Dunsink Observatory, on the edge of Dublin, is the oldest of these three, established in 1785 by the Provost of Trinity College Dublin, Francis Andrews.
It now forms a part of the School of Cosmic Physics in the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS).
Armagh Observatory followed in 1790, with a bequest from Archbishop Richard Robinson, the Primate of All Ireland for the Church of Ireland, together with an Act of Parliament he arranged for, to found “an observatory and museum in Armagh for ever”.
The Observatory has operated continuously ever since, now part of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium.
Birr, in contrast, began as the private observatory of the 3rd Earl of Rosse, set in the grounds of his castle.
It is most famous for the Leviathan he built in 1845, then the largest telescope in the world.
Today, Birr also hosts one of the sites of the LOFAR radio telescope that is distributed across Europe.
Armagh, Birr and Dunsink observatories represent a living history, places of science running from their foundation to the present day and, hopefully, well into the future. As such they also display a deep astronomical heritage. We need to protect this heritage, to conserve and preserve their telescopes, instruments and archives, as well as to educate on the importance of science for society and to inspire the next generation. The observatories have now embarked on a journey to seek World Heritage designation to help achieve this objective.
