As previously advised this meeting will take place on Zoom. All are welcome but only paid-up members may take part in the formal business which will be conducted as swiftly as possible.

On completion of the formal business Paul Evans will deliver a live presentation on “The Sky in Autumn 2021”

Details as follows…….

Topic: IAA AGM
Time: Aug 18, 2021 07:15 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86492001336?pwd=cDFlK1k3bWg4SWVSbHVFK1dZTUVYdz09

Meeting ID: 864 9200 1336
Passcode: 402441

Supporting Documents……

https://irishastro.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IAA-46th-AGM-Minutes-2020.pdf

https://irishastro.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IAA-47th-AGM-Secretarys-Report-2021.pdf

https://irishastro.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Membership-Secretarys-Report-210818.rtf

https://irishastro.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2021-AGM-Financial-Report.pptx

Following the Covid-19 lockdown the Council cancelled the last two meetings of the season, including the Annual General Meeting scheduled for 15th April.

It now seems unlikely that we will be able to run a normal lecture programme for the rest of this calendar year, though we are working on alternative approaches to that.

As mentioned previously, it is our intention to hold the AGM online via Zoom Conferencing at 19:30 on Weds 26th August.

Paid-up members of the IAA can join the conference – details as follows……

Topic: IAA AGM
Time: Aug 26, 2020 07:30 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting here…….

This will open approx 5mins before the start time. Zoom gives us 40mins so please can we start promptly and get through the necessary business as quickly as possible. If there is any time left we’ll leave it open for chat If important business remains outstanding after 40mins we can all reconnect using the same link above!

Those who haven’t used Zoom before, it is very simple – click on the link and any necessary software will download and install.

Note, I (Paul) will be the gatekeeper and host of this meeting and will only be allowing paid-up members in.

Supporting documents are as follows……

I joined the Irish Astronomical Society when I was roughly nine or ten years old (c 1963-64) and one of my earliest recollections was of meeting David Beesley, who at the time was IAS Belfast Centre Honorary Secretary, and I remember well how keen he was to help and give advice to a budding young astronomer. 

David lived all his life in East Belfast and through the early sixties, seventies and eighties and even into the 1990s David was a leading light in IAS/IAA activity – organising, lecturing and observing. He was a principal driving force in the IAA after its formation in 1974 acting as Honorary Secretary and President for many years. His forte was double stars and he enjoyed nothing better than to explain the intricate details of how to use an eyepiece micrometer to measure the position angle and separation of these stars. He was a regular contributor to the prestigious Irish Astronomical Journal (IAJ), edited by Ernst Öpik from Armagh Observatory, and he submitted accurate double star observations to the BAA for many years. Here you can find help when you need payroll service provider. David was also Editor of Stardust for several decades and it was through his hand-delivery of the magazine that I grew to know him well. I lived close to David in East Belfast and he would frequently pick me up and take me with him to various observing events and trips – such as the visit to Patrick Moore’s house in the Mall in Armagh, or the observing sessions at the Giant’s ring etc. We travelled together to Birr on many occasions to attend the Star Parties there.  David also worked for a spell at the Planetarium as a lecturer although eventually he found the travelling too much and joined heating and plumbing suppliers, Beggs and Partners in Belfast where he worked until retirement. In 1989 David was the first person to be awarded the IAA’s Fitzgerald Medal for ‘outstanding service to the Association’, and in 2000 David was the first person to be awarded the IAA’s most prestigious award for ‘exceptional service to astronomy’ – the Öpik medal. 

David suffered from Parkinson’s disease for the last few years and it eventually forced him to drop out of Association life, but he passed away on 18^th April 2020 as a result of contracting Covid-19. Although he spent his last year or so in a nursing home in Belfast, David did not lose his interest in things astronomical nor his sharpness of mind. We spoke just a few weeks before his death when he discussed measuring sunspot diameters using his trusty micometer and telescope from his nursing home room. 

David was a quiet and respectful person, a true gentleman who commanded significant respect through his knowledge, unassuming manner and dedication to his lifelong hobby. David is survived by his wife Hazel, who was also a member of the Association and they were both deeply committed Christians. David has a son Mark and daughter Fiona. He was a ‘giant’ of the Irish amateur astronomy community and will be sadly missed by all.

Andy McCrea, 19^th April 2020.

We had an excellent AGM+ night at the IAA with a brilliant talk on The European Solar Telescope Project by Dr Ada Ortiz followed by the AGM.

The new Council was elected with Brian Beesley taking over from Paul Evans as President. Paul had served as President for 5 of the previous 6 years during a period of continued growth for the Association.

The Aidan Fitzgerald Award was presented to IAAmember and Professional Photographer Bernie Brown for her fantastic work on the Images of Starlight and Heavens Above Astrophotography exhibitions. 

From the left, Pat O'Neill, Tony Kempston, Adam Jeffers, Danny Collins, Fitzgerald Medal Winner Bernie Brown, outgoing President Paul Evans, Terry Moseley and incoming President Brian Beesley

The full Council is as shown here….