The British Astronomical Association (BAA) 2008 Out of London meeting is being held in conjunction with the Irish Astronomical Society at University College, Dublin (UCD).

Ireland uses the Euro (€) as its currency and the current exchange rate is around £1=€1.25. A good guide to Dublin with plenty of maps can be found on the Dublin tourist website.

Programme

The weekend starts with a trip to Birr Castle on Friday, September 5th to see the restored 72-inch Lord Rosse telescope followed by an evening visit to Dunsink Observatory. The main meeting on Saturday has a full programme of talks followed by a formal dinner and after-dinner talk by Leo Enright. Finally, on Sunday we are fortunate to have 40 places to visit the Newgrange Passage Tomb, a 5,000 year old monument which has many astronomical connections. Full details are on the Programme and booking form.

Venue

The Saturday meeting is being held in Theatre N, Newman Building, which is in the centre of the Belfield campus of University College Dublin. The Newman Building is location 39 on the campus map. The campus is around 3 miles southeast of Dublin city centre on the Stillorgan Road (N11). Buses take 20-30 minutes from the centre of Dublin and bus numbers 3, 10, 11B and 17 provide direct connections to the Belfield campus. Timetables are available from the Dublin Bus website. Simply enter the route number in the appropriate box.

Accommodation

Accommodation in Dublin is at a premium due to the All Ireland Hurling Final which is taking place at Croke Park on the Sunday. This means that it is important you book as early as possible.

The main hotel for the weekend is the Montrose. This hotel is just across the Stillorgan Road from the venue and it is the base for the coach trips. The BAA has negotiated a special rate of €129 per night for a twin room at this hotel. To book call the hotel on 00 353 1 269 3311 and quote reference BAA040908. If you search around on the web you may be able to book alternative rooms at this hotel more cheaply but these seem to come and go. The next nearest hotel on the same road is the Stillorgan Park Hotel a little further down the Stillorgan Road.

If you are travelling to the venue/Montrose by public transport we suggest that you book a hotel near to the 10 or 46B bus routes (see the Dublin Bus website for maps and details). These buses stop outside the Montrose and they run regularly from early in the morning until late at night. Hotels in the centre of Dublin near these routes would be a good choice. For example, low cost B&B is available from Mercer Court which offers student rooms in the centre of Dublin from €62 per night and which is a few minutes' walk from the bus routes.

Alternative hotel accommodation should be available via websites such as Dublin hotels and Ryanair. Many other options will be found by googling "Dublin hotels".

Once you have booked accommodation please let us know where you are staying by e-mailing us the details using this This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Travel to Dublin

There are many low-cost flights to Dublin from UK airports. For a selection go to the plan your trip page of the Dublin airport website.

Venue: University College, Dublin, Ireland.
Organisers: Hazel Collett, Nick James (BAA) and Deirdre Kelleghan (IAS)