Birr has been referred to as Umbilicus Hiberniae, the navel or centre of Ireland. For many years it was also known as Parsonstown taking that name from its proprietors, the Parsons family, earls of Rosse. That it is the centre of Ireland is often disputed but few will deny the accuracy of yet another appellation that of the 'model town'.

Birr is the oldest urban centre in County Offaly and from the early seventeenth to the early nineteenth century was the largest of the county's urban centres. Although there is ample evidence or urban development at Birr in the early seventeenth century when the population may have been close on 1,000 it was only after 1800 that the town really took off. The tradition of careful and grand town planning was set in the seventeenth century, followed in the mid-eighteenth when Emmet Square was laid out and brought to full fruition in the nineteenth under the supervision of Laurence, the second Earl of Rosse. Argumentative, but popular, Laurence Parsons, at one time auditor of the College Historical Society in T.C.D. and Member of Parliament came back to Birr following the Act of Union in 1800 the passing of which he had vehemently opposed.

Many of the principal streets of Birr especially Oxmanton Mall and John's Place were erected during the life time of the second Earl who died in 1841.

Of course, the period between 1785 to 1815 was one of remarkable town growth in Ireland, but there are indications that this growth continued at Birr long after 1815 and possibly up to 1835. The building of an infantry barracks in 1809 near the town sufficiently large to accommodate 1,100 men must have been a tremendous stimulus to town growth. It was during this period that the gothic-style entrance gates to the landlord's demesne at the other. This is a beautiful planned feature. At the other side of Emmet Square near Oxmanton Bridge the foundation stone of what is decidedly one of the finest of the early Catholic churches in the country was erected in 1817 and opened some seven years later. In John's Place the second Earl had an ionic-style temple erected in 1833 in memory of his second son John Clere Parsons whose death brought a pall over his father's life.

The making of the architectural achievement that is John's Place epitomises the concern that the people of Birr felt in regard to the appearance of the town. When in 1868 it was decided to erect a monument to the distinguished astronomer. William, Third Earl of Rosse a great deal of thought preceded the handsome result now to be seen in John's Place. In March 1868 a meeting was held at Birr to receive subscriptions for a monument and in a matter of minutes £600 was subscribed. By May of the same year £1500 had been collected. J.H. Foley's estimate for the statue was £1200. Foley wished to have the monument erected in Oxmanton Mall but eventually had to accede to the wishes of the Birr Town Commissioners. Foley completed the work just before his death and the monument was unveiled at Birr on 21 March 1876 by the Countess of Rosse. The statue is considered to be a very good likeness and was based on paintings at Burlington House, London and Birr Castle. The figure is represented in the robes of Chancellor of Dublin University. The right hand clasps a book to his breast, while the other rests on a globe representing the earth.

It is about 8 ft. 6 ins. tall including the plinth, upon a pedestal of about the same height and is formed of solid bronze, weighing about three tons and a half.

After paying for the statue the balance of the total amount collected was about £306 and after much discussion it was decided to have an oval-shaped enclosure about the monument to be surrounded with a heavy spiked chain supported by ornamental pillars. The existing railing in the vicinity of the monument was retained. Four ornamental lamp-posts were to be placed at intervals. The work was completed by August 1878 but it was necessary to have two oval grass plots at either side of the monument because of objections to connecting them up. Four three-light gas lamps were provided and it is to be regretted that these have not been retained in a full state of preservation.

The sense of spaciousness in John's Place is no less important than the splendid houses and one complements the other. If only we could find a place for the motor car there is no doubt but that many towns could do that was achieved at Birr over a century ago. Writing of Birr in Country Life some years ago Mark Girouard remarked that Birr 'epitomises the peculiar charm of a small Irish town at its best. It is a charm deriving not so much from the quality of the individual buildings as from the way in which they are put together - an aquatint spaciousness still scarcely soiled...'