Things to See Further Afield

Cahir's unique location, at the 'crossroads of the south' makes it perfect as a base for further touring. You have the best of both worlds—lots to see and do in the the town and in a radius of 15 to 25km, and a proximity to good roads and transportation to get to the bigger cities or a wide range of others attractions.

From Cahir you can be on a beach looking at the Atlantic in just 45 minutes. You can be in Cork, Limerick, Kilkenny or Waterford Cities in about an hour and two to three hours of driving or public transport will get you to Killarney, Galway or Dublin.

Cork City

A beautiful and interesting city on the banks of the River Lee. In fact it is on four banks of the river since this splits into two through the city. It used to be on even more river banks. The Irish word 'Corcaigh' means marsh and the river used to meander randomly around the area. Cork's main shopping street, St Patricks Street, used to be part of the river so look out for stone steps on the outside of buildings. These used to come down to moorings. Full of intersting alleys with a multitude of bars and cafes Cork has something of a continental flavour.

If you want to kiss the Blarney Stone the castle is just about 8km north-west of Cork. Take the N20 (Limerick road) from Cork or enquire at the bus station which is prominently located alongside the northern channel of the river.

Still a busy port you will usually see some large ships right in the eastern side of the city.

The M8 motorway will take you directly to Cork.

Limerick City

The city at the end of the Shannon, Ireland's longest river (in fact the longest river in the British Isles), lists its own top attractions as King John's Castle, the Art Gallery, Limerick Museum, the Belltable Arts Centre and the Hunt Museum. The Concert Hall at Limerick University (open to all) also stages a wide range of concerts and shows. Limerick also offers some fine examples of Georgian Architecture

Just 20 minutes away by car (in the direction of Shannon Airport) lies Bunratty Castle and Folk Park.

www.limericktourist.com
www.shannonheritage.com

Kilkenny City

Kilkenny is known for its arts and crafts and holds a major arts festival each year. The lovely castle is a sister to Cahir castle in that they both belonged to the Butler family. It sits above the River Nore which is also a sister to our own River Suir. The Suir, the Nore and the Barrow are known as 'The Three Sisters' since they begin life close to each other, they then go off in different directions and then meet up again. The Nore joins the Barrow just north of New Ross and their combined waters then flow into the Suir just east of Waterford City from where they flow together into the Atlantic.

If you like churches then you will like Kilkenny. There are two Cathedrals, several Abbeys and a host of Churches.

www.kilkennytourist.com
www.kilkennyarts.ie

Waterford City

Like Cahir, Waterford is built on the river Suir and like Kilkenny it is also know for the arts. The city hosts a number of arts festivals each year including the acclaimed Waterford Light Opera Festival. A busy seaport it also lays claim to being the oldest city in Ireland having been founded by the Vikings in the year 853. The city has many interesting buildings including Reginald's Tower, said to be the oldest civib structure in Ireland.

In 2005 Waterford hosted the assembly of the Tall Ships and the first leg of the race started a few miles off the Hook Head. The sight of 100 tall ships moored down both sided of the Suir was quite amazing. Now, fighting off formidable competition the city has won the competition to do the same in 2011.

Things to See Even Further Afield

Dublin

A two to two and a half hour drive from Cahir but for a more relaxing day take the train from Cahir or Thurles

Killarney

A two hour drive from Cahir via Mitchelstown and Mallow.

Galway

About two and a half hours from Cahir depending on route taken. Take the route via Thurles, Nenagh, Portumna and Loughrea for Galway only or go via Limerick and Ennis if you wand to get to Galway via the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher.

Some Suggestions

Just a few random suggestions for a good day out if you have the benefit of a car.

Lough Derg (Lake Derg)

Along 35km (22 miles) of the north-west corner of Tipperary lies Lough Derg - 32,000 acres of navigable water. The entire eastern half of the lake lies in Tipperary with the western side shared between counties Clare and Galway. The county borders lie down the centre of the lake. The lake lies on the river Shannon and is the largest of the three big lakes on the river, the others being Lough Ree and Lough Allen.

The southern tip of the lough, with the towns of Ballina, on the Tipperary side of the Shannon, and Killaloe on the Clare side, are just 25km from Limerick City and therefore about one and a half hours from Cahir by car. It is therefore possible to spend most of a day at the lough and still be back in time for a meal.

Fota Wildlife Park and Arboretum

A few miles east of Cork city, and about one hour twenty minutes from Cahir, the park is very open (no cramped cages) and there is an excellent assortment of wildlife.

Midleton Distillery

The Jameson Whiskey tour of the Old Midleton Distillery is an excellent day out even if you don't drink, though you will miss out on the best part - the tasting session at the end of the tour. Even the kids will enjoy it (so long as they keep away from the hard stuff).