Tipperary Guide

 

Rock of Cashel - not the only place worth visiting in County Tipperary

latest update February 2008

For many people Tipperary is where they stop off to see the Rock of Cashel before heading for Cork or Killarney, but there is so much more here. In the south of the county there is the Suir Valley with the wooded Waterford hills rising beyond the towns of Clonmel and Carrick on Suir. There are the valleys surrounding Slievenamon Mountain and the lovely Glen of Aherlow and the Galty Mountains rising to 900 metres. To the west there are the peaceful rounded high hills of the Silvermines Mountains and the east bank of Lough Derg on the River Shannon. In the centre of the county there is gentle rolling countryside and yes, areas of flat bogland. In the last 15 years the counties' towns have been given and a makeover and are worth visiting.  Put this all together and you have a county of great variety and interest to explore.

The road south from Roscrea to Cashel and Cahir.

Roscrea is a tidy little town that was spruced up in the 1990's. In the centre is 13th century Roscrea Castle. In its courtyard is the Queen Anne style Damer House which houses Rocrea Heritage Centre 0505 21850. At the south end of the The Mall four cherubs pee out the water of a fountain. In Abbey Street there is a ruined 15th century Fransiscan Friary. At the south end of town is a lovely area of historic domestic houses.

The busy N62 heads south, to the west is Devilsbit Mountain, a wooded hill with an unmistakable chunk missing. Legend has it that the devil grabbed the missing rock and flew south. When he reached Cashel he was so surprised to see St Patrick preaching that he dropped the rock. Templemore is a quiet little town with an unfeasably wide main street, built in hope of the main Dublin/Cork coach road passing through - which it did not. Today it is the training centre for Ireland's Police:The Garda Siochana. Thurles is a pleasant enough but unremarkable town, except for The Cathedral of the Assumption, an exhuberant copy of the cathedral in Pisa, Italy. It even replicates the bulbous baptistry, but sadly not the tower. The Gaelic Athletic Association was founded here  and Lar na Pairc, Slievenamon Road, has a Visitors Centre decicated to sport and Tourist Information. 7km south on the R 660 by the Suir is the delightful Holy Cross Abbey, a once ruined church now beautifully restored at the local parsh church in a restrained blend of medieval and modern.

Cashel and Fethard

Whichever direction you approach the Rock of Cashel from it stands proud above the surrounding plains. It's rugged walls contain: a huge medieaval cathedral and the finest romaneque church in Ireland Cormac's Chapel, a Round Tower, a Tower Castle House and the 15th century entrance gatehouse building The Hall of Vicars. If the tourist crowd gets too much you can find a haven in the quieter Hore Abbey several 100 metes to the west. Beneath The Rock is the typical small irish town of Cashel where you can visit the Cashel Folk Village for a view of life a few centuries back and Cashel Heritage Centre in the Town Hall on The Mall which recreates Cashel just before Cromwell (such a thorough English tourist) made a visit. The volume of tourists is a magnet for musicians, check at local Bars for what's afoot. The modern Bru Boru centre 062 61122 gives Irish traditional music the Riverdance treatment in mock medieval surroundings.

16km east lies sleepy Fethard, a historic walled town brimming with antiquities not tourists. There is 13th century Holy Trinity Church. Next to it is part of the reconstructed medieval wall. A 17th century Town Hall on main street, several similar age tower houses and the entire length of the 15th/16th century town wall. On Abbey Street is the 14th century Augustinian Friary, now the Parish Church. There is a Folk Farm and Transport Museum on the Cashel Road 052 31516.

Cahir - the crossroads town

18km further south  the town of Cahir on an ancient crossroads at a bridge on the River Suir is still very much in the shadow of its massive Castle. Roads to Dublin, Kilkenny, Waterford, the Vee Gap and Lismore, Cork and Limerick converge here, though the N8 Dublin to Cork road now bypasses the town. The rich dairy farmland of the Golden Vale opens up to its north, the lower valley of the Suir heads eastwards and The Galty Mountains rise due west. 2km south of town off the road to Ardfinnian is one of those wonderful Georgian extravigances - the Swiss Cottage.

Suir Valley west from Waterford

Heading into Tipperary from Waterford is by way of beautiful scenery along the Suir Valley with the Waterford hills rising on its south bank. The compact town of Carrick on Suir is known nationally as the birthplace of 1980's Tour de France winner Sean Kelly. The tiny square is named after him. The most interesting part of town is the quaysides on the river with their 19th century warehouses. At the east end of Main Street is 16th century Ormonde Castle, built in anticipation of a visit by Elizabeth 1st. Cyclists will find that the best roads from here to Clonmel are on the south side of the river. To the north of the main N24 rises the hulk of Slievenamon Mountain (750m). It has some magical wooded slopes on its north side. Clonmel is the handsome county town rising gently from the Suir. Tourist Office Sarsfield Street 052 22960 There are a number of fine 17th to 19th century buildings plus a Franciscan Friary on Abbey street and13th century St Mary's Church on Wolfe Tone Street. At 47 Gladstone Street Mulchany's bar has Irish Music 3 nights a week and Danno's nightclub operates Thursday to Sunday. South Tipperary Arts Centre 052 27877 Nelson Street has exhibitions, plays and theatre.The Museum of Transport at Richmond Mill has gleaming cars of yesteryear. Anglers note: fishing from the town quay is free with a good late run of salmon in early September. From here the R665 makes for a pleasant backroad west via Ardfinian, Clogheen and Ballyporeen to Mitchelstown in County Cork.

South West mountains and valleys.

Tipperary town is not the largest in the county, or the seat of local government. It does boast Tipperary Racecourse, one of the busiest in Ireland. For most tourists the best thing about the town is the R664 road which heads up steep hills south from town, then down into the glorious Glen of Aherlow, a unique two ended valley with hills rising 500m on its north side and 900m, the proud, steep Galty Mountains, on its south side. These in turn race down, via some beautiful little woodland streams to the main N8 Dublin-Cork road into a broader valley with the Knockmealdown Mountains on its southern edge. The An Oige Mountain Lodge Hostel is worth a visit in its own right. It is a simple unspoiled 18th century hunting lodge by a woodland stream. The spectacular Mitchelstown Caves 052 67246  are to the south of the N8 4km from the Cork border, no effort has been spared in naming the caverns and rock formations: The Golden Fleece, Pillars of Hercules and Tower of Babel are just for starters.

West Tipperary

At Nenagh there is the 30m high tower of the 14th century Castle. Opposite is the Convent of Mercy with the Nenagh Heritage Centre 067 32633 in its grounds. There is a classical courthouse from 1843 and a late 19th century Town Hall. Perhaps best of all there is the pleasant Georgian street Summerhill. To the South of the town is a relatively unvisited upland area of rounded high hills. If you want real peace and quiet come here and enjoy some time amongst the sheep farms. The first hills south of Nenagh are the Silvermines Mountains, named after the old mines in the area. Beyond them is the wilder Keeper Hill and more that continue over the Limerick county border. To the west is Lough Derg, the southernmoost lake on the river Shannon. There are beautiful views across the water to the hills of County Clare. At the southern end of the lake The R494 heads north from Ballina with the lake on the left and the Arra Mountains on the right. 8km north there is a fine viewpoint to look out over the lake from, the road then heads back to Nenagh. The remaining two thirds of the lake's east shore is undulating lowland. There are numerous little bays with quays and a few lakeside villages. Dromineer is a centre for watersports including windsurfing. Shannon Sailing will put you on the water.  Quaint little Terryglass has weatherboarded cottages clustered around its quay and a ruined 14th century castle.

Walk across Tipperary

Avoid the busy modern traffic by taking some time out walking. The Tipperary Heritage Way  extends from the Vee Gap in the south of the Country 55km north to Cahir and Cashel.

 

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