About Birr Co. Offaly

The place name "Birr" came from the Irish Term probably used to describe its riverside position. In the past Birr was the kingdom of Ely O'Carroll, run for many thousands of years by the O'Carroll dynasty. The O Carroll family were overlords of the area until the colonisation of the territory by soldier-settlers from England in the early 17th century.

The 17th century antiquarian and ecclesiastic, Archbishop Usher, said that Birr was considered the centre of Ireland and Sir William Petty, the 7th century land map maker and surveyor marks the old church at Birr with the words 'Umbilicus Hiberniae'. A present-day reminder is the Seefin Stone a large boulder said to mark the very centre of Ireland and which now can be seen at Oxmantown Mall in the centre of the town.

The Town was once called “Parsonstown” after the Parsons Family. Birr Castle, Birr’s most prestigious land mark has been home to the Parsons family, Earls of Rosse for the last fourteen centuries. In the grounds of the Castle lies one of the worlds biggest Telescopes which has been restored and also its graceful gardens are there for all to view.

Birr Town not only boasts magnificent building and castles but is also home to the Macregol Gospel an illuminated manuscript compiled in Birr in the late 18th century. The Book is kept in the new library beside the civic offices and has been brilliantly preserved. The town also gained fame as the venue for the first All-Ireland Hurling final in 1888.