Historic Homes

Blackrock Castle Observatory

Contact Details

Blackrock Castle is one of Cork’s best known landmarks. Historically its location where the River Lee flows into Lough Mahon provided a perfect defensive position for the medieval city.  In 1600 a round tower was constructed by the Elizabethan government at the request of the citizens of Cork to protect them from marauding pirates and other invaders.

Following a charter by James I in 1608, Blackrock Castle was handed over to the City of Cork.  In 1722 the old tower was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt with an octagonal room topped with a cupola.   The castle was used at this time as the Corporation banquet hall and for “throwing the dart”. 

In 1827 the castle was again destroyed by fire and was rebuilt in 1829 by the architects James and G.R. Pain, who were responsible for designing very many fine churches and public buildings in Cork. Three additional storeys and out-buildings were added to the castle at that time.

Since then the building was used at different times as offices, a restaurant and a private residence before being purchased by Cork City Council in 2001.  In 2002 the castle underwent an extensive refurbishment programme under the supervision of Murray Ó Laoire Architects and was reopened in the summer of 2007 as a state of the art observatory and educational facility.   This is a joint venture between Cork City Council, Cork Institute of Technology and a private benefactor.

At Blackrock Castle a team of astronomical researchers from Cork Institute of Technology are working on Ireland's first robotic observatory, the Planet Search Programme and other exciting projects.  The castle is also open to the public and is home to an award winning state of the art exhibition Cosmos at the Castle, highlighting recent discoveries of extreme life forms on Earth and their implications for life in outer space.  The castellated roofs at Blackrock Castle have restricted access for the visiting public.  Guided tours are available daily at 13.30 and 15.30 to the telescope tower or research tower roofs.  Tours are included in the ticket price and last 25 minutes.  Guided groups are limited to 15.

This year a fascinating talk will be given by John Collins of Cork Historic walking tours at 11.30 a.m. entitled "Is Cork really Irish?"

The talk will be followed by a free and open tour at 12.30 of the telescope tower or research tower roofs.

There are 86 spiraling steps to the telescope rooftop and 20 wider steps to the roof at BCO Research Labs.  There are 16 steps from the ground floor down to the base of the Castle.

Please know your accessibility and fitness levels before joining a tour.

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