page_title: Birr, County Offaly
section_title: Events and festivals
hierarchical_section_title: Birr, County Offaly / Events and festivals
caption_attribution_description: English: Birr Theatre and Arts Centre. Nestled in the tree lined Oxmantown Mall, Birr Theatre and Arts Centre is a dedicated purpose built theatre, which dates from 1888. Having fallen into disrepair over the past twenty years the building has recently been restored to its original glory and is now a high quality facility.
context_page_description: Birr is a town in County Offaly, Ireland. Between 1620 and 1899 it was called Parsonstown, after the Parsons family who were local landowners and hereditary Earls of Rosse. The town lies within a parish of the same name in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe.
  Birr is a designated Irish Heritage Town with a carefully preserved Georgian heritage. Birr itself has graceful wide streets and elegant buildings. Many of the houses in John's Place and Oxmantown Mall have exquisite fanlight windows of the Georgian period.
  The town is known for Birr Castle and its gardens, home of the Parsons family and also the Leviathan of Parsonstown which was the largest telescope in the world for over 70 years.
context_section_description: The annual Birr Vintage Week and Arts Festival takes place in the town in August. The festival includes a variety of events over the week long period including a vintage parade, markets, music and theatre. The Irish Game and Country Fair also takes place in August, at Birr Castle, and includes a number of educational and entertainment activities. The Irish Hot Air Balloon Festival also takes place in the grounds at Birr Castle, in September.
  Birr Theatre and Arts Centre, located in the Oxmantown Mall, is a local cultural and social amenity for the arts, dance, film music and theatre. The theatre has a 220 seating capacity. The building dates from January 1889 and is a Victorian period style structure within the surrounds of the tree lined Oxmantown Mall. Musicians and performers to have played at the theatre include Luka Bloom, Mundy, Jack L, Don Baker, Johnny Carroll, Frances Black, Ronnie Drew, comedians Pat Shortt, Kevin McAlleer, The Drawing Room Opera Company, Co-Opera, Lamberts Puppet Theatre, Ballet Ireland and many local and national Theatre groups. Birr Stage Guild also stage plays in the theatre.
caption: Birr Theatre and Arts Centre
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