People
- Joseph Stirling Coyne (1803–1868), playwright, journalist, and one of the first editors of Punch magazine.
- Tom Enright, former Fine Gael TD for Laois–Offaly
- Barry Glendenning, journalist
- Olwyn Enright, former Fine Gael TD for Laois–Offaly
- Mundy, musician
- Roesy, musician
- Brian Whelahan, hurler, 2009 Fine Gael candidate for Offaly County Council.
- Johnny Pilkington, hurler
- Aidan Quinn, actor
- William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, astronomer
- Luka Bloom, singer, wrote most of his 1998 album 'Salty Heaven' while resident in the town and described Birr as having the best trees in Ireland in the album's liner notes.
- George Johnstone Stoney, physicist
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Famous quotes containing the word people:
“If all power is in the people, if there is no higher law than their will, and if by counting their votes, their will may be ascertained—then the people may entrust all their power to anyone, and the power of the pretender and the usurper is then legitimate. It is not to be challenged since it came originally from the sovereign people.”
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)
“Whenever, therefore, people are deceived and form opinions wide of the truth, it is clear that the error has slid into their minds through the medium of certain resemblances to that truth.”
—Socrates (469–399 B.C.)
“Words like “freedom,” “justice,” “democracy” are not common concepts; on the contrary, they are rare. People are not born knowing what these are. It takes enormous and, above all, individual effort to arrive at the respect for other people that these words imply.”
—James Baldwin (1924–1987)