Heritage Town Trails

The Heritage Town of Birr in the centre of Ireland is home to a number of different historical land marks. Below is an outline of two town trails that visitors follow when visiting Birr, as we can see from below, these walks allow visitors to capture the true feeling of the historical features in this beautiful town. The routes below have been made into a leaflet for people to take home and can be got at the following locations: Birr Tourism Office (located in the new library), Shannon Development, Birr Castle Demesne and Mid Ireland Tourism or download the Heritage Town Trail of Birr.

Route 1

Emmet Square was laid out in the mid 18th century during the Georgian period.

Its central focus was the Cumberland Pillar erected in 1747 and originally surmounted by a statue of the Duke of Cumberland, victor of the Battle of Culloden (1746). The statue became unpopular, was tilting dangerously and was removed in 1915. 2

O’Connell Street is an excellent shopping street with some traditional shop fronts which survive here and nearby in Connaught St. as well as in Main St. where some facades hide 17th century features.

Church Street This was once a narrow main road linking Birr Castle, the old churchyard and market areas with Main St., Connaught St. and beyond. The large stone obstructing the way further on prevented carts from leaving the markets without paying tolls. The car park to the right is sited on an old corn and wool market area.

ST Brendan’s Old Churchyard is on the site of St. Brendan’s early Christian monastery at Birr where Cain Adomnáin was passed into law in 697 and where the Macregol Gospels were illuminated in the 9th century. The churchyard played an important part in the religious and military history of Birr and was used in the attack and defence of Birr Castle during the 17th century sieges.

Birr Castle Demesne is open to the public and is internationally famous both for the variety of plant life in the gardens and for the Great Telescope, the largest in the world for over seventy years. Ireland’s Historic Science Centre celebrates Irish scientists like those of the Parsons family. Although Birr Castle itself remains the private home of that family, the Demesne is open to the public daily throughout the year.

Oxmanstown Mall is a much admired streetscape planned in the early 19th century by the 2nd Earl of Rosse. Fine Georgian houses face a tree-lined walk and Oxmantown Hall, a Victorian building in the centre, opened in 1889, was recently
Restored to modern standards as Birr Theatre and Arts Centre. St. Brendan’s Church of Ireland opened in 1816 was built to John Johnston’s design in the Gothic Revival Style. Close to the church Mary Ward was killed in the first recorded automobile accident in 1869.

Emmet Street leads back to Emmet Square. On the right is the Wesley Chapel or Methodist Church built in 1820. John Wesley visited Birr nineteen times during the 18th century.

Route 2

Emmet Square was laid out in the mid 18th century during the Georgian period. Its central point was the Cumberland Pillar erected in 1747 and originally surmounted by a statue of the Duke of Cumberland, victor of the Battle of Culloden (1746). The statue became unpopular, was tilting dangerously and was removed in 1915. 2

Johns Mall is an attractive streetscape with fine Georgian houses and public monuments. John’s Hall was built for the 2nd Earl of Rosse in 1833 to commemorate the death of his 26-year old son, John Clere Parsons and it was first used as a schoolhouse. Close to the hall are the Seffin Stone of prehistoric significance and a Russian cannon captured during the Crimean war. The central plots laid out in the 1870s are known locally as ‘The Chains’. The statue of the 3rd Earl of Rosse is the work of John Henry Foley. A small Gothic style building was originally the Presbyterian Church built in 1885.

Birr Civic Offices & Roman Catholic Church. Birr Civic Offices and Birr Library are now sited in the lovely Gothic Revival building designed in the mid 19th century by A.W. Pugin as a convent for the Sisters of Mercy founded here in 1840 by Catherine McAuley. The chapel has been superbly restored as a magnificent library and houses local treasures including a facsimile of the Macregol Gospels scripted and illuminated in Birr about 800 AD, the original of which is now in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. St Brendan’s Roman Catholic Church is a fine Gothic Revival church designed and built by Bernard Mullins and opened in 1826. The interior is very attractive with some fine stained glass windows.

Camcor River. The oldbridge offers attractive views of the weir and linear parks on the Camcor River. The old mill at Brendan St. was at the centre of industrial activity in Birr for over 300 years. Having been idle and derelict for many years, the remaining mill structures have been redeveloped into Birr Technology Centre which is now home to modern, knowledge-based industries in such areas as software, multi-media and e-commerce. The Mill Island nearby surrounded by the millrace and the Camcor River is a pleasant green park.

Market Square. The heart of the medieval town was in this area for centuries. A market house once stood in Market Square where a monument now commemorates the Manchester Martyrs, three Irish nationalists executed in England in 1867. The bridge over the River Camcor at nearby Bridge St. formerly supported several houses. Castle Street once led directly to the gate of Birr Castle. Crotty’s Church on the left, built in 1836, is a visible reminder of the Crotty Schism which divided the Roman Catholic community of 19th century Birr.

Main Street is an excellent shopping street leading northwards from the Market Square. It is a very old thoroughfare but was first recorded on a map in 1691. Two of the narrow lanes survive and the footprints of several houses, especially those near Market Square must date from at least the 17th century. Continue up O’Connell Street to Emmet Square.

For more information on our Heritage Town Trails contact Destination Birr