Tipperary Tourist Attractions
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Tipperary (Tiobrad Arann, "Well of Arann") is a market and industrial town (dairy products, linoleum, etc.) in the south of Ireland, situated in the fertile Golden Vale which extends from Cashel in the east into Limerick county to the west. South of the town extends the long ridge of the Slievenamuck Hills. Its name became widely known in the popular song "It's a long way to Tipperary" sung by British troops before and during the First World War.Little is left of the old town. The most notable remains of the past are the chancel arch of a monastic church (13th C.) and the ruins of a 17th C. grammar school. The neo-Gothic parish church dates from the 19th C.
Surroundings
The surroundings of Tipperary have many features of interest.
Thomastown Castle
6mi/9km east of Tipperary on the N74 (the road to Cashel), in the Golden Vale, are the ruins of Thomastown Castle, built in the 17th C. and enlarged in neo-Gothic style about 1812. This was the birthplace in 1790 of Father Theobald Matthew, the "Apostle of Temperance." The castle fell into disrepair from the end of the 18th century and the park, which once had a large French style garden, now forms part of an afforestation scheme.
Golden
2mi/3km east of Thomastown Castle, and east, too, of Tipperary, the road crosses the Suir at the village of Golden. Picturesquely situated on a rocky islet in the river stands a ruined castle.
Athassel Priory
2mi/3km east of Thomastown Castle, and east, too, of Tipperary, the road crosses the Suir at the village of Golden. Picturesquely situated on a rocky islet in the river stands a ruined castle. Beyond the bridge a road on the right leads to the ruins of Ireland's largest medieval monastery, Athassel Priory (13th-15th C; National Monument), an Augustinian house founded by William de Burgh and dissolved in the mid-16th C. The remains cover an area of 4ac/1.6ha. The church, 213ft/65m long, has an aisled nave, a choir and transepts, with a handsome tower over the crossing. In the choir is the tomb of a Norman knight (13th C). Practically nothing is left of the cloister, around which are the extensive conventual buildings, surrounded by a high wall. In front of the gatehouse was a bridge giving access to the priory. Until the mid-14th C. there was a little town here of which no trace remains.
Emly
9mi/15km west of Tipperary lies Emly, which until the Reformation was the see of an archbishop. The cathedral of the present archdiocese of Cashel and Emly is Thurles.
1848 Warhouse, Ballingarry
During the Great Famine, the Warhouse was the scene of the Young Irelanders' rising of 1848. Exhibits include the story of the Rising and the political exile of the Young Irelanders.
Farney Castle, Holycross
Farney Castle, originally built in 1495, is the home, design studio and retail outlet of Irish International Designer, Cyril Cullen. It is the only Round Tower in Ireland occupied as a family home.
Welcome Home Festival, Ballyporeen
Ballyporeen is host to an annual festival which takes place in late May and includes traditional Irish music and dance performances set in a quaint village setting.
