Just outside of Cork City Centre, Blackrock Castle sits on the banks of the River Lee. Once used to protect the city from pirates, Blackrock Castle now has its eye on the stars as a working observatory.
Blackrock Castle History
Blackrock Castle Mural
The Original Fort
In the late 16th century, the citizens of Cork appealed to Queen Elizabeth I to build a fortress to keep out pirates and other invaders. Then, at the beginning of King James I’s reign, Lord-Deputy Mountjoy turned the fort into a proper castle. He intended the castle not only to protect Cork from Spanish invasion, but to also protect himself from rebellion from those who refused to recognize King James as the new monarch after Queen Elizabeth’s death.
The castle‘s round tower is a rare Irish example of a tower built to withstand cannon fire.
Fire and Fancy Gatherings
Blackrock Castle
By the 1720s, the Council Book of Cork owned Blackrock Castle and used the castle for banquets and fancy gatherings. In 1722, the old four story tower caught fire. They rebuilt the tower and extended it to have an octagonal room and additional two-story gable buildings.
Mayors of Cork held Admiralty Court at the castle, along with banquets and ceremonies. They would also part in the custom of “throwing the dart,” where the Mayor would set out from the castle to throw an arrow from a boat at the mouth
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