Tipperary

Tipperary is the largest inland county in Ireland and has an estimated population of 160,441 (CSO, 2016). Due to its vast size, in 1838 the county was divided into two administrative regions that remain in place to this day: Tipperary North Riding, and Tipperary South Riding.  

Golden Vale, Co. Tipperary

To the south and west of the county, Tipperary is bound by mountains while the county line to the north meets with Lough Derg. It is bordered by the counties Offaly, Galway, Clare, Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Kilkenny and Laois. The county’s name is derived from the Irish ‘Tiobraid Arann’. This translates to ‘the well of Ara’ and is referring to the River Ara that flows through Tipperary Town.

Tipperary is famous for the stretch of rich agricultural land that surrounds the River Suir in centre of the county. This fertile region is known as The Golden Vale. Dairy farming is the most common type of agriculture in The Golden Vale. As well as the rich farming land, Tipperary is also home to the largest thoroughbred horse breeding operation in the world, located at Coolmore Stud.