Strange lights over Kilkenny.

cocoshovel

Hey. My friend just text me saying that he watched 3 lights over the city form a triangle and slowly head out towards the Callan direction. He said at first he thought it could of been sky divers because they were operating over the weekend. but they wouldn't be sky diving at 8pm when its pitch dark. Then he thought it could of been helicopters, but there was no sound and it didnt look like them at all. Anybody else see this? I didn't see it myself but I thought Id ask here. I dont think its an aircraft as my friend is a pilot so he would of been able to tell. But who knows. It could be anything. The fact that it formed a triangle is the weird part. And Over the last 10 years I and many friends/family have observed very strange things over Kilkenny.

wobbles

These are nearly always chinese lanterns.

fabbydabby

They're cool.

They are indeed chinese lanterns / fire balloons or whatever you want to call them and they come from the south city area (around loughboy or thereabouts by my dead reckoning) and float north so tend to only be launched on fairly calm evenings with a southerly breeze.

The first time I saw one I was all like OMG WTF and then I popped on my seeing eye glasses and copped what it was and I was all like OMG LOL.

cocoshovel

Yeah most likely. Strange that they seemed to be forming a triangle though. I wish I had seen it myself so I could tell.

I Love Cheese

There was something on Beat 102103 one morning during the week about people seeing strange lights in the sky at 530 am. Maybe give them a text in the morning and see if anyone else texted in?

cocoshovel

I cant stand beat 102. In fact the only radio I ever listen to is the John Walsh breakfast show. Then I turn my radio of before sue nun makes me want to kill myself. I might text in to see. but as someone else said "its probably just chinese lanterns". Im not gonna get too worked up over it.

fabbydabby

Hold on a second.... you have a problem with people on the radio who make you want to kill yourself, yet you listen to john Walsh?

I once worked in a job where John Walsh was foisted on me every morning and I have to say that it is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most irritating radio show I have ever heard. And I am no lover of morning radio.

Every time John attempts a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' (which, by the way, he should be paying Warner Music royalties for - but that's another kettle of fish... perhaps a way to force him to stop?)... anyway, every time he 'sings' that one I want to punch orphans in the face and stomp on a puppy.

That flock of nattering imbeciles on Beat aren't much better mind you, and the emergence of RTE's latest crusade against correct grammar and elocution means that these days my soundtrack to work generally consists of the soft whine of my supercharger against the backdrop of the mildly repetitive yet comfortingly familiar cadences of Death From Above 1979.

cocoshovel

aww come on aside from the happy birthdays its a grand show. He brightens up my morning anyway. Really, besides those Beat fools with there bloody irritating accents there isnt much else to listen to. Ive never really listened to any other stations morning show. I only get to listen to about 15-20 mins of radio anyway. and good ol John seems to be the most interesting each time. :pac:

fabbydabby

I'm with you 100% about mornings on Beat anyway... when they come on I want to put my boot though the radio.... and writing how I feel about Sue Nunn here would probably have me up for libel so I won't.

Raze_them_all

fabbydabby wrote: »

Hold on a second.... you have a problem with people on the radio who make you want to kill yourself, yet you listen to john Walsh?

I once worked in a job where John Walsh was foisted on me every morning and I have to say that it is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most irritating radio show I have ever heard. And I am no lover of morning radio.

Every time John attempts a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' (which, by the way, he should be paying Warner Music royalties for - but that's another kettle of fish... perhaps a way to force him to stop?)... anyway, every time he 'sings' that one I want to punch orphans in the face and stomp on a puppy.

That flock of nattering imbeciles on Beat aren't much better mind you, and the emergence of RTE's latest crusade against correct grammar and elocution means that these days my soundtrack to work generally consists of the soft whine of my supercharger against the backdrop of the mildly repetitive yet comfortingly familiar cadences of Death From Above 1979.

What a line.


OP clearly aliens.

ft9

Chinese lanterns alright, I also saw them tonight as i drove up High St..

Seemed to be floating over Irishtown direction

Sky King

100% they are chinese lanterns. I have seen them before, including last night.


The first thing I'll say is that you saw a triangle simply because there were three of them launched in succession, so basically pretty much any viewpoint would have made them appear as a triangle to you.


Secondly, only Aer Corps and Sea Area Rescue helicopters can fly in class G airspace at night so unless it was one of them, it wasn't a helicopter. And those guys are LOUD... especially the Sikorsky S-61 SAR which buzzes around Kilkenny some nights frightening the locals... it's the size of a bus!


They use the S-61's powerful search beams and infrared camera when searching for missing people down along the river.


I do not know if there is an issue with these balloon craft from an Air Law point of view... I know at the ploughing match recently a blimp came loose and wandered into the Dublin CTR (Class C - Controlled) and there was a major ruckus altogether.


There's not much flying going on round Kilkenny at night at the lower altitudes but I still wouldn't fancy hitting a ball of fire in the sky all the same.


Might be interesting to get an IAA take on it.

Formosa

fabbydabby wrote: »

Hold on a second.... you have a problem with people on the radio who make you want to kill yourself, yet you listen to john Walsh?

I once worked in a job where John Walsh was foisted on me every morning and I have to say that it is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most irritating radio show I have ever heard. And I am no lover of morning radio.

Every time John attempts a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' (which, by the way, he should be paying Warner Music royalties for - but that's another kettle of fish... perhaps a way to force him to stop?)... anyway, every time he 'sings' that one I want to punch orphans in the face and stomp on a puppy.

That flock of nattering imbeciles on Beat aren't much better mind you, and the emergence of RTE's latest crusade against correct grammar and elocution means that these days my soundtrack to work generally consists of the soft whine of my supercharger against the backdrop of the mildly repetitive yet comfortingly familiar cadences of Death From Above 1979.

Says yer man with his "The first time I saw one I was all like OMG WTF ".:rolleyes:

fabbydabby

A fair point indeed, but I am not broadcasting on national radio, therefore I reserve the right to compose my sentences any way I see fit. Call it.... artistic licence. Plus, I generally know the difference, and choose to ignore it, while many of the dolts on the wireless don't have the luxury of that choice due to their substandard educations and modest intellectual means.

This is why RTE should have an entrance exam. At the moment (for 2FM anyway) the main entry prerequisite is that you are a fcking eejit, though a quasi-American accent has been known to help.

I don't know who is swallowing what to get these positions in RTE but every time I hear bad grammar on our national radio spoken by people who I am paying through my licence fee to speak properly I get annoyed. Not only does it sound bad, it directly implies to the masses of impressionable listening youth that it is acceptable to go around speaking like an moron.

Aaaaaaanyway, WTF LOL and OMG are legitimate acronyms are they not? Believe it or not that post was written as such for the purposes of ironic hilarity, but the fact that I have now had to explain it has somewhat deprived it of its cutting wit. Else I have totally missed the mark altogether.

Either way, I apologise.

And if you've just carefully read that post for a morsel of poorly executed grammar that you can pick me up on, you are sadder than words can describe...

wobbles

The English language is constantly changing and evolving, and has done so for hundreds of years. It’s affected by many things, and one of them is popular culture. What is accepted now (even by all those sad grammar police) would almost certainly be frowned upon even less than one hundred years ago. People need to accept the language is changing whether they like it or not.

Now back on topic, I’ve always wondered what happens those lanterns when they burn out. Could the remains be dangerous to animals, or cause any problems wherever they do land e.g. power lines