Birr Castle & Demesne
Location: Co Offaly, Birr
More Info: Visit Website
Category: Castles & Great Houses
Location Map
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Home to the Earls of Rosse, the most famous of whom was the 3rd Earl who in 1845 built what was then the largest telescope in the world. The telescope has been carefully restored to its original condition and is on display in the Science Centre in the Castle grounds.
The centre also displays other equipment from the 1800s, including astronomical instruments, cameras, photographs and photographic equipment.
The grounds extend to 100 acres and include formal and informal gardens, an important arboretum and a very extensive plant collection, all centered around the two rivers that run through the grounds. There are over 1000 species of plant and tree here, many very rare, all of which have been carefully cataloged.
Lovers of formal gardens will be enthralled by the Millenium Garden, an area of intricately and formally planted box hedges and grass pathways, arranged around the letter 'R' (for Rosse) in taller box.
Visiting Birr Castle
The demesne and the Science Centre are open year round from 9am -6pm. Allow at least 3 hours for a visit here, there is a lot to see and a lot worth seeing. All too many tour buses stop for just an hour or two and really short-change their occupants.
The castle is the private home of the 7th Earl of Rosse and is not open to the public.
Location Map for Birr Castle & Demesne
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