Cahir (; ) is a town in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is also a civil parish in the

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

Iffa and Offa West Iffa and Offa West (Irish: ''Uíbh Eoghain agus Uíbh Fhathaidh Thiar'') is a barony in County Tipperary, Ireland. This geographical unit of land is one of 12 baronies in County Tipperary. Its chief town is Cahir. The barony lies between Clanwill ...

Location and access

For much of the twentieth century, Cahir stood at an intersection of two busy national roadways: the Dublin to

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

N8, and the Limerick to Waterford N24. The N8 was realigned in 1991 to run west of the town, while the old road through it was renumbered the R670. Traffic from the N24 still left the town badly congested, however, until October 2007 when this road was also realigned to bypass Cahir to the north and east. The same road improvement scheme saw major changes to the N8 corridor: a new motorway, the M8, was constructed west of the town between 2006 and 2008. Access to Cahir from this motorway is gained at Junctions 10 and 11. Cahir is on the Limerick–Waterford railway line. The town's railway station opened on 1 May 1852. There are two trains a day to Tipperary and Limerick Junction and two to

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...

Carrick on Suir Carrick-on-Suir () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It lies on both banks of the River Suir. The part on the north bank of the Suir lies in the civil parish of "Carrick", in the historical barony of Iffa and Offa East. The part on the sou ...

and Waterford. There is no Sunday service.

Bus Éireann Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Ireland, with the exception of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidia ...

runs regular services to Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford through the town.

History

The name ''Cathair'' or ''an Chathair'' translates as "stone

ringfort Ringforts, ring forts or ring fortresses are circular fortified settlements that were mostly built during the Bronze Age up to about the year 1000. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are also many in South Wales ...

", while the name ''Cathair Dún Iascaigh'' means "town of the fort of the

fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

". In older accounts, it was often spelled " Caher". Cahir Abbey was established in the late 12th century. For much of its history, the town has been influenced by the

Butler family Butler family may refer to: * Butler dynasty, a noble family in Ireland * Butler-Belmont family, a family of United States politicians * Butler family (Artemis Fowl), a family in the ''Artemis Fowl'' teen novel series * Butler (surname) Butler, is ...

. It was from this family that the first Barons of Cahir were created. It was known for much of its history as being a defence town. Cahir, together with Clonmel, were the centres in South Tipperary of the Quaker population, who constructed a meeting house in Abbey Street in 1833. The principal Quaker family names, largely engaged in milling, were Grubb, Going and Walpole. It was one of the first towns to be linked by

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

in the nineteenth century, when

Charles Bianconi Charles Bianconi (24 September 1786 – 22 September 1875) was an Italo-Irish entrepreneur. Sometimes described as the "man who put Ireland on wheels", he developed a network of horse-drawn coaches that became Ireland's "first regular public trans ...

commenced services between

, Cahir and Cashel. The building at The Square, where The Galtee Inn is now sited, was the stopping point in the town for Bianconi's coaches.

Amenities and features

Cahir Castle Cahir Castle ( ga, Caisleán na Cathrach), one of the largest castles in Ireland, is sited on an island in the river Suir. It was built from 1142 by Conchobar Ua Briain, King of Thomond. Now situated in Cahir town centre, County Tipperary, the ...

, which is situated on a small island in the River Suir, is the town's main tourist attraction. Cahir has a fine Church of Ireland parish church, still in use, designed by John Nash, one of only three ecclesiastical buildings he designed in Ireland. Another major attraction is the Swiss Cottage; there are also numerous specialty heritage walks. The nearby

Galtee Mountains Galtymore or Galteemore () is a mountain in the province of Munster, Ireland. At , it is one of Ireland's highest mountains, being the 12th-highest on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins, Arderin list, and 14th-highest on the Lists of mo ...

form the largest inland range in Ireland and are home to

Glengarra Wood Glengarra Wood is a mixed woodland in Ireland located southwest of Cahir, County Tipperary off the M8 motorway and R639 road. Approximately in extent, it is situated on Old Red Sandstone on the southern slopes of the Galtee Mountains. It is ...

, which is a popular walking area. The Knockmealdown Mountains stand south of the town, while to the southwest lie the Mitchelstown Caves. The salmon weir, on the opposite side of the bridge from the castle, is a popular fishing location. Cahir is a small

heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...

town. A shopping precinct is centred on the town square adjacent to Castle Street. The town has a leisure centre (Duneske), an all-weather soccer pitch, all weather tennis courts, a Downhill and Enduro mountain-biking track and a GAA pitch. An 18-hole golf course lies outside the town.

Education

Schools in the area include Our Lady of Mercy Primary School, Cahir Boys National School, and Coláiste Dún Iascaigh (Secondary School).

Sports

Cahir has a number of teams in various sports. Cahir GAA are the local

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

team and play on the GAA pitch located on the Ardfinnan road. They were Tipperary Senior Football Champions in 2003. Cahir Park AFC are the local junior soccer team. Formed in 1912, they are one of the oldest junior soccer teams in the country. Their ground is also located in Cahir Park on the Ardfinnan road.

International relations

Cahir has been twinned with the town of Scarborough in England since 2003.

Notable people

* Richard Butler, 2nd Earl of Glengall * John Noel Dempsey (1915–89), Connecticut politician * William Joshua Ffennell (1799–1867), Irish fishery reformer *

Edmund Keating Hyland Edmund Keating Hyland (; 1780 – 1845) was an Irish uilleann piper of the early 19th century. Biography Keating Hyland was born in Cahir around 1780. At 15, he was blinded by smallpox. At 20, he studied music theory under John Andrew Stevenso ...

(1780–1845),

uilleann piper The uilleann pipes ( or , ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Earlier known in English as "union pipes", their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the elbow"), from their ...

; his statue in Cahir main square * Michael Murphy (1831–93), awarded Victoria Cross, later forfeited *

Tommy O'Donnell Tommy O'Donnell (born 21 May 1987) is an Irish former rugby union player, who spent his entire career with his native province of Munster, whilst also earning 13 international caps for Ireland. After retiring in 2021, O'Donnell moved into coa ...

, Munster and Ireland rugby player * Richard Pennefather, Irish judge, buried Cahir *

Marian Tobin Marian Tobin ran a safe house in Ireland during the Irish War of Independence and was known particularly for sheltering Dan Breen and Seán Treacy after the Soloheadbeg ambush, the incident which sparked the war. Biography She was born Mary Ann ...

(1870–1955), ran a safe house during the Irish War of Independence

Image gallery

File:Cahir.jpg,

File:Protestant church-2.JPG, The Church of Ireland parish church in Cahir. File:Cahir AD1599.JPG, A drawing of Cahir in 1599 File:Cahir Castle, Tipperary.JPG,

, Tipperary, lit up at night.

References

External links

Official SiteVisit Cahir WebsiteCahir
in the Book of County Tipperary (1889) {{Authority control Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore Towns and villages in County Tipperary Civil parishes of Iffa and Offa West