- Type
- Castle
- Built
- c. 1620 · 17th century
- Style
- Victorian architecture
- Coordinates
- 53.0953°, -7.9155°
History
In the Middle Ages Birr was a stronghold of the Gaelic O'Carroll family. In 1620 the estate was granted to the English settler Sir Laurence Parsons, who began rebuilding the castle around the old O'Carroll gatehouse, adding two diagonal flanking towers. In the early 19th century Laurence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse, heightened the building and gave it a Gothic Revival look. In 1845 William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, completed a telescope here with a 72-inch mirror, the Leviathan of Parsonstown, which remained the largest in the world until 1917; with it he made out the spiral structure of some nebulae. His wife Mary was a pioneer of photography, and their son Charles invented the steam turbine. The Parsons family still lives in the castle.
What to see
Most visitors explore the extensive grounds, with a lake, river, rare trees and box hedges over 300 years old that Guinness World Records lists as the tallest in the world. The Leviathan, reconstructed in 1996–1999, stands on the lawn in front of the castle and is sometimes demonstrated in motion, while Ireland's Historic Science Centre on the estate includes Mary Rosse's darkroom. The castle itself is a private home, and its interior is generally not open to the public.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q2419871
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