We welcome proposals from professional artists working in any discipline, including socially engaged, interdisciplinary, collaborative and co-creative arts practices. Artists can choose to develop their body of work individually, collaboratively, and or through co-creation with communities of place or interest during their residency.

This residency will suit an independent artist who is comfortable in wild nature and wants to develop their work through sensitive engagement with this unique environment. 

The Mayo Dark Sky Park accommodation is in a remote location, 12km from the nearest town. 

The artist will need a car, driver’s license and insurance, as public transport options are limited and the park covers a large area with significant distances between sites of engagement. 

A reasonable level of fitness is recommended, and weather-appropriate clothing and footwear are essential. On-site activity will primarily take place during the dark sky season from November to March.

An artist's stipend of €12,000. This is paid monthly through UCD payroll with PRSI and tax deducted at source

 A 6 month residency period with Mayo Dark Sky Park to coincide with the dark sky season from October to March

A 6-week, on-site immersion stay in Mayo Dark Sky Park. Accommodation in the National Parks and Wildlife Services park rangers cottage in Lagduff. Further access to this accommodation throughout the year for shorter research visits.

Studio or desk space at UCD Parity Studios for the duration of the residency depending on the artists’ needs.

Cross-disciplinary peer support through monthly artists in residence process meetings

Research support through the extensive network of UCD academics and National Parks and Wildlife Services

Access to UCD library, lectures and other university resources.

This SATELLITE residency does not provide dedicated studio space in Mayo, however desk space is available in the cottage during the 6-week immersion stay, and working/making space can be provided on an as-needed basis for research activities and project work, public or community events or workshops.

Accommodation is provided at the NPWS Ranger’s  two bedroom cottage for the first 6-weeks on-site immersive period. It can also be made available for shorter periods of research during the year.

Accommodation includes a large private room, with a double and single bed. While the artist will be the primary occupier of the cottage, the second bedroom may be used on occasion by visiting NPWS staff. There is a bathroom with shower and a large kitchen / dining / living room. You will also have use of the desk workspace in the living area, with internet access.

Please note that phone reception is limited within the national park generally.

This residency is not suitable for children.

• Use the residency year to develop a body of work responding to Mayo Dark Sky Park and your on-site experience here
• Be on-site for the full 6-week immersion period and be open and available to meet with NPWS rangers and guides and engage with them for their activities
• Deliver a talk to introduce your practice and residency proposal to NPWS staff at the start of the immersion period.
 
• Be proactive in engaging with NPWS rangers and guides for their activities within the Dark Sky Park, including fieldwork, on-site research and monitoring. Connect with relevant researchers and academics at UCD
• Participate in the monthly artists in residence peer support meetings online or in person at UCD Parity Studios
• Liaise with UCD Parity Studios and Mayo Dark Sky Park to make the processes of your research and development of work visible through our websites and social media platforms.
• Talk about the work developed during the residency at public events organised by Mayo Dark Sky Park in late 2026. 
• Credit UCD Parity Studios, Mayo Dark Sky Park, relevant researchers and partners in any exhibition or documentation of your work arising from the residency.
• Submit a feedback report on completion of your residency.

Please submit your proposal as a single pdf in the following format:

[Your Name] 

Email to paritystudios@ucd.ie

Closing date: 1pm Monday 18th August.

Shortlisted artists must be available for online interview in the week beginning August 25.

Please include the following information in this order:

1.Name

2.Address

3.Phone

4.Email

5.Website 

6. Tell us about yourself

Briefly describe who you are and outline your most recent artistic achievements.

(*Max 100 words) 

7. Your process

Briefly describe the approaches you take in developing your work, what materials you use and how you disseminate your work.

(*Max 200 words)

8. Your proposal

Why do you want to undertake a residency at Mayo Dark Skies National Park  in particular?

Description of your proposed project including the area of climate/ environment/biodiversity you’re interested in

(*Max 300 words)

9. Existing Commitments

Please specify commitments you have to other work, residencies, exhibitions/performances, conferences, research/education in 2025/2026. 

Will you avail of the studio space at UCD Parity Studios or will occasional desk space at UCD be sufficient to meet your needs? 

(Studio space is difficult to find in Dublin, so if you don't think you'll need it, let us know and we will  offer it to another artist. Thank you!)

10. Examples of previous work

Examples of work - Up to 10 examples of your work with one image per page. Please label each image clearly with title, dimensions, materials, gallery/site of installation /performance, date.

11. List of images/work

Links to video/sound pieces (Max 3 minutes for each piece. For longer works please indicate which 3 minutes you want the panel to consider) 

UCD Parity Studios will confirm receipt of your application by e-mail.

We will let you know by email if your application is successful or not. 

The decision of the selection panel will be final.

Shortlisted candidates need to be available the week of 25th August for an online conversation with the selection panel.

“half the park is after dark”

After dark, Wild Nephin National Park becomes Mayo Dark Sky Park, Ireland’s first International Dark Sky Park. Nestled between the remote Nephin Mountain Range and the unspoiled Atlantic coastline, the Dark Sky Park extends across an area of 150km2 and its borders encompass the entire lands of Wild Nephin.

Mayo Dark Sky Park is officially certified as a Gold Tier standard International Dark Sky Park, the highest possible accolade, meaning it is internationally recognised as one of the best places in the world to view the wonders of the night, It showcases some of the darkest, most pristine skies in the world, and was award International Dark Sky Place of the Year 2024.

A Dark Sky Park is more than just dark, it is a place where exceptional starry skies are protected and valued as an important educational, cultural, scenic and natural resource. By protecting our dark skies we help ecosystems and wildlife, attract off-season tourism and reduce our carbon footprint.

Clear unpolluted skies are now a rarity - the Milky Way is so obscured by the effects of modern lighting that it is no longer visible to over 50% of Irish people - and that figure is even higher for North America and mainland Europe.

Described as “the very loneliest place in this country” (Robert Lloyd Praeger), Wild Nephin National Park has some of the most remote lands in Ireland. Located on the Western seaboard in northwest Mayo, Wild Nephin covers a vast 15,000 hectares of uninhabited and unspoilt wilderness, dominated by the Nephin Beg mountain range. To the west of the mountains is the Owenduff Bog, one of the last intact active blanket bog systems in Ireland and Western Europe, and an important scientific and scenic feature of the National Park. The park itself is part of the Owenduff/Nephin Complex Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA).

Wild Nephin is part of the Natura 2000 Network, which protects rare and important habitats and species under the EU Habitats and Birds Directive. The park supports and protects habitats including alpine heath, blanket bog, upland grassland, heath, lakes and river catchments, that are home to plants and animals of both national and international importance - at least 80 different species of bird, as well as many mammals, fish, insects and amphibians. To the east of the mountains is the Nephin Forest, which is currently mainly comprised of Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine, and was originally planted for commercial purposes. This area is now within the National Park and will be managed for biodiversity and recreation.

Prior to their purchase by the State, the National Park lands were used for turbary, agriculture and recreational uses including fishing, shooting, and hillwalking. There is evidence of previous human habitation along the Bangor Trail, near the Owenduff and Tarsaghaun rivers, where the remains of stone buildings and traditional cultivation ridges can be seen, along with a number of historical sites and monuments throughout the area, including promontory forts, crannógs, and the Lios na Gaoithe Bronze Age Ringfort near Letterkeen.

Wild Nephin National Park 

National Parks and Wildlife Services 

Mayo Dark Sky Park

UCD Earth Institute 

UCD Centre for Space research