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Thousands of people have gathered across the island of Ireland to watch a rare partial solar eclipse.
One of the biggest gatherings was at Phoenix Park in Dublin where huge crowds came out to experience the once-in-a-generation astronomical event.
Crowds also gathered at Queen’s University in Belfast for a watch-along event under cloudy skies, as well as at the Armagh Observatory and a number of other locations.
In Phoenix Park, crowds cheered and clapped as the skies darkened at the moment the moon covered the sun.
A telescope had been erected to give people a safe view of the eclipse while others brought their own homemade viewing devices fashioned from cereal boxes.
Colm Healey, from Dublin, said he came because it would be the only chance in his lifetime to see the rare celestial event.
He said: “It is great to see the crowds here and so many people that are interested. I have got my eclipse glasses so I’m well prepared.”
Jack Donovan and Paul Cantwell had travelled from Wicklow.
Mr Cantwell said: “We wanted to come because we’ll never see anything like it again. It’s such a rare occasion, it’s cool.”
“We haven’t got glasses but we’ll hopefully get a view through the telescope.”
At Croke Park in Dublin, crowds watched the eclipse before the friendly football match between Manchester United and Leeds United.
Two enterprising stewards had brought along welding masks to watch the eclipse safely.
Earlier, hundreds of people brought a Dublin city centre street close to a standstill as they queued to buy glasses to view the eclipse.
On Wednesday afternoon, the queue outside the Designist shop in George’s Street snaked for hundreds of yards.
