Blackrock Castle Observatory is the perfect space

It was an out-of-the-blue phone call from an American that led to a space observatory being built in Cork City. Nine years on, and the project is being applauded worldwide for its work with children, writes John Tynan

It was a Friday evening in 2002. Niall Smith was preparing to leave the office for the weekend when the phone rang.

The man at the end of line introduced himself. He was Texan, called Gary O’Keeffe and he wanted to know where the observatory was in Cork.