Spectacular Irish Northern Lights display leaves skywatchers 'astonished'

Co Cork was dazzled by a breathtaking Aurora Borealis show last night as the skies turned shades of pink and purple above the western islands. The Northern Lights put on a stunning display over West Cork, especially gracing its western islands, and one lucky photographer captured the moment when a meteor streaked through the rosy-tinged sky.

Camping at Cleire Haven on Cape Clear, photographer Andy Sheridan caught the weather's dramatic change, from storm to celestial spectacle, "I was woken up at about 2 am with the thunder and lightning. Once the rain had passed I thought I'd have a look to see if I could capture some Perseid meteors," he recounted.

With the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower expected in the following two nights, Andy was fortunate to snap a photo of a meteor zipping across the sky while sharing his work on his X account.

• Discover a stunning seaside hike just outside Dublin with breathtaking views

• Gorgeous island where locals still speak Irish only 90 minutes the from mainland

If you can't see the photo below, click here.

Setting up his gear outside his yurt, Andy waited for that perfect shot, "I set up my camera and tripod outside the yurt and started photographing the sky in the hope I'd catch something," reports Cork Beo .

If you can't see the photo below, click here.

Amid the flashes of lightning and streaking meteors, the Milky Way arched magnificently overhead. But then, a striking change took place, "Lightning light up the sky intermittently, and meteors shot through the atmosphere with the full arc of the Milky Way overhead... It was only then that I noticed the sky was coming out in a vivid pink."

For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here .

For Andy, the experience grew even more surreal as the auroral glow intensified, culminating in a striking natural wonder just before dawn, "I couldn't believe it. The intensity of the aurora built gradually as the time went on, reaching maximum intensity at about 4:30 am with light pillars visible to the naked eye. After that it faded quickly, leaving me astonished at what I had just witnessed."

For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .