Tipperary ecovillage’s new 'dark sky lighting' sets Irish precedent in environmental welfare

A small community in Cloughjordan, North Tipperary this week celebrated the launch of their new smart lighting system, setting a precedent for community lighting nationwide. With special downlit poles and bollards, dimmable warm coloured LEDs and limited light-up hours, the system minimises artificial light pollution and disturbance to nocturnal creatures, like bats and moths.

Lighting designer Kerem Asfuroglu said: “The lighting design here is an important precedent for Ireland where communities and authorities work together to protect their dark skies and environmental resources through the use of considerate design and latest technology. The design responds to seasonal variations in daylight hours, as well as human and bat activity.”

Nigel Quinlan, chair of Sustainable Projects Ireland - the educational charity behind Cloughjordan’s Ecovillage, said: “Shining at times almost as low as moonlight, our new lights help us walk and cycle in comfort and safety at night, while preserving the darkness so many creatures need to live and thrive, while not obstructing our view of the galactic immensity above and around us, and all the things it inspires in our hearts and our minds.”

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The lighting system has been installed by the community in order to fulfill a condition of planning permission. Encouraged by a local group of avid stargazers, residents were determined to strive for a Dark Sky friendly set up. When ecological surveys revealed that eight of Ireland's nine native bat species forage in the ecovillage, and 62 moth species were recorded in one night, the community committed to protecting nocturnal biodiversity too.

“Our new lights are the result of a wonderful collaborative effort between those of us who live here, our lighting designer and consultant engineer, Tipperary County Council public lighting engineers, electrical installers, lamp makers and bat and moth specialists,” said Quinlan.

Michael Tierney, public lighting engineer with Tipperary County Council commended the system saying it was very advanced.“We hope that we can work together in the future to implement what you find here into what we do across the county.”

The new lightbulbs have a much warmer light colour (of 2200K) than the 2700K to 4000K which are standard in other estates. The ecovillage system is fitted with motion sensors, dimming and internal lightbulb louvres to minimise light usage and trespass and enable adaptation through the seasons.

During the summer the lights won’t come on at all. When Asfuroglu told this to a recent bat-focussed conference in Belfast the audience of ecologists gasped. It's a bat lover's dream to have artificial light free summer nights!

Dr Niamh Roche of Bat Conservation Ireland said: “We hope that local authorities and developers will look to Cloughjordan Ecovillage as an example for how to minimise light pollution, protect bats, and still keep everyone safe.”

“It has been empowering to be able to influence such an infrastructure project in such a positive way,” said Quinlan. “It’s heartening too that warmer coloured lights were installed for the recent lighting refurbishment in Cloughjordan as a whole.”

AL Read was the installation contractor. The dark sky streetlights were provided by lighting manufacturer Urbis Schreider and the bollards were donated by Heper. “All three companies went above and beyond in ensuring we reached our ambitious goals,” said Quinlan.

The lighting system was funded by the Department of the Environment's Community Climate Action Programme.