Abstract: An object biography looking at the history of Armagh Observatory and astronomy in Ireland through the lens of a single telescope, the Troughton Equatorial Telescope. Built in the winter of 1794, this telescope is the oldest telescope in its original dome. It has been an object of scientific enquiry, technical frustration and aesthetic pageantry for over 200 years. In this talk we will walk through the history of the telescope, why it failed to meet expectations and why it remained in such a focal location despite it's lack of use. We will compare it to other instruments in the history of Armagh Observatory and what questions it's biography can ask of modern astronomy.