OUR STONE AGE NEIGHBOURS
The earliest people to arrive in Ireland after the Ice Age were Mesolithic
or Middle Stone Age people. They were hunter-gatherers who had
not yet learned or perfected the skills of farming or metalworking.
Their settlements are rarely found but an early Mesolithic temporary
settlement was found at Lough
Boora about 22 kms N.E of Birr. Archaeologist Michael Ryan and his
team excavated the site in 1977 and found hearths and stone tools as
well as evidence of Stone Age diet: burnt bones of red deer, wild pig,
hares, birds, small fish and burnt hazel shells. Radio-carbon datings
ranged from about 6,400 to about 7,000 B.C.
BRONZE AGE ANCESTORS
An important Later Bronze Age hoard was unearthed in the 1820s at
Dowris near Whigsborough, 8kms N.E of Birr. About two hundred objects
such as horns, crotals, swords, spearheads, axeheads, gouges, buckets, a
riveted cauldron, etc. were found, dating to about 700 BC. They may have
been deposited as part of a ritual. Selections
from the hoard are on display in the National Museum of Ireland and in
the British Museum and the
horns and crotals have been
the subject of intriguing research into prehistoric
music.
ST BRENDAN THE ELDER OF BIRR
Although no life of St. Brendan of Birr has survived, he is mentioned in
several medieval manuscripts and his death in 572 AD is recorded in the
Irish Annals. He was known as St Brendan the Elder to distinguish
him from his contemporary and friend St Brendan the Navigator. He
emerges from early Irish writings with a distinctive character: a man of
generous hospitality with a reputation for holiness and spirituality who
was an intuitive judge of character - he was referred to as a prophet.
His friendship and support for St. Colmcille seems to have resulted in
important connections between Birr and the Columban foundations.
The site of the monastery is not known for certain, but recent informed
opinion holds that it is likely to be close to St Brendan's Old
Churchyard and that parts of the town were built over it.
The deaths of the abbots of Birr were recorded in the Irish Annals and
one Macregol, successor to St Brendan, listed as 'scribe, abbot and
bishop at Birr' when he died in 822 AD made a magnificent illuminated
copy of the Four Gospels. The Macregol
Gospels are now in the Bodleian
Library, Oxford but a facsimile copy is on display in the beautiful
new Birr Library situated in the former convent chapel designed by AW
Pugin.
MONASTIC
St Brendan's monastery at Birr was chosen as the venue for several
important conventions and synods. It was one of a large cluster of early
Christian monasteries in the Irish Midlands which were at or near the
then border between the northern over-kingdom of the Ui Neill and that
of Munster to the south. It was also convenient to the Sli Dhala, an
important ancient road and to the River Shannon.
Monastic ruins within easy reach of the town include Clonmacnoise,
Clonfert, Seir Kieran, Killyon, Mona Incha, Roscrea, Sean Ross,
Leamonaghan, Gallen, Rathlihen, Rahan, Drumcullen, Kinnitty, Banagher,
Lorrha, Dorrha, Terryglass. Many monasteries grew in wealth and
were subject to attack and Birr was raided by neighbouring petty
kingdoms and in 841 AD by the Vikings.
CAIN ADOMNAIN
Cain Adomnain was a law which prohibited the
killing of women and other non-combatants and forbade their use in
warfare. It imposed penalties for rape, sexual harassment and other
offences against women and against children and clerics. Adomnan was one
of Colmcille's successors as
abbot of Iona from about 679 to 704 AD
and both men were descended from the powerful Northern Ui Neill. Adomnan
had sufficient prestige to assemble a conference of ninety-one powerful
chieftains and clerics at Birr to promulgate the new law. The text
survives and contains interesting details of the social history of
the time. This event at Birr was a significant one in the
history of women and children in Europe.
Birr 1300 celebrated the anniversary of Cain Adomnain in 1997 with a conference and
new artefacts
were added to the town's treasures.
Rev. Bro. Anthony, OSB carved a wooden cross, modern scribe, Margaret
Maher made a new manuscript copy of Cain
Adomnain and Dan Edwards fashioned a medieval bell. The manuscript and bell are on display in the new
Pugin-designed Birr Library.
ELY O'CARROLL
Most of the territory of South Offaly was once known as Ely O'Carroll or
Eile Ui Chearbhaill which meant Eile of the O'Carrolls. The Ui
Chearbhaill (O'Carrolls) were certainly a formidable dynasty, a
branch of a more ancient people called the Eile whose territory came to
be divided between the Ui Fhogartaigh (O'Fogartys) and the Ui
Chearbhaill (O'Carrolls). The petty kingdom of Eile Ui Chearbhaill
was ruled for many centuries by the descendants of Cearbhall, overlord
of Eile Tuaisceart in the second half of the tenth century AD. The
O'Carrolls are associated with many castles in South Offaly and North
Tipperary and resisted domination by the Anglo Normans and other
powerful neighbours. Tadgh O'Carroll, commissioned the decoration
of the shrine for the Book of Dimma in the late fourteenth century and
was killed at the battle of Callan in 1470 A.D. His daughter Margaret
O'Carroll, married Calvagh O'Connor Faly - she was a celebrated
patroness of culture and the benefactress of large assemblies of
literati and alms-seekers at Killeigh and Rathangan during the hungry
summer of 1433. She made a pilgrimage to Compostella in Spain in 1445.
The
O'Carrolls intermarried with the Fitzgeralds of Kildare, the O'Connors
Faly, the O'Briens of Thomond, the Butlers of Ormond and other powerful
chieftain families. In the sixteenth century, the wife of Ferganainm
O'Carroll was the daughter of Garret Og Fitzgerald and the sister of
Silken Thomas. The English policy of 'Surrender and regrant' in the
sixteenth century put the O'Carrolls under considerable pressure at a
time when they were racked by internal feuds and sometimes at war with
other Irish septs. Birr Castle was one of their chief strongholds. The
O'Carrolls lost power steadily in the seventeenth century as Ely was
shired in 1605 and their land confiscated for the Jacobean and
Cromwellian plantations.
Some
of the dispossessed branches of the family remained in Ireland after the
plantations, others went abroad. Charles
O'Carroll, one of the signatories of the American Declaration of
Independence in 1776, was descended from his Irish namesake Charles
O'Carroll from the Letterluna branch who left Ireland and received a
large grant of land in 1688 in Maryland, U.S.
BIRR CASTLE
Birr Castle Demesne has
been an international attraction since 1845 when the Great Telescope
first offered glimpses into aspects of outer space hitherto unknown.
Now, in addition to the restored telescope, the achievements of the
Parsons family in astronomy, photography and technology as well as those
of other Irish scientists are celebrated in the Historic Science Centre
in what was once the stable block of the castle. The demesne itself is
also noted worldwide with its park, gardens and arboretum designed
around the castle, the lake and the confluence of the rivers Camcor and
Little Brosna.
The present castle building was developed on the site of a previous
O’Carroll tower house and bawn. The actual tower house itself was on
an artificial mound, probably a Norman motte overlooking the river,
according to references in the seventeenth century Rosse archives. It
was demolished in 1778 and all trace of it has disappeared in the
terraces and herbaceous borders.
Sir Laurence Parsons was granted over 1,000 acres of land
in and around Birr in the Plantation of Ely O'Carroll during the reign
of James I. When he took possession of Birr in 1620, he declined to live
in the O’Carroll tower house but instead developed the gatehouse as a
residence for his family. This was extended to take in the two flanking
towers on either side and further changes and additions were made to the
building from time to time, especially by the Second Earl of Rosse so
that although the castle still has an ancient core, it is a complex
construction and most of the garden facade dates from the nineteenth
century.
The Second Earl of Rosse also took a
keen interest in the architectural development of Birr including the
churches and the Georgian malls. His son, William Parsons, Third Earl of
Rosse in the early 1840s built in the grounds of Birr Castle what was to
be the largest telescope in the world for over seventy years. His wife
Mary was one of the earliest photographers and her darkroom, the
earliest known to survive, is preserved in Birr Castle. His cousin Mary
Ward was an outstanding nineteenth century microscopist and in 1869 was
the victim in Birr of what was probably the first recorded motor car
accident. Laurence Parsons, Fourth Earl of Rosse was also a keen
astronomer like his father and built a machine to measure the heat of
the moon while his brother Charles A. Parsons famously invented a steam
turbine which revolutionised industry and transport. The achievements of
these and of other Irish scientists are celebrated in the Historic
Science Centre at Birr Castle
Demesne.
GEORGIAN BIRR
Birr has been designated a Heritage Town for the quality, preservation
and distinctive character of its Georgian architecture and ambience.
Georgian Birr started to take shape in the
1740s when Emmet Square and Emmet St. (then Cumberland Square and
Cumberland Street) were developed to the north of Main St. Town squares
were then in fashion and so were Georgian houses influenced by the
Italian architect Palladio whose distinctive style of architecture can
be found in places as far apart as America, Italy, India, Birr, Bath,
Dublin and Leningrad. The pillar in Emmet Square once supported a statue
of the Duke of Cumberland, victor of the Scots and the Jacobites at the
Battle of Culloden in 1746. The 'Bloody Duke' was an unpopular choice
and few were sorry that 'His Grace' developed a crack and had to be
removed in 1915 when it was discovered that 'he' was leaning dangerously
in the direction of the police barracks.
Oxmantown Mall was laid out during the second
stage in the construction of Georgian Birr which coincided with the
building of the churches and the renovation of Birr Castle in the early
nineteenth century.The mall was designed as a promenade leading from the
new castle gates to St. Brendan's Church of Ireland. With Georgian
houses on one side, a tree-lined walk enhanced by the lovely Oxmantown Hall on the other side and a
vista at either end, it is a much admired streetscape.
John's Mall, begun in the 1830s, is also a
splendid streetscape. John's Hall, in the style of a little Greek
temple, commemorates a son of the Second Earl of Rosse, John Parsons who
died young. Nearby, the Seffin Stone has perplexing legendary
associations - perhaps with Fionn MacCumhail, perhaps with the Navel of
Ireland or Umbilicus Hiberniae stone said to mark the centre of
Ireland. The Crimean gun was captured from the Russians at the Battle of
Sebastopol in 1855 during the Crimean War. The statue of the Third Earl
of Rosse, architect of the Great Telescope is by JH Foley, sculptor of
the O'Connell monument in Dublin. The little church building was once
the Presbyterian Church and subsequently housed the town library for
many years. The central plots, sturdy chain railings, restored gaslight
brackets and surrounding Georgian houses converge slightly to form
another superb streetscape.
BIRR CHURCHES
In an attractive setting beside the convent buildings, an old bridge,
the Riverside walk, a bend in the River Camcor and a weir, St
Brendan's Roman Catholic Church, is a fine Gothic building. It was
designed and built by Bernard Mullins, work commenced in 1817 and the
church was opened in 1826. The excellent acoustics are well appreciated
in a town with a very fine choral tradition.
Handsome stained glass windows add a warm light to the wide vaulted
interior. The window behind the altar is associated with A.W. Pugin and
in the baptistery is a small window by Richard King. In the left
transept is a window by Michael Dunne dedicated in 1964 to the memory of
the Prince of Wales Regiment whose depot was at Crinkill near Birr. A
walk round the church will reveal many other excellent examples of art
and craft in glass, stone. plaster, needlework, wood and metal.
Also in an attractive setting is St Brendan's Church of Ireland
which closes the vista at one end of leafy Oxmantown Mall. It was built
in 1815 to a Gothic design by John Johnson, has a lovely and distinctive
vaulted ceiling, galleries on three sides with charming friezes and also
has very good acoustics.
Some of the communion plate dates back to 1636 and the stained glass
window behind the altar is by CE Kempe. Memorial monuments line the
walls, one to the right of the altar is an outstanding work by Simon
Verity whose work is found in the Cathedral of St John the Divine and in
other important recent projects in New York.
The Methodist Church or Wesleyan Chapel on Emmet St was
built in 1820 to accommodate a congregation which must have grown
considerably since John Wesley visited Birr nineteen times between 1748
and 1789. Wesley preached in the open air, often in the early hours of
the morning and his journal comments help capture the atmosphere of the
town in those days.
The church-like building in Castle St is known as Crottys' Church -
a reminder of the Crotty Schism, a sensational incident in the
history of nineteenth century Birr when the Roman Catholic congregation
rebelled against their priests and bishop in favour of new young curate
Fr Michael Crotty. An allegation had been made that the funds being
collected to build St Brendan's RC Church were being managed irregularly
by the church committee. Crotty encouraged this rumour and struggled to
gain possession of the old thatched chapel and later the new church from
the parish priest on the basis that he had the support of the majority
of the parish.
The bishop suspended him, excommunicated him, put the parish under
interdict and the army was called to eject him from the churches. Fr
Michael Crotty was prosecuted, served jail sentences and his case was
widely reported in the late 1820s - somewhat of an embarrassment while
Daniel O'Connell was campaigning for Catholic Emancipation at
Westminster.
Fr William Crotty joined his cousin Fr Michael in Birr in 1832 and they
obtained this site in 1836 to build a church for their own, by now
diminishing congregation. However, the cousins diverged: Michael to
Anglicanism, William to Presbyterianism and while Michael was trying to
raise funds from Anglican sources in England, William handed the
building over to the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
Within a short time William was transferred to Roundstone in Connemara.
Michael became an embittered man and died in an institution for the
mentally ill in Belgium and the Crotty Schism passed slowly into
history.
BIRR CIVIC
OFFICES & LIBRARY IN PUGIN-DESIGNED CONVENT BUILDING
One of the gems of Birr architecture, this lovely Gothic building was
designed by Augustus Welby Pugin and built in stages from 1845-56.
Mother Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, had come in
person in 1840 to help her sisters set up a foundation in Birr to be
called St. John's Convent of Mercy. Pugin had French ancestors
and visited France to study Gothic art so the little turret near the
church may have been inspired by French chateau architecture or by Irish
round towers or both. The sisters served in schools, an orphanage
and in Birr Workhouse.
As congregation numbers declined and the large convent became less
practical for them, the sisters reluctantly took the decision to leave.
The building came into public hands and Offaly County Council converted
a large section into Birr Civic Offices and Birr Library. Few towns can boast such a splendid
state-of-the-art library in a neo-Gothic chapel with beamed roof, restored and storm glazed
stained glass windows, restored ceiling and mural motifs and lettering, an exciting
children's section, a peaceful cloister area and in addition the library
houses a facsimile
of the Macregol
Gospels or ‘Book of
Birr’, a modern
illuminated vellum manuscript copy of Cain
Adomnain, a replica of an early Christian bell and other town
treasures.
BIRR WORKHOUSE
The mostly derelict buildings of Birr Workhouse can be
seen to the right of the Syngefield road. It was built for 800
inmates to a standard workhouse
design for Ireland by George Wilkinson and opened in April 1842. In the
week ending May 5th 1849 during the lean months and a fever epidemic,
3007 people were sheltered here and in a few other buildings in the
town. During that week 59 'paupers' died, of whom 48 were children and
even the Master of the Workhouse had fever. Between 1848 and 1850 a
total of 65 girls left Birr Workhouse for Australia as part of the
Female Orphan Emigration Scheme and some of their descendants have
visited Birr.
In August 1893 the inmates numbered 176 and the workhouse was closed
down in the last days of the Anglo-Irish War in 1921 during which four
members of the Board of Guardians had been arrested and several others
were 'on the run' while arrangements were being made for the remaining
inmates and staff.
An aerial view confirms the belief that it is the best preserved and
least altered of the 130 workhouses built before the Great Famine. A
continuous archive for the workhouse survives: the minutes of the
Board of Guardians are preserved in Offaly
County Library as are the reports in the King’s County Chronicle newspaper which began publication in Birr
in 1845. In addition, it was one of only nine workhouses chosen by the
government for the National Famine Research Project marking the 150th
commemoration of the Great Famine in 1995.
FIRST ALL IRELAND HURLING FINAL
The first ever All Ireland Hurling Final was played in Birr on Easter
Sunday, 1 April 1888 to decide the All Ireland Championship for 1887.
Tipperary was represented by Thurles and Galway by Meelick and the
referee was Birr business man Patrick White. Birr was convenient,
accessible and neutral for the two teams and special trains carried
crowds, including the Tipperary team to the train station which serviced
Birr from 1858-1963. The teams were warmly welcomed on arrival and
togged out at Cunningham's Hotel in the Main St. The Midland Tribune
reported that the 'combatants arrived on the scene, attired in beautiful
and appropriate costumes. The Meelick men wore green jerseys with white
stripes, while the gallant Tips appeared in green jerseys with stars
artistically worked in the centre'. The match began at 3 pm in Farrells'
(later Hoares') field which was on the Roscrea side of the present GAA
pitch and opposite the County Arms Hotel. There was a very large
attendance and Tipperary won by 1 goal, 1 point and 1 forfeit point to
Galway nil. Both teams were then marshalled and marched back through a
cheering crowd to dinner in Cunningham's Hotel.
Hurling is important in Birr and the local contribution to County Offaly
successes at a national level has been significant. In addition Birr
teams won the All Ireland Hurling Club Championship in the years
1995-1998 and 2002-2003.
PEOPLE
St Brendan the Elder is the first Birr
person recorded by name. He died c. 571 AD. His successors as abbots of
Birr are also named in the Irish Annals.
Adomnan, abbot of Iona held a synod at Birr in 697 AD where he promulgated Cain Adomnain, a
law for the protection of women and other non-combatants in time of war.
Macregol, scribe, bishop and abbot at Birr died
c.822 AD. He made an
illuminated copy of the Four Gospels.
The O'Carrolls were lords of Ely O'Carroll from the tenth century
until the seventeenth century. Birr Castle was one of their chief
strongholds.
The Third Earl of Rosse (1800-1868) built the Great Telescope in
the 1840s.
His wife Mary Field Rosse (1813-1885) was a pioneer of early
photography.
Their son Charles Algernon Parsons (1854-1931) invented the
steam turbine.
Thomas Lalor Cooke (1792-1869) wrote two important histories of the town and district in the
nineteenth century: Picture of Parsonstown (1826) and Early
history of the town of Birr ... (1875).
Patrick White, a business man in Birr Main St
refereed the first All Ireland Hurling Final between Tipperary and
Galway which was played in Birr on Easter Sunday 1888.
Caitlin Brugha (nee Kingston) (1879-1959)
elected to Dail Eireann in 1923 & 1927 and widow of Cathal Brugha
was a native of Main St, Birr.
Catherine Mahon, NT (1875-1948) from Carrig near Birr was elected first woman President of the INTO in
1912 and was one of the first female leaders of any trade union in
Ireland.