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Birr Castle Demesne 
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Birr Castle Demesne tel: 00353 5791 20336 Area: Republic of Ireland |
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| Visitor Information | www.birrcastle.com -- email: mail {at} birrcastle.com | ||||||||||
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Birr Castle Demesne |
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| Opening Days and Hours | |||||||||||
All year; 7 days a week; 9am - 6pm; Winter months 12 noon- 4pm |
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| Parties
/ Coaches: Yes |
Groups
/ Coaches need Appointment: Yes Guided tours by arrangement |
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House
Open for Viewing: no |
National
Garden Scheme days: no |
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| Best
Times of Year to Visit: May Autumn |
To
see: Magnolias in bloom Stunning autumn colour |
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| Admission Prices | |||||||||||
| Adult € 9; Senior/Student € 7.50; Child € 5.50; Family € 25; Group rates € 6.50 | |||||||||||
| Onsite Facilities | |||||||||||
| Parking:
Yes Lavatories: Yes Disabled Access: Yes |
Shop:
Yes Plants for Sale: No Lunches: Yes |
Teas:
Yes Light Refreshment: Yes Picnics: Yes |
Dogs
Allowed: Yes On Lead only: Yes Special Events: Yes |
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| Other
Facilities: Ireland's Historic Science Centre is an interactive museum revealing the family's achievements in early photography, engineering, astronomy, and botany. The 'Leviathan' Great Telescope - the largest in the world for over 70 years is fully restored and sits at the centre of the demesne. |
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| Garden Features | |||||||||||
| The Demesne contains over 50 of the champion trees of the British Isles, as well as geographic collections from Mexico, Pakistan, and Yunnan. Evergreen conifers, golden willows, carpets of daffodils, world-record box hedges, magnolias , a cherry avenue and the original plant of Paeonia 'Anne Rosse'. What's in Bloom? Magnolia Delavayi is a native of Yunnan in China. This is in bloom during the March/April period. Also, the Camellias, Crocus & Magnolia's are in bloom in the months of March & April. Roses are in bloom from May onwards.such as, the Rosa 'Duchesse de Montebello', When in bloom its dark green foliage strikes a dramatic contrast with its small fragrant double soft blush-coloured flowers. They can be found in the Formal Gardens. |
English Heritage Garden Grade: | ||||||||||
| National Collection: | |||||||||||
| Description of Garden | Designer:
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| With over 120 acres (50 ha) of gardens and grounds of 17th century parkland, and with the Victorian gothic castle catching the eye in vistas throughout the park, this spectacular garden has a huge collection of over 4,000 trees and shrubs to be admired. A marvellous walled garden has a tunnel running through the centre. Many of the plants here were grown from the original seeds collected on expeditions to China before WWII, others were collected by the owners' parents from the wild. The collections of magnolias, camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas are particularly fine. But the most spectacular feature is the huge telescope, 'Leviathan', once the largest in the world, now completely restored and operating throughout the day, testifying to the range of interests and capablilities of the owner's ancestors. This is augmented by the new Galleries of Discovery. There are also the tallest box hedges in the British Isles at over 12 metres high. An extraordinary suspension bridge crosses one of the rivers and there has been much recent restoration of key elements of the garden by the Great Gardens of Ireland Restoration programme. |
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| History of Garden | |||||||||||
| The park was laid out in the 17th century when the river was diverted to make the lake, it has been slowly added to over the centuries with most of the rarer specimens collected, propagated and planted under the supervision of the 6th and 7th Earls of Rosse. |
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| Nearby Republic of Ireland Hotels, Facilities & Amenities | |||||||||||
| Hotels
& Accommodation: Kinnity Castle, Dooleys Hotel, County Arms Hotel |
Restaurants: The Thatch Spinners |
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| Inns & Pubs: |
Villages / Towns
/ Sightseeing: Birr Georgian Heritage Town Clonmacnoise |
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  - Republic of Ireland |
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*Information
Updates
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0196_birrCastle.jpg - Birr Castle Demesne (Republic of Ireland)
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