Rock of Cashel

The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland’s most visited attractions and is a spectacular archaeological site. A collection of medieval ecclesiastical buildings set on an outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale. The 12th-century round tower is the oldest surviving building on the Rock, which also include a high cross and the ruins of a Romanesque chapel. ‘Cormac’s Chapel’ is one of the earliest and finest churches built in the Romanesque style. The 13th-century Gothic Cathedral is a large cruciform Gothic church without aisles, built between 1230 and 1270. There is also a 15th-century castle and the ‘Hall of the Vicars’ is the entry point to the ecclesiastical enclosure. The Hall houses the museum where the original Cross of St. Patrick can be found.

Brú Ború Cultural Centre

The Brú Ború Cultural Centre, located at the foot of the historic Rock of Cashel, is an affiliate of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the Irish cultural movement which has over 400 branches worldwide. Brú Ború has an impressive theatre and craft shop, ‘Sounds of History’ cultural exhibition, restaurant, café, bar facility, South Tipperary genealogy suite, conference facilities and more. Summer shows of traditional music and song commence in late June and run for 5 nights each week (Tuesday to Saturday) until late August. Check their website for details of events and music classes taking place during the winter months. 

Cahir Castle

Cahir Castle is located on a rocky island on the River Suir in the centre of Cahir town, County Tipperary. It is one of Ireland’s largest and best preserved castles. An imposing 13th-15th Century structure, Cahir Castle was skillfully designed by Conor O’Brien to be a state-of-the-art defensive castle. Appearing to grow from the actual rock on which it stands, the castle has been the scene of sieges and bombardments for centuries.  Today, the castle also features an excellent audio-visual show which informs visitors about its eventful history.

Swiss Cottage, Cahir

Swiss Cottage was built in the early 1800s by Richard Butler, first Earl of Glengall.  Based on a design by the famous English Regency architect John Nash and inspired by nature, the cottage’s unusual and rustic features include a distinctive thatched roof while its external woodwork resembles branched trees. The nature theme continues throughout the former guest cottage’s internal furnishings and wallpaper. Situated on an elevated site with access by stone steps, the Swiss Cottage interior contains a graceful spiral staircase and some elegantly decorated rooms. The wallpaper in the salon, manufactured by the Dufour factory, is one of the first commercially produced Parisian wallpapers.

Mitchelstown Caves

One of Europe’s major show caves, Mitchelstown Cave, is situated on the border of counties Tipperary and Cork. Mitchelstown Cave is a world without sun, without time, a world where man almost feels an intruder, stumbling on a past age, and an era where nature reigns supreme.  Tours by informative guides will take you through three massive caverns in which you are surrounded by indescribable dripstone formations, stalactites and stalagmites. Graceful calcite curtains hang from the sloping roofs, calcite crystals glisten like diamonds in the distance and one of Europe’s finest calcite columns, the huge Tower of Babel, stands tall.