Nenagh ( ; , or simply 'the Fair') is the

county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Nenagh used to be a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

, and the site of the East

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

Ormond Fair. Nenagh was the county town of the former county of North Tipperary. It became the second-largest urban centre in the amalgamated county, with a population of 9,895 in 2022. The town is in a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of the same name.

Geography

Nenagh, the largest town in northern

, lies to the west of the Nenagh River, which empties into Lough Derg at Dromineer, 9 km to the north-west, a centre for sailing and other

water sport Water sports or aquatic sports are sport, sports activities conducted on waterbodies and can be categorized according to the degree of immersion by the participants. On the water * Boat racing, the use of powerboats to participate in races * ...

s. The Silvermine Mountain range lies to the south of the town, with the highest peak being Keeper Hill () at 694 m. The Silvermines have been intermittently mined for silver and base metals for over seven hundred years. Traces of 19th century mine workings remain. The area has a mild climate, with the average daily maximum in July of 19 °C and the average daily minimum in January of 3 °C.

History

Nenagh is 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 ...

of Ormond Lower, which was the traditional territory of the

O'Kennedy The O'Kennedy family (Irish language, Irish: ''Ó Cinnéide''), sometimes Kennedy, were an Irish royal dynasty, a sept of the Dál gCais, founded in the Middle Ages who were Kings of Ormond. Their founder was the nephew of High King of Ireland ...

s before the

Norman invasion of Ireland The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land in Ireland over which the monarchs of England then claimed sovereignty. The Anglo-Normans ...

. This land was included in the grant made by King

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...

to Theobald, the eldest son of Hervey Walter of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, England. Theobald was subsequently appointed "Chief Butler of Ireland". Nenagh Castle was built and was the main castle of the Butler family before they moved to

Gowran Gowran (; ) is a town on the eastern side of County Kilkenny, Ireland. The historic St. Mary's Collegiate Church is in the centre of Gowran, close to Gowran Castle. Gowran Park race course and Golf Course are one kilometre from the centre of ...

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...

in the 14th century. The family later purchased

Kilkenny Castle Kilkenny Castle ( ) is a castle in Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, built in 1260 in Ireland, 1260 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol of Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland, N ...

, which was to be the main seat of their power for the next 500 years. The town was one of the ancient manors of the Butlers, who received the grant of a fair from

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

. They also founded the medieval priory and hospital of St John the Baptist, just outside the town, at Tyone. A small settlement grew up around the castle, but it never seems to have been of any great importance other than as a local market throughout the medieval period. An important Franciscan friary was founded in the town in 1252 in the reign of

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of John, King of England, King John and Isabella of Ang ...

, which became the head of the Irish custody of West Ireland and was one of the richest religious houses in Ireland. The Abbey was in use for six hundred years; Fr. Patrick Harty, who died in 1817, was its last inhabitant. In the rebellion of 1641 Nenagh Castle was garrisoned by George Hamilton for James Butler, the twelfth Earl of Ormonde (later the first Duke). It was taken by Phelim O'Neill in 1648 during Owen Roe's journey south via the silver mines but was re-taken by

Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin Murrough MacDermod O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin (September 1614 – 9 September 1673), was an Irish nobleman and soldier, who came from one of the most powerful families in Munster. Known as ''Murchadh na dTóiteán'' ("Murrough the Burner"), ...

in the same year and George Hamilton was back again as governor to face Major-General

Henry Ireton Henry Ireton (baptised 3 November 1611; died 26 November 1651) was an English general in the Parliamentarian army during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and a son-in-law of Oliver Cromwell. He died of disease outside Limerick in November 165 ...

and Colonel Daniel Abbott in 1650. After a short siege he surrendered on articles and was allowed to march out — not being hung out of the top window as asserted by many writers following an error apparently first made by a writer in the "Dublin Penny Journal" in 1833. Abbott then became governor for the Cromwellians and withstood attacks on the Castle both by Colonel Grace from Birr and a Captain Loghlen O'Meara of a local family who defeated his forces in an engagement close by and forced them to take shelter in the Castle. After the Restoration, Sir William Flower came along in 1660 on behalf of the Marchioness of Ormond, who had the ownership of the Manor on her marriage settlements. The last Marquess (James Butler) died in 1997. Without a male heir, the marquessate became extinct, while the earldom is dormant. The town seems to have been refounded in the 16th century. In 1550, the town and friary were burned by O'Carroll. In 1641 the town was captured by Red Owen O'Neill, but shortly afterwards it was recaptured by Lord Inchiquin. It surrendered to Ireton in 1651 during the Cromwellian period and was burned by

Patrick Sarsfield Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan ( 1655 – 21 August 1693) was an Irish army officer. Killed at Battle of Landen, Landen in 1693 while serving in the French Royal Army, he is now best remembered as an Irish patriot and military hero. Born ...

in 1688 during the Williamite Wars. Apart from the Castle and Friary, most of the town's buildings date from the mid-18th century onward when its sale out of Butler ownership led to the large-scale grant of leases and the subsequent growth of industries and buildings. The town's growth and development was accelerated in 1838 when the geographical county of Tipperary was divided into two ridings and Nenagh became the administrative capital of the North Riding. In this period

Daniel O'Connell Daniel(I) O’Connell (; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilisation of Catholic Irelan ...

held one of his Monster meetings for

Repeal A repeal (O.F. ''rapel'', modern ''rappel'', from ''rapeler'', ''rappeler'', revoke, ''re'' and ''appeler'', appeal) is the removal or reversal of a law. There are two basic types of repeal; a repeal with a re-enactment is used to replace the law ...

of the Act of Union at Grange outside of Nenagh. In the 19th century, Nenagh was primarily a market town, providing services to the agricultural hinterland. Industries included brewing, corn processing, coach building and

iron works An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. Iron Works may also refer to: * Iron Works, a neighborhood in Brookfield, Connecticut * Clay City, Kentucky, known as Iron ...

with the addition of

cottage industries The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work, like a tailor. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the p ...

such as tailoring, dressmaking, millinery, shoemaking, carpentry, wood-turning, wheelwrighting, harnessmaking, printing, and monumental sculpting. In the middle of the 19th century, Nenagh was affected by the

Famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food caused by several possible factors, including, but not limited to war, natural disasters, crop failure, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenom ...

. The Nenagh Co-operative Creamery was established in 1914 providing employment in milk processing and butter-making.

Politics and governance

The town is part of the nine-member municipal district of Nenagh for elections to Tipperary County Council and is part of the Tipperary constituency. Nenagh was the county town of the former county of North Tipperary, abolished in 2014.

Built heritage

The town's historic features include Nenagh Castle, the Heritage Centre and the ruined

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

Nenagh Castle

This Norman

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

was built by Theobald Walter, 1st Baron Butler and completed by his son Theobald le Botiller c1220. The circular keep is over thirty metres high, and its base has a diameter of sixteen metres. It is one of the finest of its kind in Ireland. The crown of crenellations and ring of

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

windows were added at the instigation of Bishop Michael Flannery in 1861. The intention was that the keep would become the

Bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

of a Pugin-designed cathedral that was never built. The keep now features on the logos of a number of local clubs and businesses including Nenagh Town Council. The castle and grounds were extensively renovated between 2009 and 2013. This project was aimed to position the castle as a key

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

in the area. It is now open to the public.

Other historic buildings

The old jail, with its octagonal governor's residence, is now a historic monument. Only one jail block remains intact. The Governor's Residence and jail gatehouse house Nenagh & District

Heritage Centre A heritage centre, center, or museum, is a public facility – typically a museum, monument, visitor centre, or park – that is primarily dedicated to the presentation of Historical preservation, historical and Cultural heritage, cultural infor ...

. Nenagh Courthouse was built in 1843 to the design of architect John B. Keane. The design was similar to his previous courthouse in

Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal (Ireland), Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, Midlands Reg ...

, which in turn followed William Morrison's designs for

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

and

Tralee Tralee ( ; , ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the River Lee') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in ...

. In 2002, the grounds of the refurbished courthouse became the site of bronze sculptures of Matt McGrath, Bob Tisdall and Johnny Hayes, three Olympic gold medalists with Nenagh links. After the county council moved to their new Civic Offices in 2005, the courthouse was subsequently refurbished. Banba Square

Nenagh Arts Centre (formerly the Town Hall) is a distinctive building built in 1895. It was refurbished and now features a theatre and multi-purpose exhibition space. Until 2005, it housed the offices of Nenagh Town Council and, up until the 1980s, Nenagh Public library. The building was designed by the then Town Engineer Robert Gill (father of Tomás Mac Giolla). St Mary's of the Rosary Catholic Church is a

neo-gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

church and was built in 1895 to a design by architect Walter G Doolin. It was constructed by John Sisk using Lahorna stone and Portroe slate with the Portland stone of the arches being the only imported material. The adjacent St Mary's Church of Ireland Church was built in 1862 to a design by the architect Joseph Welland (1798–1860) and features a stained glass window from the studio of Harry Clarke. The building is striking in its simplicity in contrast to its larger and more ornate neighbour. The town also contains the ruins of a Franciscan Friary, where the

Annals of Nenagh The ''Annals of Nenagh'' are a set of Irish annals composed in Latin at the Franciscan convent of Nenagh, County Tipperary, founded c. 1254. Its surviving portions covers the years 1336 to 1528, the majority of the brief entries concerning the ...

were written and the medieval Priory of St John on the outskirts of the town at Tyone.

Modern buildings

The new Civic Offices on the Limerick Road house Tipperary County Council offices. Designed by ABK Architects, the building won international recognition for its design. Nenagh Hospital, known locally as St. Joseph's Hospital, located on the Thurles Road (c1940). It is the only general hospital in north Tipperary. Built in the

International Style The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...

of mostly flat roof and rendered walls, the hospital was retro-fitted with uPVC windows at a later date. There is an adjoining mortuary church with notable mosaics and stained glass.

Transport

Nenagh is situated on the R445 Regional Road, which links it to the M7. The M7 by-passes the town to the south and provides access to the cities of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

and

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. The N52 National Secondary Route to Birr (and through the Midlands to

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...

) starts/terminates south of Nenagh, at a junction with the M7. This route also bypasses Nenagh to the north and connects with the M7 to the west of the town, towards Limerick.

Bus

Nenagh is connected to other main towns and cities by bus services. The main carriers are JJ Kavanagh and Sons, Bus Éireann and Bernard Kavanagh & Sons. Both JJ Kavanagh and Sons and Bus Éireann now offer services 24 hours a day to

and

with JJ Kavanagh buses offering direct services to both Dublin and Shannon airports. The town centre bus stops are located at Banba Square. Nenagh railway station is also served infrequently by a small number of journeys on Bus Éireann route 323. Local Link Tipperary operates bus service 854 between Nenagh and Roscrea with intermediate stops in stops in

Toomevara Toomevara, officially Toomyvara (), is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland, 11 km east of Nenagh. It is a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe, and is in the historical barony of Ormond Upper. Transport Local Link Tipperary ...

Moneygall Moneygall () is a village in County Offaly, bordering County Tipperary, in Ireland. It is situated on the R445 road between Dublin and Limerick. There were 374 people living in the village as of the 2022 census. Moneygall has a Catholic church ...

Cloughjordan Cloughjordan, officially Cloghjordan ( , ), is a town in County Tipperary in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Barony (Ireland), barony of Ormond Lower, and it is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. The town is si ...

and

Shinrone Shinrone () is a village in County Offaly, Ireland. It is in the southernmost part of the county, situated very close to the border with County Tipperary. It lies at the junction of the R491 regional road between Nenagh and Roscrea with the R4 ...

. The service operates seven days a week with three departures in each direction.

Rail

Nenagh railway station is on the Limerick to Ballybrophy line. Passengers can connect at Ballybrophy to trains heading northeast to

or southwest to

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

. The station opened on 5 October 1863. A committee (the Nenagh Rail Steering Committee) working in conjunction with Irish Railway News, had a meeting with the national railway company

Iarnród Éireann Iarnród Éireann, () or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national Rail transport in Ireland, railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of CIÉ, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal I ...

(IÉ) on 1 September 2005 to present the results of a traffic study funded by Nenagh Town Council and North Tipperary County Council, and to seek a morning and evening service between Nenagh and Limerick which would increase commuter traffic. IÉ agreed to delay an afternoon service from the December 2005 timetable and to work towards an early service when equipment permitted from 2007. A January 2012 national newspaper article suggested that Irish Rail was expected to seek permission from the National Transport Authority to close the line. Nenagh is only 37 km from Thurles, which is on the main Dublin/Cork line, and which has around 18 trains daily in each direction, including non-stop services to and from Dublin. However, there are only two buses each weekday from Nenagh to Thurles (and vice versa).

Sport

Gaelic games

Nenagh Éire Óg is the local

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

club and has had a number of successes in County Championships in both football and hurling, winning the County Senior Hurling Championship in 1995. The club has also been represented on Senior All-Ireland winning Tipperary

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

teams by Mick Darcy (1925), Jack Darcy (1925), John McGrath (1958), Mick Burns (1958, 1961, 1962, 1964 & 1965), Michael Cleary (1989 & 1991), Conor O’Donovan (1989 & 1991), John Heffernan (1989),

Hugh Maloney Hugh Maloney (born 1 July 1983) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Nenagh Éire Óg and with the Tipperary senior inter-county team. In 2009, he was in the team that was runners-up in the All-Ireland Senior Hurli ...

(2010), Michael Heffernan (2010), Barry Heffernan (2016 & 2019), Dáire Quinn (2016) and Jake Morris (2019).

Rugby Union

Rugby Union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

club Nenagh Ormond RFC was the first club in County Tipperary to gain senior status by being promoted to the third division of the Rugby

AIB League The All-Ireland League (AIL), known for sponsorship reasons as the Energia All-Ireland League, is the national league system for the 50 senior rugby union clubs in Ireland, covering both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The league w ...

in 2005. The All-Ireland League club has produced three full Irish International players: Tony Courtney in the 1920s and more recently Trevor Hogan, Cronan Gleeson and

Donnacha Ryan Donnacha Ryan (born 11 December 1983) is an Irish former rugby union player and current coach. Ryan spent most of his career representing his native province Munster, spending 13 seasons at the club, before moving to French club Racing 92 in 2 ...

Association football

Nenagh is home to Nenagh A.F.C. (1951) and Nenagh Celtic F.C. (1981). Nenagh A.F.C.'s home grounds are Brickfields and Islandbawn. Nenagh Celtic's home ground is the VEC grounds. Nenagh Celtic have won a number of titles in their history.

Athletics

The local athletic club Nenagh Olympic were named after three men ( Johnny Hayes, Matt McGrath and Bob Tisdall) with Nenagh connections who won Olympic gold medals and the badge of the club is three interlocking

Olympic Rings The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses icons, flags, and symbols to represent and enhance the Olympic Games. These symbols include those commonly used during Olympic competitions such as the flame, fanfare, and theme as well as those u ...

in green, white and orange. A statue of the three has been erected in Banba Square in the grounds of the Courthouse. The club has produced athletes like Gary Ryan, who represented Ireland at the Olympics. The club also possesses Ireland's first and to date only international standard

indoor athletics Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

track at Tyone. Many championships are held there including

championships and

all Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

Golf

Nenagh Golf Club, located at Beechwood on the "Old Birr Road", was affiliated to the Golfing Union of Ireland in 1929. The original 9-hole course was designed by Alister McKenzie, who, along with Bobby Jones, designed the legendary

Augusta National Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta National, Augusta, or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. It is known for hosting the annual Masters Tournament. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Rob ...

. The course was expanded to 18 holes by

Eddie Hackett Eddie Hackett (1910–1996) was an Irish golf course architect. Eddie Hackett was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1910. As a boy he suffered from tuberculosis, the effects of which left him without the strength or stamina to play active sports. He began ...

in 1973. The course was expanded to during the 1980s and 1990s, and redevelopment to a new design by Patrick Merrigan was completed in 2001.

Other sports

Nenagh is a hub on the North Tipperary Cycle Network, and several signposted cycling routes leave and loop back to the town. The Nenagh Triathlon Club, formed in 2007, organises an annual North tipp Sprint Triathlon. The World Taekwondo Association Ireland also has its Irish headquarters in Nenagh. Other sports organisations include the Nenagh And District Darts League, and Nenagh Cricket Club (which is a member of the Munster Cricket Union and plays in the Munster Cricket League).

Twin towns

Tonnerre in the

Yonne Yonne (, in Burgundian: ''Ghienne'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight con ...

département, France

Notable people

J.D. Bernal John Desmond Bernal (; 10 May 1901 – 15 September 1971) was an Irish scientist who pioneered the use of X-ray crystallography in molecular biology. He published extensively on the history of science. In addition, Bernal wrote popular boo ...

(1901–1971) – scientist * Michael Cleary –

player * Patrick Roger Cleary (1858–1948) – founder of

Cleary University Cleary University is a private university focused on business education with its main campus in Livingston County, Michigan. It also has an education center located in Detroit. Cleary University offers certificate, ABA, BBA, MS, and MBA progr ...

in the United States *

Patrick Collison Patrick Collison (born 9 September 1988) is an Irish entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and current CEO of Stripe, which he started with his younger brother, John, in 2010. He won the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2005 at t ...

– co-founder of Stripe, Inc. * E. J. Conway (1894–1968) – biochemist at UCD, FRS and

Boyle Medal The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) () is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically. It was long active as a learned ...

recipient *

Michael Courtney Michael Courtney (5 February 1945 – 29 December 2003) was an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1980 and was given the rank of archbishop and was named Apostolic Nuncio to Burundi in 200 ...

(1945–2003) – Papal Nuncio to Burundi, assassinated 29 December 2003 *

James Cross James Richard Cross (29 September 1921 – 6 January 2021) was an Irish-born British diplomat who served in India, Malaysia and Canada. While posted in Canada, Cross was kidnapped by members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) duri ...

(1921–2021) – overseas diplomat *

John Dominic Crossan John Dominic Crossan (born 17 February 1934) is an Irish-American New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity and former Catholic priest. He was a prominent member of the Jesus Seminar, and is an emeritus professor at DePaul Universit ...

– religious scholar in the fields of

biblical archaeology Biblical archaeology is an academic school and a subset of Biblical studies and Levantine archaeology. Biblical archaeology studies archaeological sites from the Ancient Near East and especially the Holy Land (also known as Land of Israel and ...

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

and New Testament textual and

higher criticism Historical criticism (also known as the historical-critical method (HCM) or higher criticism, in contrast to lower criticism or textual criticism) is a branch of criticism that investigates the origins of ancient texts to understand "the world b ...

Patrick Donohoe Patrick Donohoe VC (c. 1820 – 16 August 1876) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross. Details He was approximately 37 years old and a private in the 9th Lancers, British Army during the Indian Mutiny when the following deed took pla ...

(1820–1876) – Irish recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

* John Doyle – journalist with Canada's ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' *

Bernadette Flynn Bernadette Mary Flynn (born 1 August 1979 in Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland) is an Irish dance Irish dance refers to the traditional dance forms that originate in Ireland, including both solo and group dance forms, for social, competitiv ...

–

Irish dance Irish dance refers to the traditional dance forms that originate in Ireland, including both solo and group dance forms, for social, competitive, and performance purposes. Irish dance has evolved over centuries and is believed to have its roots i ...

r * T. P. Gill (1858–1931) – MP of the

Irish Parliamentary Party The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP; commonly called the Irish Party or the Home Rule Party) was formed in 1874 by Isaac Butt, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nati ...

and agriculture pioneer *

Julian Gough Julian Gough (born June 1966) is an Irish musician, novelist, and poet. Initially he was known as the singer and lyricist for the Galway band Toasted Heretic, he has since established a career as a satirist, novelist, commentator and writer of ...

– novelist and singer with Toasted Heretic * Johnny Hayes (1886–1965) – Olympic marathon gold-medalist *

Máire Hoctor Máire Hoctor (born 20 January 1963) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Tipperary North (Dáil constituency), Tipperary North constituency from 2002 to 2011. She was educated at St. Mary's secondary ...

– politician * Trevor Hogan – Irish rugby international * Jack Jones (1873–1941) – British Labour politician *

Joshua A. Leach Joshua A. Leach (May 8, 1843 – June 28, 1919) was an American locomotive worker and trade union functionary. He is best remembered as the founder of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen (B of LF) in 1873 and head of that organization from 1873 ...

(1843–1919) – founder of the

Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen (B of LF&E) was a North American Rail transport, railroad fraternal benefit society and trade union in the 19th and 20th centuries. The organization began in 1873 as the Brotherhood of Locomotiv ...

in the United States * Tomás Mac Giolla (1924–2010) – former

Workers' Party Workers' Party is a name used by several political parties throughout the world. The name has been used by both organisations on the left and right of the political spectrum. It is currently used by followers of Marxism, Marxism–Leninism, Maoism ...

president, Dublin West TD and

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...

Shane MacGowan Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (25 December 195730 November 2023) was a British-born Irish singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He won acclaim for his lyrics, whic ...

(1957-2023) — singer/songwriter and musician (lead singer of The Pogues) * Matt McGrath (1875–1941) – Olympic Hammer-throwing gold-medalist *

Dan Morrissey Daniel Morrissey (born 20 April 1993) is an Irish hurler who plays as a left wing-back for club side Ahane and at inter-county level with the Limerick senior hurling team. Early life Morrissey was born in Castleconnell, County Limerick. Hi ...

(1895–1981) –

Government Minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...

Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill (; born 1952) is a modern Irish poet whose works have been described as having a "major influence in revitalizing the Irish language in modern poetry". Biography Born in Lancashire, England, of Irish parents, she moved t ...

– Irish poet *

Michael O'Kennedy Michael O'Kennedy (21 February 1936 – 15 April 2022) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served in a range of cabinet positions, including Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Finan ...

(1936–2022) – former Government Minister and European Commissioner *

Mary Redmond Mary Redmond (1863 – 16 January 1930) was an Ireland, Irish sculptor born in Nenagh, County Tipperary, in 1863, and raised in Ardclough, County Kildare, where her father went to work in the limestone quarries. Early life At school in Ardclo ...

(1863–1930) – sculptor * Father Alec Reid (1931–2013) – facilitator of the

Northern Ireland peace process The Northern Ireland peace process includes the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of the Troubles, the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, and subsequent political develop ...

Donal Ryan Donal Ryan (born 1976) is an Irish writer. He has published seven novels and one short story collection. In 2016, novelist and playwright Sebastian Barry described Ryan in ''The Guardian'' as "the king of the new wave of Irish writers". All of ...

– Irish writer *

– Irish rugby international * Bob Tisdall (1907–2004) – Olympic

400m hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women. On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane, once ar ...

gold-medalist *

John Toler, 1st Earl of Norbury John Toler, 1st Earl of Norbury PC, KC (3 December 1745 – 27 July 1831), known as The Lord Norbury between 1800 and 1827, was an Irish lawyer, politician and judge. A greatly controversial figure in his time, he was nicknamed the "Hanging Jud ...

(1745–1831) – Irish lawyer, politician and judge, 'The Hanging Judge'

References

External links

Nenagh – The Friendly Town
(Official Portal)

{{Authority control Civil parishes of Ormond Lower Civil parishes of Ormond Upper County towns in the Republic of Ireland Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe Tourist attractions in County Tipperary Towns and villages in County Tipperary Former urban districts in the Republic of Ireland