Our annual day outing took place to Birr Castle Demesne, County Offaly on 12 June 1999. Ninety-two members travelled, stopping at Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise, for a coffee break. When we arrived at The Stables Restaurant in Birr we were served with a delicious lunch which we all enjoyed.

As we left the restaurant, which is situated in a fine row of Georgian houses, we were aware of the influence Birr Castle had on the town. It was Sir Laurence Parsons who first developed the town when the castle was granted to him in 1620. It became known as Parsonstown and people from the area still refer to the name to-day. The Parsons family has lived there ever since.

We started our tour by visiting the museum and we were soon to discover what a talented and inventive family the Parsons were. Here we saw evidence of their interest in astronomy, engineering, photography and horticulture. In 1807 Sir Laurence Parsons (a descendent of the aforementioned Sir Laurence) inherited the title, Earl of Rosse, from his uncle in County Longford. He and his wife decided that their sons should be educated by tutors at home. They were brought up in an atmosphere of construction and engineering. During that period the suspension bridge over the River Camcor was built.

Their son William, Third Earl of Rosse, constructed the world's largest telescope which allowed him to see further into space than anyone had ever seen before and to discover the Whirlpool Nebula. It remained the largest telescope in the world for seventy years. The last observation through the telescope was in the early 1900's. It has recently been restored and can be seen in the centre of the gardens between two great walls.

William's wife, Mary Countess of Rosse, was a pioneer of photography in the 1850's. Many of her photographs and cameras are on display in the museum.

The sons of William were educated at home by tutors as their father had been. The eldest son, Laurence, Fourth Earl of Rosse, was also a famous astronomer and succeeded in measuring the surface tcmperature of the moon using an instrument he invented himself. His findings were later confirmed by the astronaut Neil Armstrong. Sir Charles Parsons, the youngest son, invented and developed the steam turbine engine which revolutionised naval transport throughout the world and powered famous liners such as the Mauritania and the Queen Elizabeth. We saw many artefacts from this period on display in the museum.

The Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Earls are known as the Gardening Earls and a section of the museum is devoted to information covering this period. There is a beautiful book of painted flowers called A Diary in Bloom by the present Countess of Rosse showing flowers that are in bloom in the garden each month of the year.

In 1908 the Fifth Earl of Rosse began developing the garden and introduced rare trees and shrubs from all over the world. When he died during the First World War his son, Michael continued his father's interest in the garden and he became a renowned plantsman continuing to collect seeds worldwide. He married Anne Messel of 'Nymens', which is a famous National Trust Garden in the south of England. During their honeymoon in Peking they met Professor H H Hu, a botanist and the director of the Fan Memorial Institute of Biology. Dr Hu needed sponsorship for an expedition and on his return to Ireland the Earl of Rosse found subscribers for expeditions to Yunnan and Tibet. The expeditions resulted in the collection of thousands of seeds and herbarium specimens which were sent to the subscribers of the expedition.

When we left the museum to view the gardens some members followed the guide, others used the map provided to find their own way around. Some opted to go by horse and carriage, a more leisurely way to see the demesne. Everyone wanted to see the Great Telescope in the centre of the garden and marvelled at its size and construction.

The tallest box hedge in the world, planted over three hundred years ago, can be seen in the formal garden. Beautiful hornbeam cloisters surround beds of clipped box. These were planted to commemorate the marriage of Michael, Sixth Earl of Rosse, and Anne Messel in 1935. There was a lovely story told to us of how they planted thousands of snowdrops in lines under the hornbeams when the Sixth Earl was home on leave during the Second World War as they were unsure if they would see each other again. Happily they did. The beautiful paeony 'Anne Rosse' is to be found behind the white seats in the formal garden. Nearby is the wisteria garden where Wisteria multijugo grows over a round colonnade. It is over sixty years old and is surrounded by beds of paeony and iris.

The beautiful Magnolia delavayi on the terrace was in flower in early June when we visited. It will flower intermittently into early autumn. There are many specimens of magnolia planted along the river. They are most impressive when in flower in spring. Three of the magnolias in the garden are named after members of the family: 'Leonard Messel' a mauve pink, 'Michael Rosse' a rich deep pink and 'Anne Rosse' an elegant white.

The walk along the River Camcor which flows through the demesne is tranquil and beautiful with many wonderful and rare trees to admire along its banks. Further up the river, beyond the suspension bridge, there is a magnificent view from Waterfall Point where the water cascades over the weir and powers a small turbine downstream. The turbine provided both the castle and the town with electricity from 1880 to 1950.

There are many secret gardens in the demesne and one of these is the fernery. This is a cool and lovely place with many varieties of ferns and stone from the nearby Slieve Bloom mountains. The fountain in the middle of the stream is powered solely by the force of the water flowing down from the lake. It was designed by the wife of one of the Earls.

It is impossible to see everything at Birr Castle in one day. I feel I shall return to spend longer exploring this lovely garden, maybe in February to see the lines of snowdrops along the hornbeam walk or perhaps in May to see the magnolias and the paeonies in flower.

Birr Castle Demesne is open 0900-1800 all year. Friends of the demesne membership entitles you and your family to free admission any day of the year and you receive regular newsletters on developments in the demesne. Tel 353-0509-20336. http://www.birrcastle.com

God Almighty first planted a garden: and indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures. Francis Bacon (1561-1626)