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Birr
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Birr is a town
in west Offaly situated at the meeting of the Camcor and Little
Brosna rivers which flow on into the River Shannon near Victoria
Lock.
Birr is a designated Irish Heritage Town. It is a virtually intact
18/19th century town, formal, spacious and well-planned, with
carefully preserved Georgian houses along its wide tree-lined malls
and avenues. Many of the houses in John's Place and Oxmantown Mall
have exquisite fanlight windows of the Georgian period.
The most significant landmark in the town is the Birr Castle Demesne
which was developed by the Parsons family over the last four hundred
years. It is the oldest inhabited home in Offaly and is presently
occupied by the seventh Earl of Rosse (Brendan Parsons).
As a family home, the Castle is only open to the public on special
occasions. The surrounding demesne however is open to tourists every
day of the year. Here you will find Ireland’s Historic Science
Centre. This centre features the ground-breaking achievements of the
Parsons family and of other Irish scientists in the fields of
astronomy, photography, engineering and horticulture.
Also in the grounds of the castle is the Great Telescope built by
the third Earl of Rosse in the 1840's. This was the largest
telescope in the world for 70 years and is known as the great
Leviathan of Parsonstown. The demesne also hosts one of the finest
gardens in the country with recently restored formal gardens and
river garden as well as mature parkland with thousands of rare trees
and plants collected all over the world, rivers, lake and
waterfalls.
Some of the tourist amenities in the Birr locality include Clonfert
Monastery, the Lough Boora Parklands, the ancient monastic site of
Clonamcnoise, the Clonmacnoise & West Offaly railway and the
Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre.
The Annual Birr Vintage Week and Arts Festival takes place in early
August. It is one of Ireland’s longest running and most successful
festivals and is the highlight in Birr and Offaly’s calendar of
cultural events. Its all-inclusive programme of entertainment
appeals to a wide audience. It features theatre performances, olde
time fair, artisan craft & foods market, vintage parade, live free
kids events, antiques & fine art fair, busking, donkey derby, pub
entertainment, fireworks, and much much more. |
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Birr Holiday Homes - County Offaly, Ireland