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Birr Biorra
Town
Emmet Square, Birr
Coat of arms
BirrLocation in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°05′29″N 7°54′48″W / 53.0914°N 7.9133°W / 53.0914; -7.9133
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Offaly
Dáil constituency	Laois–Offaly
Elevation	75 m (246 ft)
Population	5,741
• Urban	4,370
• Rural	1,371
Time zone	UTC±0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode	R42
Telephone area code	057
Irish Grid Reference	N058045

Birr (/ˈbɜːr/; Irish: Biorra, meaning "plain of water") is a town in County Offaly, Ireland. Between 1620 and 1899 it was called Parsonstown, after the Parsons family who were local landowners and hereditary Earls of Rosse. The town is in a civil parish of the same name.

Birr is a designated Irish Heritage Town with a carefully preserved Georgian heritage. Birr itself has graceful wide streets and elegant buildings. Many of the houses in John's Place and Oxmantown Mall have exquisite fanlight windows of the Georgian period.

The town is known for Birr Castle and Gardens: the home of the Parsons family and the site of the Leviathan of Parsonstown, which was the largest telescope in the world for over 70 years.

Access and transport

The town is situated near the meeting of the Camcor and Little Brosna rivers, the latter flowing on into the River Shannon near Victoria Lock.

The Ormond Flying Club has been in operation at Birr Airfield for over 30 years.

Birr lies on the N52 and N62 national secondary roads. The routes are combined as they pass through Birr. The R439, R440 and R489 regional roads also terminate in the town.

Bus Éireann provide public transport services to the town. The Athlone to Limerick service regularly passes through the town daily. Kearns privately owned bus service provides a number of direct bus services to Dublin from Birr, as well as a weekend service connecting the town with the city of Galway via Portumna, Killimor, and, Loughrea.

Birr railway station, the terminus of a branch from the Limerick–Ballybrophy line at Roscrea, opened on 8 March 1858 and closed on 1 January 1963.

History

Ancient history

A monastery was founded here by St Brendan of Birr. It produced the MacRegol Gospels, named after the abbot at the turn of the 8th/9th century and now to be seen in the Bodleian Library in Oxford. The Synod of Birr, held in 697, was the occasion on which the Cáin Adomnáin, or law of innocents, was pronounced.

In Gaelic Ireland, Birr was located in the O'Carroll territory of Éile. This petty kingdom (Irish: Tuatha) formed an area that now forms the south of County Offaly and the northeast of County Tipperary. The Tuatha was subject to the overkingdom (Irish: Rí ruirech) of Munster and formed a border with the Kingdom of Meath to the east. The boundary between Ely O'Carroll and the ancient Meath is co-terminous with the present boundary between the Diocese of Killaloe and the Diocese of Meath. The O'Carroll family had a castle located at the present site of Birr Castle. Following the Plantations of Ireland, Birr was located in the Barony of Ballybritt following the formation of King's County (now County Offaly) in 1556.

The town itself is an old market and former garrison town dating to the 1620s.

Crotty Schism

The town was also the location of the Crotty Schism, one of the few schisms to affect the Catholic Church in Ireland in the 19th century. The church on Castle Street were the result of the Crotty Schism and were allowed to fall into a derelict condition after disuse following the end of the schism. The church is known locally as Crotty's Church. In the early 2020s it was restored externally and converted into a private residence contrary to the wishes of the Town's residents. This is all the more puzzling when the Birr Georgian Society were refused the opportunity to restore the building into a Museum following minor interior damage during preliminary works some years ago.

Birr Barracks

Birr Barracks became the depot of the Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) from 1881. The barracks at Birr was burned down in 1922 during the Irish Civil War and the outer perimeter wall is all that remains. Outside the old Barracks Wall, there is a monument erected in memory of the soldiers of the Leinster Regiment who were killed during their service. A wreath-laying ceremony takes place annually. Much of the Barracks' historical footprint is now occupied by the Grant Engineering factory.

Annalistic references

See Annals of Inisfallen.

• AI664.1 Kl. Death of Cúcen Máthair, and of Diarmait, son of Aed Slaine. . Fighting in Birra.
• AI822.1 Kl. Mac Riaguil, abbot of Birra, rested.

Features

Georgian Birr

Birr is a designated Irish Heritage Town due to the preservation and wealth of Georgian architecture in the town. The earliest Georgian-style buildings dating from the 1740s are located in Emmet Square and Emmet Street (then known as Cumberland Square and Cumberland Street).

The column in the centre of the square dates from 1747 and was built to carry the statue of the Duke of Cumberland, known as the Bloody Duke and the victor of the Battle of Culloden. The statue was removed in 1915 as it was in danger of collapse.

The Oxmantown Mall was laid out in the early 19th century and was designed as a promenade leading from Birr Castle gates to the Church of Ireland. The mall is tree lined on one side with the Georgian houses on the other.

John's Mall was also built during this time also with fine Georgian buildings. The area is also known as the chains due to the sturdy chain railings enclosing the central plots in the centre of the Mall. Birr Town Council met here in a building known as John's Hall built in the style of a Greek Temple.

The Seffin Stone is said to mark the centre of Ireland. Mentioned by Geraldus Cambrensis, who referred to it as Umbilicus Hiberniae, the indentations on the stone are as old as megalithic sites, such as Newgrange. Myths claim that the indentations are from the hand of Fionn MacCuthaill, hence the origin of the name as Suigh Finn (pronounced "See-Finn"), the Seat of Fionn. It is located to the left of the gates to John's Hall, on John's Mall, close to Emmet Square. The Stone is accompanied by a decommissioned cannon, The Crimean Gun, which was presented to the Parsons family and the people of Birr following its capture during the Siege of Sevastopol in the Crimean War. The Cannon was originally displayed inside the Castle Demesne before being placed outside John's Hall.

In Emmet Square stands Dooly's Hotel: one of the oldest coaching inns in Ireland, dating from 1747. The name of Galway Blazers was given to the Galway Hunt after a celebration held in the hotel in 1809 resulted in the premises being set on fire. Film director John Huston was latterly a member of the Galway Blazers. Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba famously sang to crowds gathered below in the Square, from her hotel room above in Dooly's Hotel. The nightclub attached to the hotel is named "Melba's" to mark the occasion.

Ecclesiastical architecture

On the Wilmer road, near the County Arms Hotel, is a Gothic-style Catholic church built. St. Brendan's Church of Ireland was also built in Gothic style in 1815 and is located in the Oxmantown Mall. A smaller Methodist Church known as Wesley Chapel was built in 1820 on Emmett Street to accommodate a growing Methodist congregation following the preaching of John Wesley in the late 18th century in Birr.

The Sisters of Mercy convent on Wilmer Road beside the Catholic church is also a gothic-styled building. Most of the convent was converted by Offaly County Council to civic offices and a public library.

Birr Castle

In the 16th century, the O'Carrolls of Éile had one of their castles here and this was granted to the English-born politician and judge Sir Lawrence Parsons in the course of the Stuart plantation, c. 1620. Sir Laurence Parsons built most of the structure of the present castle on the site of the original castle's Gatehouse. The castle was twice besieged in the 17th century and one of the towers still shows the scars of the artillery of Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan, who tried unsuccessfully to take it. The castle remains the seat of the Earls of Rosse and is home to the current peer, Brendan Parsons, 7th Earl of Rosse, with family members resident in the demesne. As a family home, most of the castle is only open to the public on special occasions, though five reception rooms can be visited, by guided tour only, through the demesne's visitor centre. The castle's demesne, however, is open to tourists every day of the year, and the gardens comprise a landscaped park with waterfalls, rivers and a lake, as well as the large reflecting telescope, the Leviathan of Parsonstown, and the modern radio-telescope, I-LOFAR. Below the South face of the Castle proper, St. Brendan's Well can be found. It is a set of steps descending below ground level covered by a small gated grotto. The bottom step is submerged in well water.

Birr Telescope – The 'Leviathan of Parsonstown'

The main feature on the grounds of the castle is the great Leviathan of Parsonstown, an astronomical telescope with a 72-inch metal mirror erected by The 3rd Earl of Rosse, which was, until 1917, the largest telescope in the world. The spiral structure of nebulae was discovered through this telescope. It featured in the PBS (USA) documentary, 'Telescope – Hunting the Edge of Space Part 1: The Mystery of the Milky Way' (2011). Astronomy broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore wrote The Astronomy of Birr Castle (1971), a history of the telescope and the significance of the work carried out here.

Workhouse

The workhouse, located in Syngefield, on Newbridge Street, opened in 1842 before the Great Famine. The building is now mainly derelict. It is not yet open to the public.

Firsts

On 31 August 1869, the first road fatality recorded in history occurred in Birr, when local-born scientist Mary Ward, a cousin of The 3rd Earl of Rosse, fell from a steam-powered car on a bend. The vehicle traversed her, causing fatal injuries.

A descendant of the O'Carrolls, Charles Carroll was the first and only Catholic to sign the United States Declaration of Independence and, also, the only signatory to give his address. To distinguish himself from his father, Charles Carroll of Annapolis, he signed in full as "Charles Carroll of Carrollton".

Local government

In local government, Birr is a municipal district within Offaly County Council. The district itself covers the entire west and south of Offaly. The district returns 6 elected representatives to Offaly County Hall in Tullamore. The area was administered by Birr Urban District Council until 2002, and subsequently by Birr Town Council until 2014, when the council was dissolved and administration of the town was amalgamated with Offaly County Council in accordance with the Local Government Reform Act 2014.

Birr Court House

Birr Court House, built c1830, is a detached five-bay two-storey castellated courthouse located on Townsend St, Birr. Over the years the building has served as a prison, court and county council offices. The courthouse has since closed down and now lies empty. The Courthouse was used to host Creative Arts events during Vintage Week 2023 and is hoped to be developed as part of the Creative Court project into a more permanent arts venue.

Services and amenities

The town is served by three primary schools (St Brendan's Boys school, Mercy Primary School and the Model Primary School) and one secondary school (St. Brendan's Community School).

Sport

Hurling

Birr's hurling team, Birr GAA, has won the All-Ireland championship four times. Several of Birr's hurlers, including Brian Whelahan, attended St. Brendan's Community School.

The first ever All-Ireland hurling final was played in Hoare's field (currently the location of a Tesco store) in Birr on Easter Sunday, 1 April 1888, between Tipperary and Galway. The match was won by Tipperary on a score line of 1 goal, 1 point and 1 forfeit point to Galway's no score. A forfeit point was given against a player carrying the sliotar over his own goal line. The remarkably low score, albeit under different rules to the modern game, is recorded as the lowest score ever in a hurling match in the Guinness Book of Records.

Rugby

Founded in 1887, Birr RFC has lapsed on several occasions, particularly during the two world wars and again in the mid-1950s. It was reformed in 1963 and has been in continuous existence since.

Golf

Birr Golf Club is an 18-hole golf course which was founded in 1893. The course was founded originally at Barrone Court, moving to its present location at the Glenns, north of Birr, in 1909.

Events and festivals

The annual Birr Vintage Week and Arts Festival takes place in the town in August. The festival is run over one week, and includes a vintage parade, markets, and music and theatre events. Birr is also home to Birr Festival of Music, OFFline Film Festival, Scripts Ireland's Playwriting Festival and Hullabaloo! Offaly's Children's Arts Festival.

Birr Theatre and Arts Centre, located in the Oxmantown Mall, is a local cultural and social amenity for the arts, dance, film, music and theatre. The theatre has a 220 seating capacity. The building dates from January 1889 and is a Victorian period style structure within the surrounds of the tree lined Oxmantown Mall. Birr Stage Guild also stage plays in the theatre.

People

• Luka Bloom, singer, wrote most of his 1998 album 'Salty Heaven' while resident in the town and described Birr as having the best trees in Ireland in the album's liner notes
• Eamon Bulfin, Irish republican activist during the 1916 Easter Rising, raised the Irish Tricolour over the GPO during the rising
• William Bulfin, early 20th-century author
• John Caffrey, recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Joseph Stirling Coyne (1803–1868), playwright, journalist, and one of the first editors of Punch magazine
• Brenda Dolphin (born 1945), psychologist and postulator for the beatification of Catherine McAuley
• Olwyn Enright, former Fine Gael TD for Laois–Offaly
• Tom Enright, former Fine Gael TD for Laois–Offaly
• Barry Glendenning, journalist
• Des Keogh, actor, born in Birr in 1935
• Mundy, musician
• John Murray, recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Bernadette O'Farrell actress best known for playing Maid Marian in the 1950s TV version of The Adventures of Robin Hood
• William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, astronomer
• William Parsons, 7th Earl of Rosse, businessman and current owner of Birr Castle
• Johnny Pilkington, hurler
• Aidan Quinn, actor
• Roesy, musician
• George Johnstone Stoney, physicist
• Mary Helena Synge, composer
• Mary Ward, first person to die in a car accident, 1869
• Brian Whelahan, hurler, 2009 Fine Gael candidate for Offaly County Council

Climate

Birr, classified as an oceanic climate by Köppen, has cool winters, mild summers and adequate rainfall year-round.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• Market Houses in Ireland

References

1. "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Birr". Central Statistics Office. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
2. Census for post 1821 figures. Archived 20 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Cso.ie.
3. "Histpop - The Online Historical Population Reports Website". www.histpop.org. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016.
4. NISRA – Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (c) 2013 Archived 17 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Nisranew.nisra.gov.uk (27 September 2010).
5. Lee, J. J. (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A. (eds.). Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
6. Mokyr, Joel; Ó Gráda, Cormac (November 1984). "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850". The Economic History Review. Volume. 37 (4): 473–488. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x. hdl:10197/1406. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012.
7. "Registration Districts of Ireland" (PDF). genealogyresearch.org.uk. p. 31. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
8. "Biorra/Birr". Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
9. "Little Brosna Water Management Unit Action Plan" (PDF). Shannon IRBD Project. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
10. "Ormand Flying Club". Archived from the original on 30 July 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
11. "Birr station" (PDF). Railscot – Irish Railways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
12. The Gospel Book of Macregol of Birr Archived 17 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Birrhistsoc.com (3 September 2006).
13. "Crinkle". Birr History Society. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
14. http://www.irishwarmemorials.ie/Place-Detail?siteId=679
15. Birr, Offaly, Ireland – Heritage Town Archived 8 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Heritagetowns.com.
16. ^ "Georgian Birr". Birr History Society. Archived from the original on 21 February 2010.
17. Greenslade Jr., Thomas B. "The Earl of Rosse's Leviathan Telescope". Kenyon College. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013.
18. Birr Workhouse Archived 23 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Birrhistsoc.com (7 September 2013).
19. "The Carroll House in Annapolis". Retrieved 18 December 2023.
20. "Local Government Reform Act 2014". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
21. "The Birr Courthouse: From Cooke to Courts Service 1803-2013, Part 1". offalyhistoryblog. 22 July 2017. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
22. "www.pitchero.com". Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
23. "Birr Golf Club - Top 100 Golf Courses of Ireland". Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
24. "Festivals | Birr Theatre & Arts Centre". birr-theatre. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
25. "Birr Theatre and Arts Centre - Technical". birrtheatre.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2013.
26. "Birr Theatre and Arts Centre - History". birrtheatre.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012.
27. "Birr Stage Guild". Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
28. "Sr. Brenda Dolphin, Provincial Leader of Mercy Sisters". Killaloe Diocese. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
29. Climate Summary for Birr Archived 3 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Weatherbase.com.
30. "Birr 1979–2008 averages". Met Éireann. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
31. "Absolute Maximum Air Temperatures for each Month at Selected Stations" (PDF). Met Éireann. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
32. "Absolute Minimum Air Temperatures for each Month at Selected Stations" (PDF). Met Éireann. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2016.

External links

• Birr Castle Demesne
• Birr Theatre & Arts Centre
• Birr Leisure Centre
• The Birr Scientific and Heritage Foundation (link 1)
• The Birr Scientific and Heritage Foundation (link 2)
• Birr Town Council Archived 8 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine

v t e Places in County Offaly
County town: Tullamore
Towns	Banagher Birr Clara Cloghan Daingean Edenderry Ferbane Tullamore
Villages and Townlands	Ballinagar Ballyboy Ballycumber Belmont Blue Ball Bracknagh Brosna Cadamstown Clareen Clonahenoge Clonbullogue Clonmacnoise Clonony Clonygowan Coolderry Crinkill Croghan Cushina Doon Dunkerrin Durrow Geashill Horseleap Kilcormac Killeigh Killoughey Killurin Kinnitty Moneygall Mountbolus Mucklagh Pollagh Rahan Rath Rhode Shannonbridge Shannon Harbour Shinrone Walsh Island
Landforms	Arderin Barcam Bog of Allen Boora bog Carroll's Hill Farbreague Clara Bog Croghan Hill Esker Riada Grand Canal Raheenmore Bog River Brosna River Camcor River Shannon Silver River Stillbrook Hill Wolftrap Mountain Yellow River
Topics	Education in County Offaly Geography of County Offaly History of County Offaly List of National Monuments in County Offaly List of townlands of County Offaly Media in County Offaly Mountains and hills of County Offaly Politics of County Offaly Religion in County Offaly Rivers of County Offaly Transport in County Offaly
Counties of Ireland

• Birr, County Offaly
• Towns and villages in County Offaly
• Civil parishes of County Offaly
• Planned communities in the Republic of Ireland
• Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe
• Former urban districts in the Republic of Ireland