Some of Irelands finest farmland is in County Tipperary and in Celtic times good farms were the source of wealth and power. A circular route from Limerick City brings you through some of Ireland’s finest farmland in County Tipperary. Following the main Dublin road the N7 you come to the ancient market town of Nenagh. Nenagh Castle, pictured below, is the main attraction in the town. From here you can take the R497 signposted as The Silvermines Drive which will bring you high over the mountains where silver was indeed mined many years ago. You will enjoy many beauty spots along the way.
Turn east in the aptly named village of Milestone and head for Thurles, the birthplace of the world’s largest amateur sporting organisation, the Gaelic Athletic Association or GAA. Picturesque Holycross Abbey which dates from 1169 is situated on the bank of the River Suir, a little south of the cathedral town of Thurles.
Continuing southwards you come to the incomparable Rock of Cashel where mediaeval ecclesiastical buildings cluster precariously on a rocky outcrop rising dramatically from the plains below.
From Cashel your journey takes you further south to Cahir where you can visit the imposing Castle and the enchanting Swiss Cottage.
Travelling northwest on the N24 you reach Tipperary Town a thriving and prosperous market town in the heart of the fertile plain known as The Golden Vale. The N24 will bring you back through the plains to your starting point of Limerick City.
