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family · Wednesday 26 August 2026 · See website for times 
Irish Game & Country Fair - Fine Food Festival
At Birr Castle Demesne · Birr, Co. Offaly
At Birr Castle Demesne · Birr, Co. Offaly
Two days inside the grounds of Birr Castle Demesne with hundreds of exhibitors, medieval knights, gun dogs, falconers, and an entire fine food festival under canvas - the Irish Game and Country Fair is about as full a day out as you will find in the Irish midlands in August. It draws country sports enthusiasts, food lovers, families with small children, and people who simply enjoy a well-run outdoor fair in a genuinely spectacular setting. The castle grounds provide a backdrop that is hard to match anywhere else in Offaly.
The fair is built around a main arena programme that runs across both days, with international country sports competitions and demonstrations at its core. Past years have featured medieval jousting staged by top UK re-enactment teams, a recreated historic village under the castle battlements, and a separate Viking Village with living history displays.
Hands-on activities give visitors plenty to try rather than just watch: fly casting, archery, air rifle shooting, and pony rides have all featured in previous years, alongside falconry displays, ferret shows, and international gun dog demonstrations. There is a children’s play area and the arena programme includes set-piece spectacles - including a staged siege of Birr Castle itself - that tend to pull a crowd.
The tented village is where the Fine Food Festival element of the event takes shape. Around 200 quality trade stands are arranged across dedicated pavilions: Fine Food and Drink, Guns and Tackle, Country Fashion, Art, Antiques and Crafts, Tourism, and Conservation. Cookery demonstrations from top chefs run alongside the food stands, with artisan producers offering tastings throughout the day.
Birr is in the centre of Ireland, roughly equidistant from Dublin, Limerick, and Galway. By road it sits on the R440/R439 network; from Dublin, the M7 to Portlaoise and then the R440 west is the straightforward route (about 1 hour 45 minutes). From Limerick, the N52 through Nenagh brings you in from the south. Bus Eireann serves Birr from Dublin and Limerick on route 53, though services are limited and connections to the castle grounds are not direct. Driving is the practical choice for most visitors. Event parking is available on site.
Birr town itself is one of the more handsome estate towns in the midlands, with Georgian streets and a compact centre worth a slow walk. The castle demesne - normally open independently as a heritage attraction - contains the Great Telescope, once the largest in the world, and 120 acres of garden with over 5,000 plant species. 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.