A castle has stood at Birr since 1170. Sir Lawrence Parsons was granted the castle and about 1,277 acres (5.2 square km) in 1620 and commissioned the new castle, built by English masons. The article names no architect. The present plan comes from that rebuild, with diagonal flankers added to the gatehouse of the earlier O'Carroll Black Tower.
William Parsons was besieged there for fifteen months during the 1641 rebellion. The 2nd Earl of Rosse heightened and Gothicised the castle in the early 19th century. The Leviathan telescope, a 72-inch (183 cm) reflector, was completed in the grounds in 1845 and was then the largest in the world.
The castle is the family home of the Earl of Rosse and is generally not open to the public. The demesne and gardens are open for a fee.
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