Birr Castle (Caisleán Bhiorra)

A demesne of science and gardens, home to a giant 19th-century telescope.

Birr Castle's grounds hold the 'Leviathan of Parsonstown', the largest telescope in the world for over 70 years after 1845, along with world-record trees and beautiful gardens. It remains the seat of the Parsons family.

At a glance

• Home of the 'Leviathan' great telescope
• World's largest telescope 1845-1917
• Renowned demesne and gardens

In County Offaly

Birr Castle is in County Offaly, Uíbh Fhailí in Irish, which means “descendants of Failge”.

More in Offaly

• Clonmacnoise (Cluain Mhic Nóis): A great early monastery on the banks of the Shannon, once a renowned centre of learning.

Other places of this kind

• The Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair): Sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region.
• Newgrange (Sí an Bhrú): A prehistoric monument in County Meath, older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids.
• The Giant's Causeway (Clochán an Aifir): Around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns on the Antrim coast, a UNESCO site wrapped in the legend of Finn McCool.
• Glendalough (Gleann Dá Loch): A beautiful glacial valley of two lakes, home to one of Ireland's most important early monastic settlements.
• The Rock of Cashel (Carraig Phádraig): A dramatic outcrop crowned with medieval buildings, once the seat of the kings of Munster.
• The Hill of Tara (Teamhair na Rí): The ancient inauguration site of the High Kings of Ireland, rich in myth and archaeology.

The Irish name

The Irish form of Birr Castle is Caisleán Bhiorra. You can hear it spoken, and take apart names like it, in the Placename Explorer. The authoritative record for any Irish place-name is logainm.ie.