Birr
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Birr
Birr is the name of a town in Ireland and also the name of the unit of currency in Ethiopia.
Birr (Ireland)
Birr is a town in the midland county of Offaly in the Republic of Ireland. It was once called "Parsonstown". It is situated on the Camcor River and has a castle which is open to tourists all the year round. Birr Castle is the home of the seventh Earl of Rosse.
A main feature on the grounds of the castle is the great telescope of the third Earl of Rosse, an astronomical telescope with a 72-inch reflector which was, until 1917, the largest telescope in the world.
Flowing past Birr, the Camcor River flows into the Little Brosna which, in turn, flows into the Shannon.
Notable People from Birr
- John Feehan was born in Birr 1946
External links:
- The Birr Scientific and Heritage Foundation
- Birr Castle Demesne
- Clickable map of County Offaly
- Birr Castle Demesne at Irish Travel Ideas site
- Dan Heller's (recent) images of Birr Castle and gardens
- Much older photographs of Birr
Birr (Ethiopia)
The Birr is the unit of currency in Ethiopia. It was first called the Ethiopian dollar and was introduced in 1945, and then renamed into Birr in 1976. 1 birr equals 100 cents.
The first national currency of Ethiopia were the Talari, or "Menelik talers", which were issued since 1894. In 1934 the occupying Italian forces caused Italian lire to be Ethiopian legal tender until the end of WW2.