A medieval castle, a park, museums and the largest telescope are all at Birr Castle. A walk with a real count in his estate with a medieval castle is not a fairy tale. At Birr Castle, Irish, surrounded by beautiful gardens and parks, this becomes a reality. The owner, a descendant of the oldest Irish family, will tell the history of the estate and even drink a cup of tea from the family porcelain with you.
Castle history
A long time ago, at the beginning of the XII century, this story began. At that time there was an Anglo-Norman fortress here. Later, until the 17th century, the O'Carroll family lived and ruled over a large area at Birr Castle.
In 1620, Sir Lawrence Parsons Earl of Ross was granted the reigning special castle of Birr with an adjacent territory of five square kilometers. The new owner built a castle that has survived to this day. At the same time, a wonderful garden was laid.
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At the beginning of the 19th century, a descendant of the Earl of the Lawrence Parsons family, the second Earl of Ross, decided to change the appearance of his home. After a small reconstruction, the castle acquired a Gothic appearance.
Count Astronomer and Countess Blacksmith
The third Earl of Ross, William Parsons, made a significant contribution to the history of the castle. He was involved in government activities, was a peer of Ireland, president of the Royal Society of London and was fond of astronomy. In order to observe the life of space objects, he even learned how to make telescopes. In this he was helped by his wife Mary Ross - a very interesting person. She mastered the completely unfeminine profession of a blacksmith, was fond of photography and helped her husband realize the most seemingly unthinkable fantasies. One of these projects was the creation of the world's largest telescope.
Leviathan Telescope
The main attraction of Birr Castle is the Leviathan telescope. This name was given to him for the cyclopean dimensions. At the time of its creation in 1845, it was the largest telescope in the world. This 15-ton structure cost £ 20,000. The main mirror, which collects light from distant stars, was made of an alloy of copper and tin. Due to its gigantic size and complexity of processing, its preparation lasted about three years. The finished mirror was a disk 183 cm in diameter, 15 cm thick and 3 tons in mass. The telescope tube, 18 meters long, was made of spruce, fastened with iron rings.
In order to bring his idea to life, the count had to create a whole factory on the territory of his estate and teach the peasants the complex sciences of making optical instruments. The workshops were equipped with everything necessary. William Parsons did not skimp on technical innovations.
Everything was thought out to the smallest detail, and such a colossus could be controlled by one person using a system of blocks and levers.
Thanks to this miracle of technology, Count Ross III made the discovery that immortalized his name in astronomy. He saw the galaxies of the Universe and its nebulae in a completely different light. It turns out that they have a spiral shape.
19th century photo workshop
Mary Ross, the Earl's wife, became the first photographer in Ireland. Her photography workshop was literally crammed with innovative things of the time. The spouses, greedy for technical innovations, spent a lot of money on them. After the hostess, no one touched anything here until 1983. The laboratory stood closed for almost a century.
This is why it is valuable for the history of photography. For those who are fond of photography, it will not be superfluous to see the museum of photographic art. It displays not only photographs of the 19th century, but also reagents. The museum in the castle also contains descriptions of the different ways of taking pictures.
Birr Castle Park
After exploring the museums, telescope and scientific achievements of the former owners of Birr Castle, visitors stroll through the park of this beautiful piece of landscape art. A man-made park with skillfully decorated flower beds and green hedges turns into a completely wild forest with waterfalls and corners of untouched nature.
The park has graceful benches with monograms. On them, surrounded by flower beds and flowering shrubs, you can relax in the fresh air, take beautiful photographs against the backdrop of nature and merge with it in another part of this splendor. Wandering along the openwork bridges, created by human hand in the Middle Ages and still preserved, you feel yourself alone with nature and history.
Botanical Garden
For lovers of wildlife, the Botanical Garden of Birr Castle will be of interest. Flowers from all over the world are grown here. The local gardeners take great care of all this wealth. Thanks to their labor, after ten years of dormancy, the "goat-horned tree" blossomed. In early June, you can see the flowering of this beautiful plant, which is also called the Chinese tree. This unique seedling was brought to Ireland in the middle of the 20th century.
Count Ross in person
The title of Earl of Ross is inherited by descendants. Now living in the castle, Brandan Parsons is the seventh generation of the famous dynasty. The castle is closed to the public, apart from Mary Ross's photography studio. Believe it or not, the beautiful medieval castle serves as the seat of today's descendants.
Earl Ross the seventh in 1996 did everything possible to restore this monument of science and technology. Much effort was made to restore the telescope and create museums, which display the astronomer's manuscripts and his drawings, where he depicted what he saw in the immense universe, looking into his mirror of the world.
Things to do
In Birr Castle and its surroundings, you can walk at least all day. After all, this is a whole world in a huge area and there are so many interesting things for all tastes.
Someone may want to chat with the owner and his wife. The family often goes to the park's visitors and gladly tells the history of the count's estates.
There are even tours that include a visit to the castle and lunch in the presence of the count and countess.
How to get there on your own
This fabulous place (Birr Castle) is located in Ireland, in the county of Offaly. The best way to get to the capital of Ireland, Dublin, is, of course, by plane. Between the cities of Ireland to choose from: car, train, bus.
For those who prefer a measured journey with contemplation of nature, the ferry is suitable. This type of transport can be used to get to the shores of the country.
Have a nice trip!
