This week Pat and I decided to get away from it all. We
headed to Birr in Co Offaly. Maybe not your first choice of destination for a
two day break – but somewhere Pat and I had not been to before. We didn’t have a
lot of money to spend on our get-away so we booked a deal on www.pigsback.com. We picked Birr because it is
one of Ireland’s best examples of a Georgian Town. I was looking forward to
seeing its streets and malls and lovely buildings. I was not disappointed.
To check out the town try this web site www.heritagetowns.com/birr.shtml
We arrived in Birr at lunch time on Thursday 14th
March. We were booked into the County Arms Hotel – http://www.countyarmshotel.com/
We booked in to our room which was lovely and headed down to
the bar for some lunch and to watch the racing on TV. I hear some of you groan –
but it was Cheltenham Race week and also it was Pat’s birthday and he follows
the racing. So on your birthday, you should get to do exactly what you want.
After a few races we walked down the town to
explore where the locals were watching the racing and joined some of them in
the bar at Dooley’s hotel. We had a lovely afternoon. The streets and buildings
are so impressive. That evening we had
dinner in the hotel and shared a lovely bottle of red. I was so relaxed and could feel
myself starting to unwind from the moment we arrived in Birr.
Next day after a lovely breakfast we headed to Birr Castle
Demesne www.birrcastle.com/
It was a lovely crisp bright morning – cold but sunny. We
decided to start with a walk around the gardens because in Ireland you never
know when the next season is about to start. As my mother used to say - Make hay while the sun shines.
So this week on the blog I decided to share my walk with you. I was really
taken by the beauty of the place and by the sounds - the flow of water, birds
song and blissful quite made it a great experience. I have been a bit stressed
lately and this was just what I needed. So here is my visual record of our walk and I hope you can also experience a little peace.
Pat heads off on the trail. |
Springing into life |
Stimulating - sound - sight - smell - touch |
Reaching to the heavens |
This footbridge was built around 1820 and is the oldest suspension bridge in Europe. The River is called Camcor |
Nature also provides it's own bridges |
Birr Castle is the seat of the Earls of Rosse, the Parsons family, who still live in the castle. The castle itself is not open to the public – pity.
A large telescope dominates the grounds. This was the largest telescope in the world for 70 years. It was built in 1845 by the Third Earl of Rosse. The telescope fell into disrepair in the early part of the 20th century, but was fully restored in the 1990s. There is also a very interesting Science Museum – worth a visit
I like this view of the telescope showing the castle in the background |
I hope you enjoyed our walk and maybe someday you will find time to visit Birr for yourself.