Northern Lights Illuminate Skies Over North Ulster

The Aurora Borealis lit up the skies across north Ulster on Monday night into Tuesday morning, thanks to partial clearing of cloud cover.

The video below, captured at Fort Dunree near Buncrana on County Donegal’s Inishowen Peninsula, features footage from a YouTube livestream hosted by Adam Porter Photography.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center had earlier issued a geomagnetic storm watch, warning of potential aurora displays.

NOAA explained that the storm had been caused by a “symmetric full-halo Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)”, an eruption of solar material and magnetic fields from the Sun.

Typically confined to polar regions near the Arctic and Antarctic, the Northern Lights have recently been visible much farther south due to heightened solar storm activity. One of the most remarkable displays in Ireland in recent years occurred in May 2024, when the aurora was visible across the entire island.

According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the best times to view the Northern Lights are shortly after sunset or just before sunrise, under dark and cloudless skies.

Although Ireland isn’t widely known for aurora sightings, they are possible under the right conditions, especially from October to April. The west and north coasts offer the best opportunities, thanks to lower levels of light pollution. Displays are most commonly visible between 9:00 PM and 2:00 AM.

As the northernmost point in Ireland, the Inishowen Peninsula is considered one of the country’s prime viewing spots. Elsewhere, chances of seeing the aurora with the naked eye are relatively rare.

This year, Earth has experienced an uptick in solar activity as Solar Cycle 25 reaches its peak. Solar Cycle 25, the 25th solar cycle since 1755, began in December 2019. It was initially predicted to be a relatively weak cycle. However, solar activity has been stronger than anticipated, with sunspot numbers reaching 115 by July 2025, marking the peak of the cycle.

This increase in solar activity led to more frequent and intense solar events, including solar flares and CMEs. Such events not only produce visual spectacles but can also have impacts on satellite operations, GPS signals, and power grids, though such disruptions are unlikely at the current predicted levels.