39 towns · northern lights
Aurora towns in Ireland
Answer
Where the towns sit
Of the 24 indexed towns in Ireland, 24 sit between 55 and 60 degrees, where G1 (Kp 5) or less usually brings aurora into view.
Darkness and cloud
On December 15 the median town gets 14.9 hours of civil night. Letterkenny has the most at 15.2 hours and Cork the least at 14.7. Every town keeps some civil darkness through the June solstice.
NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 climatology puts median cloud amount in the dark months at 75%. Cork is clearest at 70% and Sligo cloudiest at 81%. These are all-hours averages for 1 degree cells, not forecasts.
Best month, town by town
Multiplying civil night by the clear share of the sky, November comes out best for 16 of the 24 towns and December for 8. SWPC notes a tendency toward larger storms near the equinoxes, which this score does not include.
Every town
| Town | Region | Dipole | Storm needed | Dec 15 night | Dark-month cloud | Best month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letterkenny | Ulster | 57.9° | G1 or less | 15.2 h | 79% | Dec |
| Sligo | Connacht | 57.3° | G1 or less | 15.1 h | 81% | Dec |
| Dundalk | Leinster | 56.8° | G1 or less | 15.0 h | 79% | Dec |
| Drogheda | Leinster | 56.5° | G1 or less | 15.0 h | 75% | Nov |
| Galway | Connacht | 56.5° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Navan | Leinster | 56.5° | G1 or less | 15.0 h | 75% | Nov |
| An Muileann gCearr | Leinster | 56.4° | G1 or less | 15.0 h | 75% | Nov |
| Athlone | Leinster | 56.4° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Balbriggan | Leinster | 56.3° | G1 or less | 15.0 h | 75% | Nov |
| Tullamore | Leinster | 56.2° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Swords * | Leinster | 56.2° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Maynooth * | Leinster | 56.2° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Malahide * | Leinster | 56.2° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Blanchardstown * | Leinster | 56.2° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Leixlip * | Leinster | 56.2° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Finglas * | Leinster | 56.1° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Lucan * | Leinster | 56.1° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Celbridge | Leinster | 56.1° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Dublin | Leinster | 56.1° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Tallaght * | Leinster | 56.1° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Rathfarnham * | Leinster | 56.1° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Ennis | Munster | 56.0° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 76% | Nov |
| Naas * | Leinster | 56.0° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Dún Laoghaire * | Leinster | 56.0° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Droichead Nua | Leinster | 56.0° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Sandyford * | Leinster | 56.0° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Portlaoise | Leinster | 56.0° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Bray | Leinster | 55.9° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Greystones * | Leinster | 55.9° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Nov |
| Limerick | Munster | 55.8° | G1 or less | 14.8 h | 76% | Nov |
| Carlow | Leinster | 55.7° | G1 or less | 14.9 h | 75% | Dec |
| Tralee | Munster | 55.6° | G1 or less | 14.8 h | 76% | Nov |
| Kilkenny | Leinster | 55.6° | G1 or less | 14.8 h | 75% | Dec |
| Cluain Meala | Munster | 55.4° | G1 or less | 14.8 h | 75% | Dec |
| Waterford, Munster | Munster | 55.2° | G1 or less | 14.8 h | 75% | Dec |
| Wexford | Leinster | 55.2° | G1 or less | 14.8 h | 75% | Dec |
| Ballincollig * | Munster | 55.0° | G1 or less | 14.7 h | 70% | Nov |
| Cork | Munster | 55.0° | G1 or less | 14.7 h | 70% | Nov |
| Douglas, Munster * | Munster | 55.0° | G1 or less | 14.7 h | 70% | Nov |
Regions
The towns fall in 4 first-level regions. Leinster has 28, Munster has 8, Connacht has 2, Ulster has 1. Regions with at least 5 indexed towns have their own page with three rankings.
- Leinster28 towns
- Munster8 towns
- Connacht2 towns
- Ulster1 towns
Questions
- Where in Ireland is best for the aurora?
- By geomagnetic latitude, Letterkenny at 57.9°. No town sits at 60 degrees or more, so every town needs some activity.
- Which town in Ireland has the longest December night?
- Letterkenny, with 15.2 hours of civil night on December 15.
- Which town in Ireland has the clearest dark season?
- Cork, with 70% mean cloud amount in the months with at least 4 hours of civil night (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020).
- What is the best month for aurora in Ireland?
- November for 16 of 24 towns, by civil night times the clear share of the sky. Each town page gives its own month.
Sources and verification
- GeoNames dump (CC BY 4.0)https://download.geonames.org/export/dump/
- IGRF-14, NOAA NCEIhttps://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/coeffs/igrf14coeffs.txt
- NASA POWER climatologyhttps://power.larc.nasa.gov/docs/services/api/temporal/climatology/
- NOAA SWPC, Aurorahttps://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/aurora
Quoted figures last checked against their sources on 2026-09-30; next review 2026-12-31. Computed figures come from SunCalc and the IGRF-14 dipole as described in the methodology. Every quote is listed in the sources ledger.