Top Things to do in Birr
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The 10 Best Things to Do in Birr, Ireland
Discover the best top things to do in Birr, Ireland including Birr Theatre & Arts Centre, Bike Park Ireland, Crinkhill Military Barracks, Birr Castle Gardens, Leap Castle, Birr Equestrian Centre, Science Centre at Birr Castle, The Chestnut Public House, Wild Food Mary, Woodland Cottage Garden.
Restaurants in Birr
1. Birr Theatre & Arts Centre
Overall Ratings
5 based on 124 reviews
Come check out our great range of shows. From amateur dramatics to top quality musical acts from accross the globe. Theres is something for everyone is every programme.
Reviewed By ally2 - dublin
I have attend numerous events, music, plays and films here in the last few years. The staff are friendly and there is a relaxed environment. The charming building has a lovely atmosphere with comfy Seating.
2. Bike Park Ireland
Overall Ratings
5 based on 122 reviews
Bike Park Ireland is the first official mountain bike park in Ireland offering everyone from beginners to pro's the opportunity to have an action packed day out. With 8 downhill trails to choose from, a seriously cool uplift service, the largest pump track in the country, you will find it hard to contain your smile. We are a family run business and the bike park is entirely on private grounds and it's quite simply the best place in Ireland to come and have fun on a mountain bike. If you have all the gear and a bike, great, bring it - if you don't have anything, that's fine too because we have it all here for you to hire, just bring a pair of shoes with grips and we will take care of the rest. We cannot over emphasise the fact that anyone that can ride a bike will have loads of fun here. We have a large fleet of superb Kona bikes for hire, including helmets and pads, a class cafe called The Mucky Boot Cafe which serves homemade hot food all day. If your not into biking that's fine too as we have a lovely walk to the top of the trails where you can see as many as 8 county's. Our bike park is very family friendly and kids of all ages will spend hours playing around on bikes and lets face it there's a kid in all of us and we all just want to play on bikes every now and then!!!
Reviewed By Sage86 - Galway, Ireland
Had a great trip to bike park with a group of very mixed ability from seasoned mountain bikers to complete beginners and everyone had an absolute ball!
From arrival, all the staff at bike park cant do enough for you and put you right at ease. The equipment is maintained to the highest standard and the guys are more than happy to help with your own bike set up if you do bring your own which I appreciated. The runs suit all abilities which makes it great for mixed groups. The uplift to the top is a great idea and means you get more runs in than you would if you had to climb each time. The café has a great selection of freshly baked cakes and amazing burgers. Cannot recommend enough!
3. Crinkhill Military Barracks
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By MedEngland - England
About a mile south of Birr on the Birr to Roscrea road (N62) is an easterly turning to the village of Crinkhill. The huge Barracks lie at the heart of the Village; they were built between 1809-12 as a major centre for the British Army. The vast walls still exist with several gateways and guard houses;most of the inner buildings have been robbed out. However, there is an excellent display board by the north gateway describing the function of the Barracks with a layout plan and several photographs plus a list of the various regiments posted there.
There is also a memorial to The Prince of Wales Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians); to the west of there is the military cemetery formed in part of the adjoining Drill Field.
4. Birr Castle Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 664 reviews
Birr Castle Gardens and Science Centre A Demesne of Discovery open daily from 9.00 until 18.00. The Award Winning Gardens of Birr Castle and the newly revamped Science Centre are rich in flowers, rare trees, extraordinary feats of science and engineering and wonderful wildlife. The Parsons family invite you to explore one of the most extraordinary places in Ireland. Created over generations it is an environmental and scientific time capsule. Treehouse Adventure Area This adventure area inside the Garden houses Ireland’s largest treehouse as well as picnic areas, a bouncy pillow, sand pits and dens. Great Telescope This, the largest telescope in the world for over 70 years, was constructed in the 1840s by the Third Earl of Rosse. With it he discovered the spiral nature of certain nebulae – leading to their identification as galaxies.
Reviewed By Wethinkthat - County Limerick, Ireland
We have visited Santa at Birr Castle from 2010 to 2016. The early years were magical ! The setting of Birr Castle & Gardens is stunning. Brigtly light reception area, with lots of Disney characters greeting us in the courtyard, elves interacting & singing with the kids. There was a beautiful walk through the little wooded garden & Mrs Claus in a cozy little garden house. Reindeer characters & others appeared in the woods. There was a well decorated Santa's workshop, packed with presents & lots of bubbly elves interacting with the little visitors ! Lots of singing christmas songs with the elves. The visit lasted approximately 2 hours.
In 2015 it took a serious decline. Santa was not even in the castle, but the garden ! Mrs was in a freezing room eside reception2016 saw an improvement, but the visit was shorter & the effort was greatly down on previous years. The bright & cheerful Mrs Clause was back in a beautiful Castle room, beside a huge fireplace, telling stories & enquiring if the kids were good & had written their letters. However what seemed to be the supervisory elf, asked us not to take photos, as Mrs Clause was talking to our kids !
The overall decoration, lighting, effort & atmosphere was, however only a shadow of the wonderful events of previous years. However the familiar elves tried to remain bubbly & made their best effort to make our experience good, with limited time & resources. A notable absence of the abundance of characters & elves that were around in previous visits.
In 2017 we reluctantly decided to break our christmas tradition & visit Santa elsewhere. We were not disappointed with our new venue, but saddened to have to leave a most wonderful setting & venue, which we had become very attached to. This was due to the decline we experienced in the organization & effort over the previous 2 years.
I hope future organizers can reflect on earlier years & recapture the magic for a venue with such charm & potential. Hopefully we will be visiting Santa in 2018, but I don't know if we can have the confidence to return to Birr.
I would love to hear reviews on how 2017 visitors got on. Especially families who, like us, have been visiting for a few years.
(Pleas note: visit date from drop-down option, is not accurate, as per the dates in the review)
5. Leap Castle
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 133 reviews
Reviewed By Ruth W - Chardon, Ohio
Sean Ryan was so welcoming my sister and I were shocked! We spent a good part of our day at Leap Castle. First we talked to Sean about himself and the castle history and then he gave us a flashlight and directions up the winding stone steps up to the Bloody Chapel. It was an amazing experience to be able to search through the rooms without anyone there. We sat and thought about the history. The view out the windows is so beautiful. Leap Castle is suppose to be haunted but we found it to be very welcoming. Thank you Sean for your hospitality and music.
6. Birr Equestrian Centre
Overall Ratings
5 based on 30 reviews
Birr Equestrian Centre has been catering for riders and horse enthusiasts for over thirty five years under the direction of Noel Cosgrave and his team of dedicated instructors. The centre is open 7 days a week to cater for your every need and there are a range of services from entertainment to sales and breeding. Birr Equestrian Centre is A.I.R.E. and Board Failte approved and all instructors are certified by the British Horse Society. Located in the Midlands we offer riding lessons; cross country treks and tuition; hourly, half day and full day trekking in the Slieve Bloom Mountains; trekking holidays in conjunction with local accommodation providers; pony camps and much much more! Carriage Driving, Archery, Laser Shooting and Clay Pigeon Shooting are also available on site.
Reviewed By ekw12533 - Hudson River Valley, New York
So there we were, 4 ladies from the US horseback riding our way across Ireland this past June. Birr Equestrian is a short ride from Dublin. We met up at Kinnitty Castle, mounted up and off we headed up into the Slieve Bloom Mountains around...MoreThank you so much for your lovely review!! I have passed on your lovely comments to all the team!! Please come back and visit really soon!! :)
7. Science Centre at Birr Castle
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 23 reviews
Reviewed By Jeff C - Irving
Very informative displays discussing the establishment of the Observatory at Birr Castle, the role played by the Earls of Rosse in scientific advancements in optics, electricity and steam engines. There were probably other fields they were involved in, but I ran out of time.
8. The Chestnut Public House
Overall Ratings
5 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By Casey-Smith - Vancouver, Canada
Two people suggested we go to the Chestnut Public House to watch the World Cup Rugby game. Although our team lost, we had a great time at the Chestnut. The owner brought around free sandwiches at half-time, and the patrons were all friendly. If you wanted a quieter setting,they had an upstairs. We loved the cozy atmosphere.
9. Wild Food Mary
Overall Ratings
5 based on 6 reviews
Reviewed By NeroCoLaois - Co Laois
I have just returned home with my forraging basket overflowing with hedgerow bounty, an impressive array of jars and bottles of Spiced Elderberry Syrup and Hedgerow Shampoo.
Mary Bulfin aka "wild food mary" (check out her blog) gives guided forraging walks and workshops throughout the year and I attended one today at her lovely home in Clareen Birr. She is a fantastic teacher, imparting her knowledge and enthusiasm to the small group, answering all our questions and offering cuttings and plant roots to take home- much appreciated by the gardeners in the group.
We started the day around her large table, with beverages and delicious home baking, yes another bonus Mary is also a fantastic chef/ baker. Foodies take note! Our lunch surpassed anything I have seen on display in Avoca, and was all the more enjoyable knowing it was healthier, with foraged foods, vegetarian, organic and locally sourced produced if not from her garden. The food was an unexpected treat and receipes were shared, the food alone was worth the journey.
In her kitchen we then prepared the elderberries into the Spiced Syrup, creating a health booster to ward off colds, and flus. The day ended sometime after 3,30, leaving us full, brimming with enthuaism and looking forward to our next visit. Would I recommend it, YES A FANTASTIC DAY!
10. Woodland Cottage Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
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