2008-11-18 - Carlow (Ireland) - Rectangle

Craft without normal aircraft lights in Irish skies

At circa 18.15, I was getting out of my car at a house 5 miles SW of Carlow town ( ie Carlow, Co. Carlow, Ireland ) and observed to the west a rectangular ( slightly fuzzy, dimensions not clearly defined ) craft rising up from beyond a line of beech trees in the West. It was gold/orange/red in color - no sound, no strobe or red/green lights. I would guess it was distant a 2 € coin held at arm 's length. It moved slowly up along the line of beech trees from west to the southwest, never going above the top of the trees. I would guess it was 5 miles distant from my initial view point and 2000 feet in the air. As it rose up slowly behind the beech trees I took some items out of my car into the house i was staying in and was gone for a minute. When I came out it must have accelerated at unimaginable speed and was visible high up in the SW sky - which was clear of cloud - and disappeared from view totally within a minute. Shortly after, a commercial jet appeared in the NW with strobe / red and green lights and clear sound of engines high in the sky going E to W. Clearly distinguishable from what I saw. Maybe I saw a helicopter disobeying flight rules but I would surely have heard some noise/seen lights.