Ireland Map

County Tipperary has a richly varied landscape in its hills and mountains, its plains and river valleys. Located inland in the very centre of the south of Ireland, it can be reached from Dublin and Cork in less than two hours and from Rosslare Europort in about an hour. After that it depends on your overnight destination because “Tipp” is a very big county and provides enough of attractions for the visitor to be regarded as a destination in its own right.

Tipperary has a rich supply of mountain ranges such as the Galtee Mountains, the Knockmealdowns, the Comeraghs and Slievenamon. In the middle of the county is a broad plain, through which the River Suir flows from north to south. This is wonderful walking trail territory and is one of the great magnets for tourists to the county.  From this plain, the rich land of the Golden Vale extends westwards into County Limerick. Tipperary is dotted with prosperous towns like Nenagh, Clonmel and Cahir and beautifully located hillside villages, reminiscent at times of an Austrian landscape. The Glen of Aherlow is rightly regarded as one of Ireland’s great beauty spots.

Thurles is famous as the birthplace of the GAA in 1884, and is where Semple Stadium, the second largest GAA stadium after Croke Park and spiritual home of hurling is located. Other main towns are Carrick-on-Suir and Roscrea. All of them have reasonable rather than outstanding shopping facilities, although Clonmel would be best. Waterford to the east and Limerick to the west are the two cities that shoppers would be most drawn to if based in Tipperary, although Cork is also within range.

Accommodation ranges from 4-star hotels, rural and urban, across the spectrum to B&B’s and hostels. With such a large and fertile landmass, spectacular country house hotels are common and Tipperary provides many boltholes to which one can disappear confident in the knowledge that they won’t be found too easily!

Elsewhere, there are dozens of historical sites, in particular the magnificent ruins on the Rock of Cashel. Tipperary is truly a magnificent pastoral county which presents the visitor in the summer with contrasting landscape of fields of gold producing cereal and emerald green pasture land. The world renowned Coolmore Stud Farm of 7,000 manicured acres adjoins the famous Ballydoyle Racing stables at Fethard, just north of Clonmel.

The county is divided into two administrative areas, the North and the South, the capitals of which are Nenagh and Clonmel respectively. The population of the entire county is 149,000 whilst it has a huge area of 4,303 kilometres. The landscape offers an array of leisure activities like golf, fishing, hill walking, cycling and much more. The wealth of small towns and villages provides great variety in dining, drinking and entertainment.

Getting to Tipperary is relatively easy from any entry point in the country with the M8 Dublin to Cork motorway bisecting the county. Access to the north Tipperary area is vis the M7 Dublin to Limerick motorway.

Originally published here.

Seamus Maguire is a 54-year old businessman who lives in Collon, County Louth, Ireland with his wife Brid and two boys Dominic and Ciaran. He writes about Ireland as a hobby but with a serious passion and extensive knowledge. He runs a website called Look Around Ireland, www.lookaroundireland.com, which provides detailed information and interactive virtual tours of all the highlights that Ireland has to offer to the visitor. On his website, there is a specific section called the Ireland Travel Guide, http://www.lookaroundireland.com/ireland-travel-guide.php, which is a very useful detailed travel tool for the first time visitor to Ireland.

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