Birr Castle

Seat of the Parsons family, the Earls of Rosse, since 1620, at Birr, County Offaly, Republic of Ireland. The present Birr Castle is the work of several periods – it was burnt in 1643, besieged in 1690, and largely altered in the Gothic style by the 2nd Earl of Rosse in the early 1800s. The interior boasts a magnificent Gothic ballroom and an original yew staircase, which dates from the 17th century and has been described as the finest example of its kind in Ireland. The gardens are picturesque and well maintained.

In the grounds of the demesne are the walls and barrel of the Rosse Telescope, built by the 3rd Earl in 1845, which was the largest in the world until 1915. The remains of the observatory can still be seen, together with astronomical artefacts and a scale model of the telescope.