Overview
Oxmantown Mall was laid out from about 1810 as a promenade running from the gates of Birr Castle to the Church of Ireland, the work of the 2nd Earl of Rosse. It is a deliberate piece of planning – trees down one side, a terrace of Georgian houses down the other – and it is comfortably the handsomest street in Birr. At its far end stands Oxmantown Hall, a Tudor-Revival building now working as the Birr Theatre and Arts Centre. If you have twenty minutes in Birr, walk its length; if you have an evening, see what is on at the theatre.
History and architecture
The houses along the mall went up between 1810 and 1830, three-bay terraces with timber-sash windows, stone lintels and cast-iron railings – the streetscape of Birr’s growth as a planned estate town under the Parsons family.
The building that anchors it all is Oxmantown Hall, built in 1888 as a parish hall for St Brendan’s Church of Ireland church. It was funded by the fourth Earl of Rosse and designed by his wife, Cassandra, Countess of Rosse, whose travels in Germany brought a German Gothic Revival streak to what is otherwise an Irish Tudor Revival design. The result is a decorative gable front with carved timber framing, a first-floor breakfront and a pitched slate roof with terracotta ridge cresting. Look at the stone gate piers for the carved animal brackets – a horse and a lion – and at the entrance for the paving slab still reading ‘Oxmantown Mall Town Hall 1888’.
The theatre
By the early 2000s the hall had fallen into disrepair. A restoration backed by Offaly County Council and heritage funding reinstated lost plasterwork, repaired the timber gables and brought the backstage up to standard without spoiling the historic fabric. It now runs as a 220-seat theatre – small enough that there is no bad seat, and one of the more atmospheric places to catch a show in the midlands.
The programme runs year-round: drama, music, comedy and community nights, plus a busy youth theatre. The box office is open Monday to Friday, 1pm to 5.30pm, and again before performances. The auditorium is wheelchair-accessible and the first three rows have handrails.
Around the mall
The mall makes a good base for a wander through Birr. Benches under the trees are the spot for a coffee between sights, and the Stables Tea Rooms, in a Georgian townhouse on the mall itself, do lunch and afternoon tea. A few steps away, Emmet Square has more shops and the historic Dooly’s Hotel, and the River Camcor gives a short riverside walk along the town’s eastern edge. Birr Castle Demesne, at the top of the mall, is the obvious pairing.
Practical information
- Location: the mall runs through the centre of Birr, an easy walk from the town car parks, including Emmet Square. The theatre entrance is on the north side, marked by the stone gate piers.
- Promenade: open at all times, free to walk.
- Box office: Monday to Friday, 1pm to 5.30pm, and before performances; ticket prices vary by event.
- Contact: Birr Theatre and Arts Centre, 057 912 2911.
- Parking: free on-street parking along the mall (do not block private entrances) and in the town-centre car parks.
- Heritage listing: Oxmantown Hall is on the Buildings of Ireland register.
Check the theatre’s current programme before a special trip, as show dates and box-office hours shift with the season.