Birr

Market town in County Offaly, Republic of Ireland; population (2002) 3,600. Birr was formerly a garrison town; its streets and public buildings are a fine example of 18th-century town planning. Birr Castle, built in 1620, was the residence of the Earls of Rosse. Cable is manufactured here.

There is evidence of Stone Age and Bronze Age settlements around Birr. St Brendan of Birr founded an early Christian monastery in about 540. The Earls of Rosse were scientists and astronomers in the 19th century. The Rosse Telescope (built by the third Earl in 1845) was, for nearly 80 years, the largest telescope in the world; the remains of the observatory can still be seen at Birr Castle, together with astronomical artefacts and a scale model of the Rosse Telescope. The castle gardens, open to the public, have a notable collection of trees, shrubs, and hedges. Birr Heritage Centre is located in the former town hall (1833). Dooley's Hotel is one of the oldest coach houses in Ireland and dates to the 1740s.