Irish telescope was world’s biggest
BIRR became an important centre after William Parsons, the third Earl of Rosse, built a six-foot telescope on his estate. The Leviathan of Parsonstown was the biggest in the world from 1845 until California’s Hooker Telescope was unveiled in 1917. After interest from TV’S Patrick Moore in the 1970s, the Rosse Telescope was rebuilt in 1996 – led by engineer and former Chieftains tin whistle player Michael Tubridy.