Site of Black Castle

Black Castle was the principal O'Carroll stronghold at Birr until 1594, when the dynasty sold it to the Butler of Ormond. It stood at the crossroads of four ancient provinces, marking the border territory where Irish power brokers met for centuries. The castle was demolished in 1778 to make way for lawns and parkland, erasing its dark walls but leaving behind a gatehouse and fragments of the Parsons estate.