Cahir

Infobox Irish Place
name = Cahir
gaeilge = Cathair Dun Iascaigh
crest

motto =
map

pin coords = left: 47px; top: 99px
north coord = 52.385868
west coord = 7.921658
irish grid = S051252
area =
elevation =
province = Munster
county = County Tipperary
town pop = 3,904
rural pop =
census yr = 2007
web =
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Cahir (pronounced IPA|/keɪr/; _ga. Cathair Dhún Iascaigh, meaning the stonefort of the fishing), often spelled Caher in older accounts, is a town in South Tipperary, Ireland. The town is best known for Cahir Castle, built on an island in the River Suir near the centre of the town, and also for the Swiss cottage.

In addition it has a fine Church of Ireland parish church, still in use, designed by John Nash (architect), one of only three ecclesiastical buildings he designed in Ireland.

It is widely known in history as being a defence townFact|date=July 2008 and was also the first town to be linked by stagecoach in the 1800s, when Charles Bianconi commenced services between Clonmel, Cahir and Cashel. The building at The Square, where The Galtee Inn is now sited, was the stopping point in the town for Bianconi's coaches.

Cahir is an Irish Christian word, probably derived from the Gaelic word for 'warlord' or 'chieftain' - Cathaír or Cathaoir.The word Caher also denotes a type of Ringfort from the Bronze Age

Location

Cahir attracts many tourists because of its location. It is situated at the principal intersection of two national primary routes, the Dublin–Cork M8, and the Limerick–Waterford N24. Cahir is on the Limerick–Waterford regional railway line and Cahir railway station opened on 1 May 1852. [cite web | title=Cahir station | work=Railscot — Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-09-07]

Tourist attractions

The main tourist attraction is the Island in the River Suir, on which sits a medieval castle, Cahir Castle, once a stronghold of the Butler dynasty. As one of the best preserved castles in Ireland, this often attracts a large number of Irish and Foreign tourists to the region. Another major attraction is the Swiss Cottage along with numerous speciality heritage walks. Cahir also has some interesting, if not beautiful landscape features. Nearby is the famous Rock of Cashel. The nearby Galtee Mountains form the largest inland range in Ireland, which though not very high (<1000m), are covered in a lush coniferous forest. The salmon wier, on the opposite side of the bridge from the Castle, is a popular location to fish.

People

Born in Cahir

*John Noel Dempsey (1915–1989), Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1959 to 1961 and Governor of Connecticut from 1961 to 1971.
*Michael Murphy VC (1831-1893), the Victoria Cross holder

ervices and infrastructure

Cahir is a small heritage town enjoying good facilities in a compact shopping precinct centred on its historic square adjacent to Castle Street. It boasts a range of shops and restaurants. There are numerous professional practices in the town including two well appointed pharmacies in the central square and a highly efficient tourist office is also centrally located in the town, which opens during high summer.Fact|date=July 2008 There are also numerous restaurants, which provide a range of foods to satisfy every palateFact|date=July 2008, ranging from fast-food to gourmet cuisine, and several traditional Irish pubs. Cahir also has a Gaelic Football pitch and a soccer pitch. An 18-hole golf course is situated on the outskirts of the town.

For much of its history, Cahir was located at an intersection of two busy national roadways: the Dublin to Cork N8, and the Limerick to Waterford N24. The N8 was realigned in 1990 to run west of the town. Traffic from the N24 still left the town badly congested until October 2007 however, when this road was also realigned to bypass the town to the north and east. The same road improvement scheme saw major changes to the N8 corridor, too: a new motorway, the M8, was constructed west of the town between 2006 and 2008. Access to Cahir from this motorway is gained at Junctions 10 and 11 [http://www.nra.ie/RoadSchemeActivity/SouthTipperaryCountyCouncil/N8CashelMitchelstown/SchemeName,15402,en.html] .

Cahir is also served by rail. The Limerick–Waterford regional railway line passes through the town; Cahir railway station, which opened on 1 May 1852, continues to be used in 2008. [cite web | title=Cahir station | work=Railscot — Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-09-07]

port

Sport is well representedin Cahir.Cahir has a Leisure Centre(Duneske), an All weather soccer pitch, and a
GAA pitch.

Twinning

Cahir is twinned with the town of Scarborough in the United Kingdom and Ghana in Africa.Fact|date=July 2008

ee also

* List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
* Market Houses in the Republic of Ireland

External links

* [http://www.cahirinfo.ie/ For info on visiting Cahir]
* [http://www.britannia-picture.com/ireland/cahir_castle_view Photos of Cahir Castle]
* [http://www.cahirpress.com/ A recent photographic publication providing an introduction to the town's past.]
* [http://www.cahirparkafc.com/ Cahir Park afc]

References