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Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary
Photograph: David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Province of Munster

County Tipperary

Tiobraid Árann

“TIB-rid AW-run” · well of the Ara, from tiobraid (well) + Ara (the river)

Known as The Premier County. The origin is not documented, which is unusual for a nickname this well known. It is variously put down to the richness of the Golden Vale, or to the Butlers, Earls of Ormond, whose seat was in the county. Neither can be shown. The origin is not settled.

Did you know? In 1101 the King of Munster gave the Rock of Cashel, seat of kings for 600 years, to the Church, a grand gesture that conveniently denied it to his rivals.
A fact like this for every county and every age →

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Tipperary by the numbers
Munster province 167,895 people · 2022 census 4,305 km² · 6th of 32 by size County town Nenagh -24% in the Famine · 435,553 people in 1841, 331,000 in 1851 (approx.) 12 baronies · 3,144 townlands 1930s folklore · the Schools' Collection ↗ 1 Olympic medallist born here 53 surnames 10 towns on the site 1,258 daily Irish speakers Highest point Galtymore, 918 m 33 senior All-Irelands 30 notable people born here 2,031 historic buildings recorded Everything on the site about Tipperary ↓
Carlow Cavan Cork Donegal Dublin Clare Galway Kerry Kildare Kilkenny Laois Leitrim Limerick Longford Louth Mayo Meath Monaghan Offaly Roscommon Sligo Tipperary Waterford Westmeath Wexford Wicklow Antrim Armagh Down Fermanagh Londonderry Tyrone

Open the atlas ↗

The history of Tipperary

After the Normans came, the O'Kennedy kingdom of Ormond became a lordship, and by 1210 Tipperary was a shire. In 1328 it was granted to the Earls of Ormond as a county palatine, except for the church lands around Cashel, which made a separate county, Cross Tipperary, until the two were finally joined in 1715.

In 1838 the county was split into North and South Ridings because Clonmel, the county town, was at the southern edge and the roads north were bad. The ridings became separate counties with their own councils in 1898, and were reunited as a single county of Tipperary only in 2014.

Drawn from the History section of the Wikipedia article on County Tipperary ↗, rewritten here and adding nothing it does not say; licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. The chronology above is this site's own; where the two differ, the article is the one to check.

The land — from Wikipedia

Tipperary is the sixth-largest of the 32 counties by area and the 12th largest by population. It is the third-largest of Munster's six counties by both size and population. It is also the largest landlocked county in Ireland.

Tipperary is bounded (clockwise) by counties Offaly, Laois, Kilkenny, Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Clare and Galway. Its eight neighbours are the most of any county on the island.

Read the full article ↗ · Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Clans & surnames of Tipperary
Butler de Buitléir Norman dynasty · “le botiler — the (chief) butler of Ireland” Cahill Ó Cathail Gaelic sept · “descendant of Cathal — cath, 'battle', with either 'rule' or 'great'” Cantwell Cantual Norman · “from Kentwell, Suffolk” Carew de Carrún Norman-Welsh · “from Carew in Pembrokeshire — a place name, 'the fort by the ford'” Carroll Ó Cearbhaill Gaelic sept · “descendant of Cearbhall, 'fierce in battle'” Carty Ó Cárthaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Cárthach, 'loving'” Coleman Ó Colmáin / Ó Clumháin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Colmán, 'little dove' — from Latin columba” Condon Condún Norman · “de Caunteton — from Welsh Marches” Corcoran Ó Corcráin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Corcrán, 'purple-faced'” Danaher Ó Duineachair Gaelic sept · “descendant of Duineachar, ‘man-loving’” Davoren Ó Duibhdábhoireann Gaelic sept · “descendant of Dubhdábhoireann, 'black of the two Burrens'” Donegan Ó Donnagáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Donnagán — a diminutive of donn, 'the dark one' or 'brown'” Dwyer Ó Dubhuidhir Gaelic sept · “descendant of Dubhodhar, ‘black Odhar’” Egan Mac Aodhagáin Gaelic learned family · “son of little Aodh” Fennelly Ó Fionnghalaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Fionnghalach, 'fair-valorous'” Fogarty Ó Fógartaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Fógartach, 'the banished' or 'proclaimed'” Gaffney Ó Gamhna Gaelic sept · “descendant of Gamhain, 'calf'” Gleeson Ó Glasáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Glasán — from glas, grey” Hackett Haicéid Norman · “son of Haket, a Norman personal name” Hanrahan Ó hAnradháin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Anradhán, 'warrior, champion'” Hayden Ó hEideáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Eideadhán, a diminutive of Eideadh” Hayes Ó hAodha Gaelic sept · “descendant of Aodh, 'fire'” Heffernan Ó hIfearnáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Ifearnán” Hickey Ó hÍcidhe Gaelic learned family · “descendant of the healer (íce, 'healing')” Hogan Ó hÓgáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Ógán, 'the young one'” Horan Ó hArracháin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Anradhán, 'warrior, champion'” Kealy Ó Caollaidhe Gaelic sept · “descendant of Caollaidhe” Kearney Ó Cearnaigh / Ó Catharnaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Cearnach, 'victorious'” Keating Céitinn Norman-Welsh · “possibly Welsh cethin, 'dusky'” Kennedy Ó Cinnéide Gaelic sept · “descendant of Cinnéidigh, 'helmeted head'” Keogh Mac Eochaidh Gaelic learned family · “son of Eochaidh — from each, 'horse'” Leahy Ó Laochdha Gaelic sept · “descendant of Laochdha, 'heroic'” Lonergan Ó Longargáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Longargán, a diminutive of lonngarg, ‘strong-fierce’” Maher Ó Meachair Gaelic sept · “descendant of Meachar, 'hospitable'” Moloney Ó Maoldhomhnaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Maoldomhnaigh, 'devoted to Sunday, or to the Church'” Moroney Ó Maolruanaidh Gaelic septs (several) · “descendant of Maolruanaidh, ‘follower of Ruanaidh’” Mulcahy Ó Maolchathaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of the devotee of St Cathach ('battle')” O'Brien Ó Briain Gaelic dynasty · “descendant of Brian (Boru)” Prendergast de Priondargás Norman-Flemish · “from Brontegeest in Flanders” Purcell Puirséil Norman · “pourcel — 'piglet' (a herdsman's name)” Quinlan Ó Caoindealbháin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Caoindealbhán, 'gracefully shaped'” Quirke Ó Cuirce Gaelic sept · “descendant of Corc, ‘heart’” Ryan Ó Maoilriain Gaelic sept · “descendant of Maoilriaghain” Scully Ó Scolaidhe Gaelic sept · “descendant of the scholar” Shanahan Ó Seanacháin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Seanachán, 'the old, wise one'” Sheedy Mac Síoda Gaelic sept · “son of Síoda, 'silk'” Sheehy Mac Síthigh Scots-gallowglass · “son of Sítheach, 'the peaceful' — or 'the otherworldly'” Slattery Ó Slatara Gaelic sept · “descendant of Slatra, 'the strong, bold'” Spillane Ó Spealáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Spealán — from speal, a scythe” Tierney Ó Tighearnaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Tighearnach, 'lordly'” Tobin Tóibín Norman · “de St Aubyn” Treacy Ó Treasaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Treasach, 'the fierce, the warlike'” Troy Ó Troighthigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Troightheach, 'the foot-soldier'”

Tap a name for its full page — story, homeland map and neighbours. Or see all surnames from County Tipperary, with the other counties each name is tied to.

Towns, saints and legends of Tipperary

Towns. Clonmel Cluain Meala (18,369, 2022), Nenagh Aonach Urmhumhan (9,895, 2022), Carrick-on-Suir Carraig na Siúire (5,752, 2022), Roscrea Ros Cré (5,542, 2022), Tipperary Tiobraid Árann (5,387, 2022), Cahir an Chathair / Cathair Dhún Iascaigh (3,679, 2022), Templemore An Teampall Mór (2,005, 2022), Fethard Fiodh Ard (1,738, 2022), Thurles Durlas, Cashel Caiseal. What every town name means →

Legends set here. The Devil's Bit. On the atlas →

First names that belong here. Ciara, Ailbhe, Cormac, Rian, Muircheartach, Séafra, Cronan, Ruadhán.

Irish in Tipperary today

At the 2022 census, 66,003 people in Tipperary said they could speak Irish. 1,258 speak it every day outside school, and 3,540 weekly.

5 primary schools here teach entirely through Irish (2025/26, 897 pupils).

CSO, Census 2022, table SAP2022T3T2CTY. Every county compared →

The top of Tipperary

Galtymore (Cnoc Mór na nGaibhlte), 918 metres, in the Galty Mountains, on the county boundary and shared with a neighbouring county.

Rivers and loughs: River Shannon, River Suir, River Nore, Little Brosna River, Mulkear River, Lough Derg.

MountainViews, via Wikipedia. Every county's highest point → · Rivers and loughs →

Tipperary in the All-Ireland

Hurling: 29 senior titles (1887, 1895, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1906, 1908, 1916, 1925, 1930, 1937, 1945, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1971, 1989, 1991, 2001, 2010, 2016, 2019, 2025); 13 finals lost.
Football: 4 senior titles (1889, 1895, 1900, 1920); 1 final lost.

Every county's All-Ireland titles →

Born in Tipperary

From Wikidata: people whose recorded birthplace is in the county, who have a Wikipedia article and are no longer living, with dates shown only where the article confirms them, ordered by how many languages Wikipedia covers them in. Traditional birthplaces of early saints are as Wikidata records them. Dates are left off where the sources disagree.

People in Tipperary, census by census

Tipperary had 435,553 people in 1841 and has 167,895 now (-61%). Its peak was 435,553 in 1841; its low point 122,812 in 1966, -72% of 1841. It has never regained the population it had before the Famine.

1821183118411851186118711881189119011911192619361946195119561961196619711979198119861991199620022006201120162022
346,896402,563435,553331,567249,106216,713199,612173,188160,232152,433141,015137,835136,014133,313129,415123,822122,812123,565133,741135,261136,619132,772133,535140,131149,244158,754159,553167,690

Census returns as tabulated in the county's Wikipedia article. All 32 counties, 1821 to today →

Hidden Tipperary — the places the buses miss
  • Fethard town walls
    Ireland's most complete medieval town walls — and set into them, a sheela-na-gig facing the road, a fertility figure guarding a Norman town.
  • Soloheadbeg
    21 January 1919: two policemen escorting gelignite are shot dead — the same day the First Dáil meets. The War of Independence begins in a country lane.
  • Hayes's Hotel, Thurles
    In a billiard room here on 1 November 1884, seven men founded the GAA. Today it has 2,200 clubs on five continents.
On the ground in Tipperary

Every pin is placed by its documented coordinates. All the monuments of Ireland →

Everything on the site about County Tipperary

The county

History

Monuments and heritage

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Quick answers
What is the Irish name for County Tipperary?

Tiobraid Árann. Tipperary is one of the 6 counties of Munster (Cúige Mumhan).

Who ruled County Tipperary in the Middle Ages?

Around 1014 it was held by Thomond (O'Brien); by 1450, Earldom of Ormond (Butler). The full era-by-era chronology is on this page.

What surnames come from County Tipperary?

Names historically associated with Tipperary include Butler, Cahill, Cantwell, Carew, Carroll, Carty, Coleman, Condon, among others.

What does Tiobraid Árann mean?

Tiobraid Árann, said “TIB-rid AW-run”, means well of the Ara — from tiobraid (well) + Ara (the river). A single well, in the town, that named the largest inland county in Ireland.

What is the population of County Tipperary?

167,895 at the 2022 census, against 435,553 in 1841, before the Famine.

What is the county town of Tipperary?

Nenagh. County Tipperary covers about 4,305 km², which makes it the 6th largest of the 32 counties.

Who are famous people from County Tipperary?

Among the best-known people born in Tipperary are Laurence Sterne, John Desmond Bernal, Lena Rice, Thomas MacDonagh, Matt McGrath, Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington. The full list, with their birthplaces, is on this page.

What did the Famine do to County Tipperary?

The census counted 435,553 people in Tipperary in 1841 and 331,000 in 1851 (the 1851 figure is approximate): a change of -24% in ten years, through death and emigration.

Sources for this page

A clean copy for school projects or the family file; collapsed sections print in full.

The chronology of who held the county is this site's own reading of the standard histories onto today's county borders, and says so where the fit is rough. Quoted passages are marked and licensed. Spotted an error? Say so — corrections are credited.

Trace your ancestors in Tipperary

Free, from the holding institutions. How to begin: the six-step guide → · Spotted an error on this page? Suggest a correction.