ann18038 — Announcement
Irish Membership of ESO Approved by ESO Council
6 June 2018: On 6 June 2018, at its meeting in Garching, Germany, ESO’s governing body, the Council, unanimously approved the accession of Ireland into ESO. The ESO Director General, Xavier Barcons, now has the green light to proceed to sign the Accession Agreement with representatives of the Irish government, which is expected later in the year. Once Dáil Éireann (the Irish Parliament) ratifies the Accession Agreement Ireland will become ESO’s 16th Member State. Ireland has a long tradition in astronomy and a vibrant research community, which has supported ESO membership for many years. For several decades in the nineteenth century, Ireland hosted the world’s largest telescope — the Leviathan of Parsonstown — a 1.8-metre reflecting telescope at Birr Castle. The grounds of Birr Castle are now home to I-LOFAR, the Irish link to a Europe wide low-frequency radio telescope. Around 200 researchers currently work in major astronomy and astrophysics disciplines, in nine ...