The Irish Times

Work on the €4 million restoration of Blackrock Castle in Cork is nearing completion. Cork City Council has confirmed it is shortly to seek tenders for a franchise operator to run an astronomy centre and a restaurant and pub at the site. The council has engaged specialists to advise on the most appropriate layout for an exhibition area in the castle which will feature the astronomy centre. Blackrock Castle was originally built in the late 16th century when the citizens of Cork appealed to Queen Elizabeth I to build a fort in Blackrock "to repel pirates and other invaders". It is on the southern side of the River Lee and is one of Cork's landmark buildings. The current neo-Gothic building dates from about 1830.