Birr, also known as Biorra in Irish, is an Irish town in County Offaly. An ancient medieval town, it boasts a superb 12th-century castle (Birr Castle) and a large 19th-century telescope. The town has also won numerous awards for the preservation of its Georgian-style architectural heritage…

History of Birr

A medieval town built around a monastery…

Birr’s origins can be traced back to a monastery founded by Saint Brennan de Birr in the 8th century. The monastery was one of the major centres of religious song production at the time. Over the centuries, a veritable town developed, and by the 17th century, it was home to important military garrisons, heavily involved in the Anglo-Irish conflict…

In 1800, William Parson acquired Birr Castle. A keen astronomer, he renovated it with the aim of turning it into an astronomical observatory. He launched the construction of a telescope, with the ambition of making it the most powerful telescope of its time. Faced with such a profusion of resources, the town took the temporary name of Parsonstown, which it reverted to in the early 1900s…

Visit Birr

Downtown

Birr’s town center has a unique architectural heritage. Deeply Georgian in style, the center of Birr is a rather pleasant place… The pubs are quaint and warm, the food good and the welcome exemplary. Don’t miss Emmet Square, one of the town’s main squares. Here you’ll find a monument to Irish nationalist Robert Emmet.