Things to do in Co. Tipperary
14 places
1.St. Patrick's Well
One of Ireland's largest holy wells
A sheltered, tree-hung glen north of Clonmel where one of Ireland's largest holy wells wells up into a walled pool around an early Christian cross and a ruined church. Free to visit, and still a working pilgrimage site.
- Highlights
- One of Ireland's largest holy wells
- Spring water that reportedly never freezes
- Early Christian cross on an island in the pool
2.Glengarra Wood Forest Recreational Area
Free riverbank walks under giant redwoods
A former Shanbally Estate demesne on the southern slopes of the Galtee Mountains, where towering Californian redwoods, exotic conifers and rhododendrons line a river that runs through the woods — and entry is free.
- Highlights
- Free to visit, free car parking
- Giant sequoia, Wellingtonia, Bhutan pine and yew
- Easy 2 km Red Loop through named, tagged trees
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
3.Mount St Joseph Abbey
A working Trappist monastery open to guests
A working Cistercian (Trappist) monastery where visitors are welcomed to the church, the grounds and a guesthouse in the old Heaton family mansion.
- Highlights
- Cistercian (Trappist) monastery founded in 1878
- Liturgy of the Hours sung seven times a day
- Guesthouse in the original Heaton family mansion, open all year
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
4.The Vee Pass
A hairpin pass above the Golden Vale
A V-shaped hairpin pass on the R668 that hauls up over the Knockmealdown Mountains, rewarding drivers with one of Ireland's widest panoramas across the Golden Vale. Free, open year-round and a gateway to lakeside and hill trails.
- Highlights
- Hairpin drive over the Knockmealdowns on the R668
- Panoramic Golden Vale views from the summit lay-by
- Grubb's Monument, a beehive cairn above the pass
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
5.Hore Abbey Entrance
founded 1272 and free to roam day or night
Ireland's last medieval Cistercian monastery (founded 1272), a free, roofless ruin standing in a cow pasture just below the Rock of Cashel — atmospheric, unguided and usually crowd-free.
- Highlights
- Ireland's last pre-Reformation Cistercian monastery (1272)
- The country's only Cistercian cloister placed north of the church
- 15th-century crossing tower with rib-vaulting
- Facilities
- Good for kids
6.Mitchelstown Cave
Ireland's oldest guided show cave, open since 1833
Discovered by accident in 1833 when a quarryman dropped his crowbar into a crevice, Mitchelstown Cave is one of Ireland's largest and most complex show cave systems, with a 9-metre calcite column and three vast caverns.
- Highlights
- The 9m Tower of Babel column, one of Europe's finest
- Three huge caverns, including Tír na Nóg (61m x 49m)
- Guided tours running since 1833
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
7.Ormond Castle
Ireland's finest Elizabethan manor house, 1565
Grafted onto an older riverside castle, Ormond Castle is Ireland's finest Elizabethan manor house — built in 1565 by Thomas "Black Tom" Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond, as a tribute to his cousin Queen Elizabeth I.
- Highlights
- A 33-metre Long Gallery with Tudor stucco plasterwork
- Portrait busts of Elizabeth I and Edward VI
- 40-minute guided tour of the state rooms and attic
8.Cahir Castle
A working portcullis in a 13th-century fortress
One of Ireland's largest and best-preserved castles, a 13th-century Butler stronghold on a rocky island in the River Suir that has doubled as a set for Excalibur and The Tudors.
- Highlights
- 13th-century island fortress of the Butler family
- One of Ireland's few working portcullises
- Great Hall with giant Irish deer antlers
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
9.Nenagh Castle
Climb 101 steps up a 13th-century round keep
A 13th-century cylindrical keep — widely called the finest of its kind — rising about 30 metres above the centre of Nenagh. Climb 101 stone steps for a 360-degree view across Tipperary to the Silvermines and Lough Derg.
- Highlights
- 101-step spiral stair to the roof
- 360-degree views over Nenagh and Lough Derg
- Free admission and free guided tours
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
10.Rock of Cashel
the most impressive medieval cluster in the country
A limestone outcrop rising above the Golden Vale, crowned with a round tower, a Romanesque chapel and a roofless Gothic cathedral. Seat of the kings of Munster and where Brian Boru was crowned High King in 978, it holds the most impressive cluster of medieval buildings in the country.
- Highlights
- Cormac's Chapel and its 12th-century frescoes
- 28m round tower dating to around 1101
- Roofless 13th-century Gothic cathedral
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
11.Graves of the Leinstermen
A Bronze Age tomb wrapped in a massacre legend
Mysterious Bronze Age stones on a heathery shoulder of Tountinna in the Arra Mountains, wrapped in a legend of Brian Ború and looking out over the whole length of Lough Derg.
- Highlights
- Scattered Bronze Age orthostats on an open hillside
- Legend of Brian Ború and the slaughtered King of Leinster
- Sweeping views over Lough Derg to the Clare hills
12.Keeper Hill Trail - Doonane Forest Carpark
a 694m climb to the Shannon region's highest peak
At 694 m, Keeper Hill (Sliabh Coimeálta) is the highest mountain in the Shannon area, and its forested slopes above the River Doonane hide waterfalls, a stone sweathouse and wide summit views.
- Highlights
- 694 m summit with panoramic views
- Stone sweat house beside the forest road
- Waterfalls including the locally named 'Spout'
13.Roscrea Leisure Centre
Indoor pool, water slide and sauna
Roscrea's community pool and gym packs a 25m five-lane pool, separate kiddies and learner pools, a fully enclosed water slide and a sauna-and-steam spa under one indoor roof on the Dublin Road.
- Highlights
- 25m, 5-lane deck-level pool
- Fully enclosed water slide (1.1m minimum height)
- Kiddies pool with water features and a learner pool
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
14.Hot Shots Bowling
Ten-pin bowling, soft play and €57 pizza deal
Clonmel's all-weather family entertainment centre, with ten-pin bowling, a soft play area, arcade games and party packages all under one roof on the Inner Relief Road.
- Highlights
- Ten-pin bowling on the Inner Relief Road, open 7 days
- Kids soft play area from €8 per child
- Arcade games, pool and air hockey
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access