2006 IRISH SCIENTIST YEAR BOOK

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Birr Castle Demesne
Jennifer Pike
Birr seeks to educate and inspire young scientists

Scientific discovery and progress surround the history of Birr Castle Demesne. Birr Castle is the private home of the Earl and Countess of Rosse, who for the past 150 years have played key roles as scientists of different fields, including astronomy, photography, engineering, and botany, making Birr the centre of scientific discovery in the past. The aim now is to inspire scientists of the future by using examples from history in newly developed worksheets linked to the primary and secondary school science curriculum.

Students have a unique opportunity to leam more at Ireland's Historic Science Centre through the Discover Primary Science programme (DPS) and the Junior Science Trail. Educational groups may book guided, interactive tours that are supplemented with worksheets and hands-on experiments.

These worksheets feature scientists like the third Earl of Rosse, who was a devoted astronomer. He built a 6-foot long reflecting telescope based around a 72-inch mirror, the largest mirror ever constructed. The telescope remained the biggest in the world for 75 years and helped Lord Rosse discover the spiral structure of the nebulae. His wife, Mary Rosse, developed skills in the art of photography, which was in its infancy when she began. The two experimented with daguerreotype photography, an early positive-only process that did not allow reproduction of the photo.

Another example of scientific heritage at Birr is the engineering achievements of Sir Charles Parsons, the youngest son of the third Earl. He invented the steam turbine engine and also designed and patented an electric generator, which employed the high-speed turbine. This became the most efficient way to produce bulk electric power in the world.

Recent generations of the Parsons family have enjoyed the beautiful benefits of their botanical triumphs, as the Demesne houses 120 acres of award-winning gardens. Both the sixth and seventh Earls have subscribed to plant expeditions abroad, thus creating one of the greatest collections of trees and shrubs in the world, as well as the tallest box hedges in the world.

These subjects can be explored more in depth when students and tourists visit Birr Castle Demesne. Additional information about DPS and the Junior Science Trail can be obtained from the website at www.birrcastle.com .



Contact: Alicia Parsons
E-mail: [email protected]