A self-guided tour of the demesne includes access to the following:

• • • • • • • • • 120 acres of parklands
                  The Great Telescope
                • Seven Gallery Science Centre
                • Hologram & Welcome Video
                • Lunar Heat Machine
                • Parsons Steam Turbine
                • I-LOFAR.

The Treehouse Adventure Playground has limited access. Please enquire at time of booking.

€6 per student

Birr Demesne is a very special microcosm, its own little world of protected wildlife and plant life. The demesne is an area of over 50 hectares, walled in on most sides and well protected from invading species. Explore the habitats, biodiversity, adaptation, food chains and lifecycles within the demesne. Become an amateur naturalist for the day. Using quadrats, magnifying lenses, bug viewers, butterfly and pond dipping nets discover the wonderful world of nature from flowers to trees, dragonflies to dippers. Use identification keys and learn how to upload findings to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.

Throughout the various STE(A)M weeks in 2023, we have a multitude of workshops that encompass an array of interests from biodiversity to the wider universe!
To find out more about our various workshops during STE(A)M weeks, click here

For more educational enquiries or bookings, please email education@birrcastle.com

Our experienced tour guide will take your students on a fascinating 60-minute outdoors discovery tour, which will include the history of the castle, the Great Telescope, the Steam Turbine invented by Charles Parsons, and the state-of-the-art I-LOFAR telescope. After the tour, students will have access to the Science Galleries. Numbers and access must be agreed in advance.

Price includes guided tour and access to the demesne.

€8 per student

Upgrade your self-guided tour to include one of our exciting trails, Choose from

• • • • The Gallery Challenge (indoor) for 1st and 2nd year students.
      • X-trail Solar trail (outdoor). For 1st and 2nd year students.
      • Red Tree Trail 5KM long.
      • Wild Connections Bird Spotters Guide
      • Flora Trail – May to early July
      • Engineering Trail

Price includes trail map and access to the 120 acres of parklands and gardens.

€7 per student

Join renowned ecologist, Dr. Alex Copeland as he delves into the world of Biodiversity on World Habitat Day. Watch Alex as he discusses the importance of the multitude of habitats found within the demesne of Birr Castle and how important it is to truly reconnect with nature. Within this video, Alex discusses the array of woodlands and grasslands and the biodiversity that is housed within.

Click here to view this video!

Join zoologist Catherine McGuinness as she investigates the world of aquatic invertebrates at Birr Castle Demesne. Catherine explains the importance of ecology and the associating factors. Watch and discover what Catherine finds through the methodology of pond dipping to see what truly lies beneath!

Click here to view this video!