County Tipperary

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County Tipperary
Contae Thiobraid Árann
Coat of arms of County Tipperary
Location
centerMap highlighting County Tipperary
Statistics
Province: Munster
County seat: North: Nenagh
South: Clonmel
Code: North: TN
South: TS
Area: 4,303 km2 (1,661 sq mi)

Population (2006)

 149,040[1]

County Tipperary (Irish: Contae Thiobraid Árann) is one of the traditional Counties of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster. It was named after the town of Tipperary (Irish: Tiobraid Árann).

Tipperary is the sixth largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 11th largest in terms of population[1]. It is the third largest of Munster’s 6 counties in size and third largest in terms of population.

Tipperary was one of the first Irish counties to be established in the 13th century. For all government administration purposes the county is divided into North Tipperary (county town: Nenagh) and South Tipperary (county town: Clonmel). This division dates back to the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, the county's two "ridings" having had separate assize courts for much longer. The use of riding for the divisions was a historical misnomer, since the word derives from the dividing of an area into three parts. Indeed the expression riding has been discontinued for official purposes since 2002 (Local Government Act, 2001 section 10 and schedule 5).

Contents

[edit] Geography

The region is part of the central plain of Ireland, but the terrain is diversified by several mountain ranges: the Knockmealdown, the Galtee, the Arra, and the Silvermine. The southern portion of the county is drained by the Suir River; the northern by tributaries of the Shannon , which widens into Lough Derg on the northern border.

The centre of County Tipperary is known as 'the Golden Vale', a rich pastoral stretch of land in the basin of the River Suir, which crosses the county from north to south.

[edit] Towns and villages

[edit] Townlands

[edit] Culture

Tipperary is sometimes referred to as the Premier County, a description attributed[citation needed] to Thomas Davis, Editor of The Nation newspaper in the 1840s as a tribute to the nationalistic feeling in Tipperary and said[citation needed] that "where Tipperary leads, Ireland follows". Tipperary is famous for its horse breeding industry and is the home of Coolmore Stud, which is the largest thoroughbred breeding operation in the world. The County forms a large part of the Golden Vale (or Vein) of Munster, boasting a rich and fertile agricultural landscape. The County particularly nurtures the ancient game of hurling and its teams have regularly been champions of Ireland since the 19th century.

[edit] Economy

There is much fertile land, especially in the region known as the Golden Vale, one of the richest agricultural areas in Ireland. Dairy farming and cattle raising are the principal occupations. Other industries are slate quarrying and the manufacture of meal and flour.

Tourism plays a significant role in County Tipperary - Lough Derg, Thurles, Rock of Cashel and Bru Boru Heritage Centre and Tipperary Crystal are some of the primary tourist destinations in the county.

[edit] Transport

Road transport dominates in County Tipperary. The M8 motorway bisects the county from north of Two-Mile-Borris to the County Limerick border and is one of the busiest roads on the island. The Limerick to Dublin N7 national primary route also crosses the north of the county. In addition, the Limerick to Waterford N24 crosses the southern half of Tipperary, travelling through Tipperary Town, Bansha, north of Cahir and around Clonmel. In addition to travel by road, Tipperary also has a number or railway stations situated on the Dublin to Cork and Dublin to Limerick rail lines.

[edit] Sports

County Tipperary has a strong sporting history and is home to the Gaelic Games of Hurling, Gaelic Football, Camogie and Handball.

[edit] In popular culture

The town of Tipperary situated in the south west of the county was the subject of the famous World War I British army song "It's a Long Way to Tipperary".

[edit] County Anthem

The song Slievenamon is traditionally associated with the county. It is common at GAA fixtures involving the county.[8]

[edit] Places of interest

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 186–191. 
  2. ^ For 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy March 14 1865.
  3. ^ Census for post 1821 figures.
  4. ^ http://www.histpop.org
  5. ^ http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census
  6. ^ Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". in Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A.. Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press. 
  7. ^ Mokyr, Joel; O Grada, Cormac (November), "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850", The Economic History Review Volume 37 (Issue 4): 473–488, doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x, http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120035880/abstract 
  8. ^ http://www.irishpage.com/songs/slevmoan.htm

[edit] External links

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Coordinates: 52°40′N 7°50′W / 52.667°N 7.833°W / 52.667; -7.833

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