| Cahir An Chathair
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|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| Castle Street, as viewed from the walls of Cahir Castle. | |
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Cahir
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | South Tipperary |
| Dáil Éireann | Tipperary South |
| Elevation | 50 m (164 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 3,381 |
| Dialing code | 052 744, +000 353 (0)52 744 |
| Irish Grid Reference | S051252 |
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1821 | 3,288 | — |
| 1831 | 3,408 | +3.6% |
| 1841 | 3,668 | +7.6% |
| 1851 | 3,694 | +0.7% |
| 1861 | 2,926 | −20.8% |
| 1871 | 2,694 | −7.9% |
| 1881 | 2,469 | −8.4% |
| 1891 | 2,046 | −17.1% |
| 1901 | 2,058 | +0.6% |
| 1911 | 1,930 | −6.2% |
| 1926 | 1,709 | −11.5% |
| 1936 | 1,638 | −4.2% |
| 1946 | 1,652 | +0.9% |
| 1951 | 1,589 | −3.8% |
| 1956 | 1,731 | +8.9% |
| 1961 | 1,662 | −4.0% |
| 1966 | 1,740 | +4.7% |
| 1971 | 1,747 | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 2,120 | +21.4% |
| 1986 | 2,118 | −0.1% |
| 1991 | 2,055 | −3.0% |
| 1996 | 2,236 | +8.8% |
| 2002 | 2,794 | +25.0% |
| 2006 | 3,381 | +21.0% |
| [1][2][3][4][5] | ||
Cahir (English pronunciation: /ˈkɛər/; Irish: an Chathair / Cathair Dhún Iascaigh) is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. The town is best known for its castle and the Swiss Cottage. It is in the barony of Iffa and Offa West.
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For much of the twentieth century, Cahir stood at an intersection of two busy national roadways: the Dublin to Cork N8, and the Limerick to Waterford N24. The N8 was realigned in 1991 to run west of the town, while the old road through it was renumbered the R670. Traffic from the N24 still left the town badly congested, however, until October 2007 when this road was also realigned to bypass Cahir to the north and east. The same road improvement scheme saw major changes to the N8 corridor: 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.
Bus Éireann runs regular services to Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford through the town. The bus stop is located in the town centre, on Castle Street.
Cahir is on the Limerick–Waterford regional railway line. The town's railway station opened on 1 May 1852.[6] Services are infrequent.
The name Cathair or an Chathair translates as "stone ringfort", while the name Cathair Dhún Iascaigh means "stone ringfort of the fishing".[7] In older accounts, it was often spelled Caher. For much of its history, the town has been influenced by the Butler family. It was from this family that the first Barons of Cahir were created. It was known for much of its history as being a defence town (Main article: Siege of Cahir Castle). It was one of the first towns to be linked by stagecoach in the nineteenth century 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 Castle, which is situated on a small island in the River Suir, is the town's main tourist attraction. Cahir has a fine Church of Ireland parish church, still in use, designed by John Nash, one of only three ecclesiastical buildings he designed in Ireland. Another major attraction is the Swiss Cottage along with numerous specialty heritage walks. The nearby Galtee Mountains form the largest inland range in Ireland and are home to Glengarra Wood, which is a popular walking area. The Knockmealdown Mountains stand south of the town, while to the southwest lie the Mitchelstown Caves. The salmon weir, on the opposite side of the bridge from the castle, is a popular location to fish.
Cahir is a small heritage town. A shopping precinct is centred around the town square adjacent to Castle Street. The town has a leisure centre (Duneske), an all-weather soccer pitch, all weather tennis courts, a Downhill mountain-biking track and a GAA pitch. An 18 hole Golf course lies a few kilometres outside the town.
Cahir Boys National School
Lady of Mercy Primary School
Coláiste Dún Iascaigh
Cahir is twinned with the town of Scarborough in the United Kingdom.