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heritage · Saturday 15 August 2026 · Various times 
Guided Tours of Birr Castle: Heritage Week 2026
At Birr Castle Demesne · Birr, Co. Offaly
At Birr Castle Demesne · Birr, Co. Offaly
Every August, Birr Castle opens its doors in a way it rarely does for the general public. During National Heritage Week, the Parsons family’s remarkable home - occupied by the same family for over 400 years - takes on guided tours of its private interior rooms. This is not the gardens-and-telescope experience you can book on a regular day; it is a proper walk through the castle itself, with a guide on hand to explain what you are looking at and why it matters. If you have any interest in Irish history, the Anglo-Irish house, or the astonishing scientific legacy of the Earls of Rosse, this is worth planning your August around.
Each tour runs for 60 minutes and takes a maximum of 15 people through five of the main reception rooms. You will see the Library and the Dining Room - the latter rebuilt after a fire in 1836 following the 3rd Earl’s marriage, complete with a Gothic sideboard and family portraits lining the walls. The Yellow Drawing Room and the Castle Music Room are among the other spaces on the route, and throughout the guide draws out the story of the Parsons family’s four centuries at Birr: their astronomical achievements (the Great Telescope here was the largest in the world for 70 years), their botanical work, and the daily life that filled these rooms. The tour group size is deliberately small, so there is genuine time to look and ask questions. After the guided section, you have free time to explore the grounds - the Great Telescope, the ILOFAR radio telescope array, the Science Centre, and 120 acres of gardens and parklands.
Spaces are limited to 15 per tour and pre-booking is mandatory. Book via the Birr Castle website before travelling.
Birr sits in the south of Co. Offaly, roughly equidistant from Portlaoise, Tullamore and Nenagh. By road, the town is reached via the N52 from Tullamore to the north-east, or the N62 from Roscrea to the south. The journey from Dublin takes around 90 minutes by car. There is no direct rail connection to Birr; the nearest station is Tullamore (served by the Dublin Heuston - Westport / Galway line), from where a taxi or local bus covers the remaining 30 km. Car parking is available at the castle demesne entrance on the edge of the town.
Birr town itself rewards a slow wander - the Georgian streetscape is intact and the scale is human. The castle grounds are on the town’s doorstep, and the combination makes for a full day rather than a rushed visit. There is more to see in Birr and across Co. Offaly.
Heading to Birr Castle Demesne in Birr? Offaly has plenty more to see. Read the Birr area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.