BCO will be closed on weekdays for major refurbishment works to our facilities and exhibit for the next few weeks. We will be open on weekends at a reduced rate of €5 for all admissions. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for understanding. 
On the morning of March 29th, a solar eclipse will take place across the globe and we will be opening the doors to Blackrock Castle for a viewing party.
This one is a partial eclipse from Ireland, with only part of the Sun being blocked by the Moon. The eclipse will begin at 9:57 am and reach maximum at 10.55 am, with about 42% of the Sun being covered by the Moon. The eclipse will end just before noon.
If you’re in Cork on the morning of March 29th, then you could drop into Blackrock Castle Observatory any time between 9:30am – 12:30pm where there will be free entry, solar eclipse glasses available for safe viewing and specially adapted telescopes which can show the event safely. It’s an event for all ages and you can be sure of plenty of advice from our enthusiastic experts!
A solar eclipse must never be viewed without the right equipment. You can use ‘eclipse glasses’ which are specifically designed for this purpose, but make sure they are purchased from a reputable source. A free method you could try is putting a pinhole in a piece of card and projecting the Sun through this onto a flat, white surface. This projection method allows a group of people to observe the event together with ease.
The weather is always unpredictable here in Ireland, but a solar eclipse can still be viewed through thin clouds so don’t lose hope if we wake up to a grey sky on Saturday morning.
This image of the Sun was taken from Blackrock Castle Observatory in March 2025.