Birr Castle Demesne

Seat Of The Earls Of Rosse, With The Restored Great Telescope (The Leviathan, The Largest Telescope In The World From 1845 To 1917), About 120 Acres Of Gardens And Ireland'S Historic Science Centre · Birr, Offaly

Birr Castle Demesne is the walled estate around the home of the Parsons family, Earls of Rosse, in the Georgian town of Birr in County Offaly. The castle itself is still a private family house, but the demesne around it - roughly 120 acres of gardens, woods, a lake and two rivers - is open to visitors, and it holds something no other Irish garden has: the Great Telescope, known as the Leviathan of Parsonstown. Built in 1845 by the third Earl, it was the largest telescope in the world until 1917, and through it the spiral shape of a galaxy was seen and drawn for the first time. Restored in the 1990s, it stands between its two great stone walls on the lawn. Around it are Ireland's Historic Science Centre, formal gardens with clipped box walls said to be among the tallest in the world, a treehouse playground and long river walks. People come for the telescope, the trees and a calm family day. The honest caveats: the castle rooms open only on limited summer tours, it is far from anywhere by public transport, and on a wet day the demesne is mostly outdoors.

Rosse Row, Birr, County Offaly; the castle is the Earls of Rosse's private home, the demesne and science centre are open to visitors, Birr, Offaly, Ireland

The demesne, gardens and science centre are open daily for most of the year, roughly from morning to early evening in summer and to late afternoon in winter, with a closure over Christmas (confirm current hours). The castle is a private home and opens only for guided tours in the summer season, roughly May to August, with small groups that should be booked online ahead (confirm dates and times). Birr is about 2 hours from Dublin by car via the M7 and N52, with no railway station; a private coach service links Birr with Dublin and Tullamore (confirm operator). Demonstrations of the telescope turning are scheduled on some days (confirm).

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