With thanks to Mary O'Donnell for this superb contribution! Mary & Derry are LingooNinja & LingooSchool hosts, and their profile can be viewed here: http://odonnell.tipperary.lingooninja.com County Tipperary :)
County Tipperary is a real gem when it comes to exchange visits for students who want to learn and improve their English in Ireland. There is an abundance of visitor experiences that Tipperary has to offer, from ancient sites to historic landmarks, vibrant activities, authentic cultural trips, fun-filled family adventures and gourmet treats to name but a few. Visitors have an abundance to enjoy within the county, and its central location makes it the ideal hub for touring around Ireland.
Worth remembering for any visiting students is that popular sites run by the Office of Public Works (OPW) have free admission on the first Wednesday of every month. The primary visitor attractions in Co. Tipperary are the Rock of Cashel (300,749 visitors), Holy Cross Abbey (210,000 visitors) and Cahir Castle (78, 000 visitors). Other places well worth visiting include the historic towns of Fethard, Carrick on Suir, Clonmel, Cashel, Templemore, Cahir, Roscrea, Thurles, and Nenagh, mountains and uplands, rivers and a vast array of looped walks and long distance trails.
Those who prefer a visit packed full of adventure will enjoy kayaking, water-skiing, river swimming and cycle trails along the River Suir and the world-renowned Lough Derg, Ireland's largest inland lake. Hikers and climbers will be challenged by the rugged slopes of the Galtees, Upperchurch, Slieve Felim, Devil's Bit and Knockmealdown Mountains. Saddle up for a mesmerising pony trek through valleys and hills. Grab a bike and enjoy some great cycling routes around the various cycling trails. Your host family in Tipperary will be able to guide you to local amenities and clubs that cater for your preferences.
All towns and villages have the Irish sports of hurling and football as their most popular activities. County Tipperary prides itself on it's success in these sports at a local and county level. Students staying in Tipperary can get to experience the celebrations when the local team win. Tipperary prides itself as being 'The home of hurling'. Students staying with host families in Borrisoleigh shared in the ultimate of celebrations in 2016 as the Captain of the All Ireland winning Tipperary team came from Borrisoleigh and brought the team home for a week of celebrations.
Tipperary is an unspoilt destination, undiscovered by many yet easily accessible to all with its links to the motorways ,rail lines and bus routes. Its unrivalled central location means that Tipperary is the ideal base for touring a multitude of Irish destinations, from the Cliff of Moher in Clare, to the old-time seaside resort of Tramore in Waterford. Head to the buzzing city of Cork for a day or visit the enchanting Birr Castle Gardens in Offaly for a few hours. The historic Limerick city is just a short distance, while Kilkenny Castle is a stone's throw from Tipperary.
In towns and villages throughout the county there's a happening, a gathering, a festival, a session, no special occasion needed, where arriving visitors leave as locals.
From gentle strolls through the county's lowlands, to pottering about local Farmer's Markets, visiting craft workshops or enjoying relaxing outdoor painting courses, taking time to take it all in is at the heart of the Tipperary experience.
County Tipperary is a horse lovers paradise. There are numerous equestrian centres around the county catering for all levels of ability. If you are lucky enough you could get to stay with a family who have their own horses and ponies that you can ride. Recognised internationally for producing some of the world's best equine stock, Tipperary is now home to the Fethard Horse Country Visitor Experience, due to open soon. A paradise for horse enthusiasts, this brand new immersive experience will bring to life the 5000-year relationship between man and horse in the Golden Vale.
Tipperary people, as with all Irish people, love to talk and tell stories. If you stop someone to ask for directions be prepared to listen to a story or two or get the weather forecast for the next week! With that in mind, what better way to finish than with a little tale from when St. Patrick chased the Devil out of Ireland through Tipperary.
Once upon a time, in a mystical land called Ireland, the Devil decided to come to the Premier County and sample the local cuisine of Bacon and Cabbage, and a few pints of Guinness. The weather was mild and everything was fine, until who should he bump into, but St. Patrick and his donkey. Now, St. Patrick did not like the Devil and told him to be on his way and leave the country immediately. The Devil was not impressed at being ordered around and decided to show St. Patrick what he thought of the command to leave. He felt if he had to leave, he would take along a souvenir with him. So, running away from St. Patrick near Templemore, he took a bite out of the nearby mountain and rushed off, heading for Cork. St. Patrick jumped up on his donkey and gave chase. They were flying through the county when they came to a place called Cooneen, near Templederry. Here there were two hills and a deep valley in between. The devil, with his bite of mountain still with him, jumped straight over the valley from one hill to the other and continued on. St. Patrick's donkey, who was of course, merely mortal and not supernatural in any way, found the distance between the two hills a bit far, and had to come down into the valley, to make another leap onto the next hill. On landing on a rock in the valley, a deep impression of his hoofprint was left in the rock before leaping off the rock to continue on after the Devil. By now, the Devil was beginning to get tired, lugging half a mountain top with him and on reaching Cashel, dropped the rocky crop next to the town and continued on to Cork. After making sure that the Devil had left the country, St. Patrick went back to Cashel and on top of the rock, placed an abbey and a cathedral. The rock became the Rock of Cashel, the mountain in Templemore with the bite taken out of it became the Devil's Bit, and as for the Devil, well, we know he caught a boat from Cobh and legend has it that is was unsinkable!
