'True friend' of Birr Castle awarded honorary lifetime membership
Former academic Salters Sterling has been presented with an Honorary Lifetime Friends Membership of Birr Castle Demesne by Lord and Lady Rosse, in recognition of and with sincere appreciation for his support and ongoing contributions to the demesne, the town and the wider community of Birr over the years.
At a recent ceremony in Birr Castle Demesne, Lord Rosse thanked Dr Sterling for “being a long-standing friend of the demesne, and for continually and enthusiastically volunteering his time, energy and expertise over many years”.
Grainne O’Malley, Birr Castle Demesne Manager added: “Salters has spent 33 years supporting the foundation at Birr Castle Demesne and it is only fitting that he should plant a tree in the demesne.
"He will have the honour of planting one of our cherry blossom trees as part of a collaboration project co-funded by Birr Castle Demesne and our friends. These cherry blossom trees will become a further wonder to the demesne.”
Many will be familiar with Salters passion for Birr, through his leadership of Birr 2020, his ongoing work in the community, with the Birr Castle Demesne Foundation, with local theatre through the Trench Foundation and also his many other initiatives including a lifelong support for ecumenism.
Birr Castle Demesne was again voted in the top ten visitor attractions in Ireland by readers of the Irish Independent recently.
This accolade comes on top of all the other awards won by Birr Castle Demesne in recent years including being named in 2021 by Lonely Planet as one of the top eight hidden treasures in Ireland for visitors, and also in 2019 by Lonely Planet, as one of top ten most child-friendly castle estates in the world.
On your doorstep, Birr Castle Demesne is one of Ireland’s most intriguing destinations and a must-see for anyone with a passion for photography, botany, wildlife, nature, education, science, engineering, astronomy, and heritage.
Beautifully framed within a 120-acre demesne, this 17th-century castle is home for the past 400 years to the Parsons Family, who are celebrated for their remarkable scientific and engineering feats, including the world-famous Great Telescope (1845).
A self-guided adventure of endless discoveries includes 10 kilometres of scenic walks, rivers, waterfall, a lake, one of Europe’s finest plant collections, Science Galleries with the world’s oldest intact dark room, the world’s tallest box hedge, forest bathing, trails and Ireland’s tallest treehouse!
Birr Castle Demesne also offers Friends memberships for 3 months, 6 months or 12 months. By becoming a Friend, you are helping to preserve one of Ireland’s most extraordinary places.