New Birr Castle entrance scheduled to open in near future

THE new entrance to Birr Castle Demesne is scheduled to open in the near future, the October monthly meeting of Birr Municipal District was told.
The construction of the new entrance began in Spring 2023 when a hole was created in the wall and work on the stonework began. The new entrance is part of the final stage in a series of upgrading works on Green Street that took place over many months. These works were inspired by the town's important Public Realm Plan which is a blueprint for physical development in the town.
The improvements on Green Street included widening the footpaths, paved with natural stone, and planting a number of trees. The work transformed this attractive street as a place to live and do business.
Green Street is one of the important historical locations in Birr and represents an important link between Emmet Square and Birr Castle. This link has been significantly strengthened by the improvement works.
The new entrance to the castle will replace the current modest pedestrian gate on William Street.
In 2022 the Council said it was expected that the entrance would be open to the public by the third quarter of 2023, but unfortunately that deadline has been extended by two years.
During this month's meeting of Birr Municipal District the Area Engineer Brian Keenaghan told the meeting that the Council's works on William Street were now complete. This Council work was separate to the entranceway work. The Council work cost €188,000 and continued paving works with the aim of connecting the new entrance with the existing entrance on William Street. The work included a Raised Road Table and granite paving alongside the Castle wall connecting to the new entrance.
The Green Street works began in the summer of 2021. Dunne Brothers Ltd Mountmellick worked on the street itself and Classic Conservation & Restoration Ltd worked on the entranceway.
This month's Birr MD meeting was told that the new entranceway should be open by the end of this month, beginning of next.
The Demesne wall was built by locals as part of famine relief works during the famine in the 1840s. These works provided employment for the local community, providing much-needed income for the poor.