Ireland in Space
The permanent exhibition traces Ireland's connection to the stars, from Stone Age monuments that tracked the Sun to Irish scientists behind the Apollo 11 landing and today's New Space industry.
Blackrock Castle Observatory
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About
A 16th-century harbour castle that doubles as a working observatory and space science centre, run by Munster Technological University and Cork City Council. Admission covers the award-winning exhibition, a planetarium star show and a self-guided climb to the tower-top views.
Things to Do
Alien Worlds
A companion exhibition on exoplanets: how astronomers detect worlds beyond our solar system and how they hunt for evidence of life.
The Star Show
A 20-minute interactive planetarium show plus 10 minutes of questions, led by a resident astronomer who shows you how to find stars and planets.
Self-guided Castle Tour
400 years of history, from the fort built to deter pirates in Cork harbour to the modern telescope dome, ending with river views from the tower tops. Note the rooftop and fort are not wheelchair accessible.
The Cork Moon Walk
A self-guided city walking trail that maps the Apollo 11 mission onto Cork landmarks, from St Peter's Cork to Nano Nagle Place.
The Castle Café
The Castle Restaurant fills the courtyard with brunch, lunch and dinner, a full bar and an outdoor terrace. It is open Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays), with takeaway 4-7pm, and showing a receipt gets 10% off observatory admission.
Events and eclipse viewing
Visiting exhibitions and events run all year. On the evening of 12 August 2026 the observatory hosts free public viewing of a 96% partial solar eclipse with solar glasses supplied.
Plan Your Visit
- Hours: Open Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 20:00, last entry 19:00 (the site's exhibitions page lists 10:00-18:00, last entry 17:00, so confirm before travelling)
- Admission: Adult €11, student/OAP €9, child €7 (under 5s free), family €32
- Parking: Very limited parking directly outside the front gate, reserved mainly for drivers with disabilities; other drivers should use the large car park to the east of the castle, about a minute's walk.
- Food: The Castle Restaurant (the Castle Café) in the castle courtyard serves brunch, lunch and dinner with a full bar and terrace, Tuesday to Sunday, plus takeaway 4-7pm.
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