BIRR is a perfect example of a mid-sized town planned round a great house - in this case, Birr Castle, home of the Parsons family (the town used to be known as Parsonstown), later elevated to the Earls of Rosse. Here, eighteenth-century urban planning has resulted in a truly delightful Georgian town, with wide, airy streets and finely detailed, fan-lit houses. After decades of neglect the potential of Birr's heritage has been realized, and although it has enjoyed some cosmetic pampe... [More]