In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Birr like this:
Birr, or Parsonstown, par. and market town, SE. King's co., on river Little Brosna, 12 miles N. of Roscrea, and 89 SW. of Dublin by rail -- par., 7127 ac., pop. 7042; town, pop. 4955; 2 Banks. Market-day, Saturday. Birr is both the ancient and the popular name of the town; Parsonstown has been given to it in honour of the proprietors, the Parsons, Earls of Rosse. ...
It is a fine-looking, well-built town, and contains a lofty columnar monument, erected in 1747, to William, Duke of Cumberland, in honour of his victory at Culloden. There are vast barracks here. At Birr Castle, the seat of the Earl of Rosse, is the famous Rosse telescope.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Birr, in and County Offaly | Map and description, A Vision of Ireland through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofireland.org/place/28043
Date accessed: 30th April 2024
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