PHOTOS: Local man captures stunning views of Northern Lights over Kildare

A local photographer captured stunning, rare images of the Northern Lights over parts of Kildare. 

Mark McGuire spent several hours waiting for a glimpse of the phenomenon also known as 'Aurora Borealis' on Sunday night. 

The Northern Lights above a standing stone at Kilgowan

The Northern Lights are a natural light display in the Earth's sky but are usually only seen in high-latitude regions like the Arctic Circle.

The Northern Lights at Dan Donnelly's Hollow in the Curragh 

Mark said: "I was out for three hours on Sunday night.

"I captured the Northern Lights in a couple of locations - in the Curragh and at Kilgowan, near Kilcullen." 

At the Military Cemetery in the Curragh 

The Northern Lights are usually best observed in locations with very small amounts of light pollution.

The phenomenon is the result of collisions between gas particles in the atmosphere and charged particles ejected from the Sun’s atmosphere.

The green lights indicate that oxygen molecules about 100 kilometres above Earth were involved, while blue, red and purple lights can also be created.