STEM FOR SCHOOLS
We’re currently unable to take bookings for our school tours at Birr Castle Demesne.
Please refer back at a later date to book your school tour to include a workshop of choice and access to the science centre (Covid restrictions allowing), 120 acres of gardens as well as the playground which boasts Ireland’s tallest treehouse and fully covered picnic area.
Contact Alison at education@birrcastle.com to discuss options.
2021 STEM week dates for your diary:
Engineers Week – 27 February – 5 March
Space Week – 4 – 10 October
Maths Week – 10 – 18 October
Science Week – 7 – 14 November
The Remarkable Parsons Family of Birr Castle
 William Parsons |  Mary RossePioneer Photographer |  Laurence Parsons |  Charles ParsonsInventor of the Steam Turbine |  William Parsons |
Take a journey with the Parsons family who have achieved global recognition in the fields of astronomy, engineering, photography and horticulture.
- Walk through the science galleries as they document how the world’s largest telescope was designed and built.
- Discover the moment in Birr that suddenly made the universe a much larger place than people realised.
- View the original charcoal drawings of the Whirlpool galaxy as observed by the 3rd Earl of Rosse in the 19th Century.
- What is the Lunar Heat machine and why is there a letter from Neil Armstrong to the Parsons family on display next to it?
- Look into the past as you encounter what is believed to be one of the oldest intact darkrooms in the world, as well as some of the world’s oldest photographs.
- Learn about the outstanding and globally significant inventions of Charles Parsons and the impact his engineering had upon the Titanic and HMS Dreadnought.