Birr 452014 225438995 2008-07-13T18:24:13Z Thijs!bot 1392310 robot Adding: [[id:Birr, Republik Irlandia]] {{Nofootnotes|article|date=February 2008}} :''This article is about Birr, the town in Ireland. For alternative meanings see: [[Birr (disambiguation)]]''. {{Infobox Irish Place| name = Birr | gaeilge = Biorra | crest image = Birr crest.png | motto = | map image = Ireland map County Offaly Magnified.png | pin coords = left: 37px; top: 63px | north coord = 53.0914 | west coord = 7.9133 | irish grid = N058045 | area = | elevation = 75 m | province = [[Leinster]] | county = [[County Offaly]] | town pop = 4,097 | rural pop = 1,096 | census yr = 2006 | web = www.offaly.ie/yourcouncil/birrtc.asp | |}} '''Birr''' (''Biorra'' in [[Irish language|Irish]]) is a town in the Midlands [[county]] of [[County Offaly|Offaly]] in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. Once called [[Parsonstown]], after the Parsons family who were local landowners and hereditary [[Earl of Rosse|Earls of Rosse]], Birr is situated at the meeting of the Camcor and [[Little Brosna]] rivers. On leaving Birr, the combined Camcor and Little Brosna rivers, now simply the [[River Brosna]], flow into the [[River Shannon]]. Birr is a designated Irish [[Heritage Town]] with a carefully preserved Georgian heritage. Birr itself has graceful wide streets and elegant buildings. Many of the houses in John's Place and Oxmantown Mall have exquisite [[fanlight]] windows of the Georgian period. ==History== A monastery was founded at Birr by [[Brendan of Birr|St Brendan of Birr]]. It produced the Gospels of McRegol, named after the abbot at the turn of the 8th/9th century and now to be seen in the [[Bodleian Library]] in [[Oxford]]. The [[Synod of Birr]], held in [[697 in Ireland|697]], was the occasion on which the [[Cáin Adomnáin]], or law of innocents, was pronounced. The town itself is an old market and former garrison town dating to the 1620s. [[Image:Emmet Square Birr.jpg|thumb|left|Emmet Square in Birr]] In Emmet Square stands [[Dooly's Hotel]]: one of the oldest [[coaching inn]]s in Ireland, dating from [[1747 in Ireland|1747]]. The name of [[Galway]] Blazers was given to the [[Galway]] Hunt after a celebration held in the hotel in [[1809 in Ireland|1809]] resulted in the premises being set on fire. The column in the centre of the square dates from 1747 and was built to carry the statue of the [[William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland|Duke of Cumberland]], known as the Bloody Duke and the victor of the [[Battle of Culloden]]. The statue was removed in [[1915 in Ireland|1915]] as it was in danger of collapse. On the [[Roscrea]] road, near the County Arms Hotel is the beautiful gothic-style [[Catholic]] church of [[1817 in Ireland|1817]]–25. The town was also the location of The [[Crotty Schism]], one of the few schisms to affect the Catholic Church in Ireland in the 19th century. ==Places of interest== [[Birr Castle]] is the oldest inhabited home in the county. In the 16th century the O'Carrolls of Ely had one of their castles here and this was granted to [[Sir Laurence Parsons]] in the course of the Stuart plantation, c. [[1620 in Ireland|1620]]. Sir Laurence Parsons built most of the structure of the present castle. The castle was twice besieged in the 17th century and one of the towers still shows the scars of the artillery of [[Patrick Sarsfield]], who tried unsuccessfully to take it. The castle still remains the seat of the [[Earl of Rosse|Earls of Rosse]] and is home to the seventh Earl (Brendan Parsons) at present. As a family home, the Castle is only open to the public on special occasions. The surrounding demesne however is open to [[tourist]]s every day of the year, and the gardens contain many fine trees and shrubs set in a landscaped park with waterfalls, river and lake. A main feature on the grounds of the castle is the great [[Leviathan of Parsonstown]], an [[astronomical]] [[telescope]] with a 72-inch metal [[mirror]] erected by the [[William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse|third Earl of Rosse]], which was, until [[1917 in Ireland|1917]], the largest telescope in the world. ==Demographics== The population of Birr (and its environs) has risen by 21.5% from 1996 to 2006<ref>{{cite web | title=Demographic context | work=Offaly County Council Development Plan 2009 - 2015 | url=http://www.offaly.ie/NR/rdonlyres/A4AD027E-87E4-4353-917B-47C75D92768F/1095/Chapter2ContextandChallenges_FEB08.pdf | accessdate=2008-06-28}}</ref>: *1996 ... 4158 *2002 ... 4411 *2006 ... 5053 ==Transport== Birr railway station opened on [[8 March]] [[1858 in Ireland|1858]], but finally closed on [[1 January]] [[1963 in Ireland|1963]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Birr station | work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-09-12}}</ref> The Ormond Flying Club has been in operation at [[Birr Aerodrome|Birr Airfield]] for over 30 years.<ref>[http://www.ormandflyingclub.com/html/flying_in_.html Ormand Flying Club]</ref> The area has been linked with aviation for some time - as a British Army airstrip was previously near the current field.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} ==Sport== Birr also has a very successful hurling team, [[Birr GAA]], winning the all-Ireland championship four times. Many of Birr's hurlers—including [[Brian Whelehan]]—learned their craft at [[St. Brendan's Community School]], which also boasts a strong musical and scientific tradition. The [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1887|first ever All-Ireland hurling final]] was played in Birr, on Easter Sunday, 1 April 1888, between Tipperary and Galway. The match was won by Tipperary on a score line of 1 goal, 1 point and 1 forfeit point to Galway’s no score. A forfeit point was given against a player carrying the sliotar over his own goal line. ==People== {{Fact|date=January 2008}} * [[Joseph Stirling Coyne]] ([[1803 in Ireland|1803]]–[[1868 in Ireland|1868]]) Playwright, journalist, and one of the first editors of [[Punch magazine]]. * [[John Guinan]] ([[1874 in Ireland|1874]]–[[1945 in Ireland|1945]]) Writer and playwright for the [[Abbey Theatre]] * [[John Frazer (poet)|John Frazer]] ([[1804 in Ireland|1804]]–[[1852 in Ireland|1852]]) Journalist and poet. * [[Tom Enright]] * [[Barry Glendenning]] * [[Olwyn Enright]] * [[Mundy]] * [[Roesy]] * [[Brian Whelahan]] * [[Johnny Pilkington]] * [[Aidan Quinn]] * [[William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse]] ==See also== *[[List of towns in the Republic of Ireland|List of towns in Ireland]] *[[Market Houses in the Republic of Ireland|Market Houses in Ireland]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.birrleisurecentre.ie/ Birr Leisure Centre] *[http://www.birrnet.com/ www.BirrNet.com] *[http://www.travelpublishing.co.uk/CountryLivingIreland/Offaly/CLIBirrScientificandHeritageFoundation.htm The Birr Scientific and Heritage Foundation (link 1)] *[http://www.ul.ie/~strunz/birr/BSHC.html The Birr Scientific and Heritage Foundation (link 2)] *[http://www.birrcastle.com/ Birr Castle Demesne] *[http://www.offaly.ie/offalyhome/yourcouncil/towncouncils/BirrTC/ Birr town council website] *[http://www.danheller.com/ire-birr-castle.html Dan Heller's (recent) images of Birr Castle and gardens] *[http://www.imagesofoldireland.com/towns%20and%20villages/co%20offaly/birr/birr.html Much older photographs of Birr] *[http://www.elyocarroll.com/ Ely O'Carroll country] [[Category:Towns and villages in County Offaly]] [[bg:Бир]] [[da:Birr (Irland)]] [[de:Birr (Irland)]] [[fr:Birr (Irlande)]] [[ga:Biorra]] [[id:Birr, Republik Irlandia]] [[it:Birr (Irlanda)]] [[no:Birr (Irland)]] [[sv:Birr, Irland]]