Birr among top list of places to visit in Ireland by Condé Nast

The heritage town of Birr has been named as one of the 12 most beautiful villages and small towns in Ireland by one of the world's most prestigious travel guides.

The latest edition of Condé Nast Traveler, which is published by one of the largest mass media companies in the world, is very fulsome in its praise of the county Offaly town, describing Birr as "a miniature Midlands hamlet" where every building "appears as though it has been carefully placed by a porcelain collector, each emanating from the village square."

The review of Birr also praises the town's "many grand edifices and architectural influences, from it's Gothic Castle to its neo-classical town hall."

No travel review of Birr would be complete without giving honourable mention to Birr Castle Demense, and the Condé Nast Traveler review does not disappoint, stating that the grounds of the Castle "curve along the village walls and the River Camcor" and urges visitors to "explore the castle’s past as a centre of astronomy by visiting its 19th century telescope."