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Your Guide to Visiting Tipperary

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Sitting squarely between Dublin and Cork, County Tipperary is pure Irish heartland. Tourists don’t flock here as they do to other Irish counties so if you hire a car hire in County Tipperary you’re likely to have the roads to yourself, with license to explore the green hills and farmland at leisure.

Clonmel serves as gateway to the county. Many tourists arrive here from Cork, either by bus or train, and then pick up their hire car from a depot at the rail or bus terminal. Clonmel is fantastic for commercial attractions rather than sightseeing, with several shops, pubs and hotels on offer. Meanwhile, Tipperary town has more touristy attractions, including a genealogy centre that attracts its fair share of international tourist.

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While in Tipperary town, stop by the tourist information office and enquire about local driving routes. Several scenic drives are promoted, including one that meanders into the Comeragh Mountain range. It descends into the Nire Valley and follows the River Suir for a portion of the drive. An explicit ‘Suir Scenic Drive’ and a ‘Kockmealdown Drive’ that visits the Vee Gap and Ardfinnan village are also worth considering.

Cashel is the county’s leading tourist town. There’s a hill at the centre of the historic quarter called the Rock of Cashel, and it’s topped by an abbey that dates to the early 12th century. Before that, it was used by kings and armies as far back as the 3rd century. The Rock is a favourite with tourists, so plan on showing up early. 

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Rock of Cashel

The Rock of Cashel (Irish: Carraig Phádraig), banded with limestone outcrops, rises 200 feet above the surrounding plain. It is associated in legend with St Patrick, but the site was originally the seat of the Kings of Munster. The site was donated to the church in 1101 by Muirchertach O Briain, King of Munster. The buildings we see today date from the 12th century, the oldest and also the tallest being the 28 metre (98 feet) high round tower. The other building at Cashel are influenced by Hiberno-Romanesque or Germanic architecture. Visitors enter the Rock of Cashel complex through the Hall of the Vicars Choral; once inside they can enjoy one of the most important Romanesque wall painting s in Ireland!

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Glen of Aherlow

The Glen of Aherlow stretches from the N24 south of Tipperary Town through 16 miles of unspoilt countryside affording some of the most breathtaking scenery. In the Glen of Aherlow there are plenty of opportunities for horseriding, cycling, rambling and fishing. Moreover the site offers a variety of lovely woodland trails – The Glen of Aherlow Nature Park, a 50 acre natural woodland with many local and historical features provides a series of walking trails.

Leap Castle

Leap Castle was built around the late 15th / early 16th century by the O’Bannon Clan who were subject to the ruling O’Carrolls. Leap Castle has been the centre of much bloodshed and brutal atrocities, no wonder why it has the reputation of the world’s most haunted castle! Come and see if the legends are true!

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