyes.
“I’m delighted for all the people that came in, and especially the young people – the questions they ask, you know, it’s something that everybody’s interested in, but especially the younger people, because they wouldn’t have seen anything like that before. It was a totally new experience for them but they were well versed in it.”
Our readers have posted some brilliant photos on the Westmeath Examiner Facebook page, and this is just a selection.
Published:
Wed 19 Aug 2026, 4:00 PM