Crawford Observatory

[1][2] At the time of construction, the instrumentation at the Crawford observatory was at the cutting edge of astronomy, with the Grubb equatorial telescope winning a gold medal at the 1878 Paris show (Exposition Universelle).

[1][3] However, as light pollution in Cork city increased over the following decades the observatory gradually fell into disuse and disrepair.

This changed in 2006 when the observatory re-opened after a €500,000 government-led renovation project.

[3] Improvements included updates to "unsympathetic renovation" efforts from the 1970s,[4] work on the three telescopes, and major repairs to the observatory building, including a new openable roof for the equatorial room.

[5] The observatory's instruments are also still used as part of the education program at UCC, with an editorial in the Irish Examiner noting the "remarkable state of preservation of [the] instruments and the original condition of the building".