20 Attractions to Explore Near Ardfinnan Castle

Swiss Cottage, a delightful ornamental cottage,built in the early 1800s by Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Glengall. Inside, there is a graceful spiral staircase and some exquisitely decorated rooms. The wallpaper is partly original and partly the fruit of a 1980s restoration project.

Cahir Castle is one of Ireland’s largest and best-preserved castles. It stands proudly on a rocky island on the River Suir. So effective was its design that it was believed to be impregnable, but it finally fell to the earl of Essex in 1599 when heavy artillery was used against it for the first time. Granted to the powerful Butler family in late 14th century, the castle was enlarged and remodelled between the 15th and 17th centuries. It fell into ruin in the late 18th century.

A beautiful mountain peak located in the Knockmealdown Mountains on the border between County Tipperary and County Waterford. It offers a beautiful trek in the middle of nature and also there are so many beautiful views from here.

The Vee is predominantly famous because of the breathtaking panoramic views afforded to travellers and sight seers going through the pass. A spectacularly beautiful drive, where the scenery climbs and dips and changes constantly to delight the eye at every turn in the road.

Knockmealdown is the highest peak of the Knockmealdown Range of mountains, located on the border between Co Tipperary and Co Waterford. The peak is easily accessed from the west, via the layby overlooking Bay Lough on the Vee Gap. The route we intended to walk up to the top of Knockmealdown is a basic straight up and down and should be done within 3 hours with good weather conditions permitting.

Marlfield Lake is a wild bird sanctuary located to the south west of Clonmel and just north of the village of Marlfield. It supports a large population of water birds including swans, mallard duck, coots, and herons. The birds are, in fact, quite tame and will approach visitors expecting food to be thrown to them. There is a road along one side of the lake which makes access very easy.

The historic well of San Patrizio is a structure built by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger in Orvieto , between 1527 and 1537 , at the behest of Pope Clement VII , a veteran of the Sack of Rome and eager to protect himself in the event of a siege of the city in which he had withdrawn. During Antonio da Sangallo's absences the works were entrusted to Giovanni Battista da Cortona, while the decorative parts are by Simone Mosca.

Carey's Castle, is an absolutely charming and picturesque 18th century structure situated in a glen beside the Glenary River in a scenic woodlands near Clonmel. There is a small lawn with picnic site close to the car park. A walk of about 500m takes you to Carey’s Castle, through mixed woodland and there is a pleasant walking path along the river bank for about 600m.

Old St. Mary's Church, also known as St. Mary's Church of Ireland Church, is a medieval church in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland. The Church's main features are a 27 ft square, 84 ft high bell tower, the eastern tower house, and ornate 16th Century east and west windows. The Tower had, at one time, a wooden spire and belfry, which has not been restored. Crenellated parapets suggest that this was a fortified structure.

Burncourt Castle is situated near Burncourt off the M8 five miles south west of Cahir. It is a fortified house and a National Monument. The castle comprises a rectangular central block with a four storey square tower at each corner. The interior was lit by mullioned windows. It is one of the iconic attractions in this area and there are so many opportunities to study about the history.

The Main Guard situated on Sarsfield Street is one of Clonmel’s most recognisable landmarks. It was built at the behest of James Butler the 1st Duke of Ormonde in 1674 to provide the town with a courthouse. The previous building which had served as a courthouse had been destroyed during the Siege of Clonmel in 1650.

The Cistercian Order finds its historical origin in Cîteaux, a French monastery founded in 1098 by a group of monks under the leadership of St. Robert of Molesme. Having left behind the Abbey of Molesme to found a new monastery, the community set out intending to live a life faithful to the simplicity of the Rule of St. Benedict. Inspired

This is a mixed woodland in Ireland. It is situated on Old Red Sandstone on the southern slopes of the Galtee Mountains. It is mainly a coniferous forest with Sitka Spruce being the main species. The area also contains approximately 50 hectares of native Oak, Birch and Alder. Animals present include fallow deer, foxes, badgers, hares and red squirrels. Birds include pheasants, hawks, kestrels, ravens, herons and many song birds.

This is one of the most spectacular caves in Europe. It is situated on the Cork-Tipperary border. Mitchelstown Cave is a world without sun, without time, a world where man almost feels an intruder, stumbling on a past age, and an era where nature reigns supreme. Take a stroll through three massive caverns in which you are surrounded by indescribable dripstone formations, stalactites, stalagmites, graceful calcite curtains hang from sloping roofs.

St Berrihert’s Kyle is one of Tipperary’s best hidden treasure. It is a stone enclosure containing a variety of stone monuments: 72 slabs, fragments of a bullaun stone, four wheel crosses, the head and base of a high cross, the head of a small cross and a slab with an incomplete inscription on it. The site is located in the townland of Ardane, in the parish of Templeneiry. A vast collection of stone cross slabs and other monuments were placed in the Kyle.

Lake Muskry was formerly known as Lough Béal Sead . Legend tells that the lake was once home of beautiful maidens who every second year were metamorphosised into birds, one becoming the most beautiful in the world. To mark her pre-eminence she was allowed to wear a golden necklace which had a sparkling jewel in it.

Cappoquin House is an 18th century Georgian mansion built on the site of an old Fitzgerald castle with a large south facing hillside garden. The gardens are not wheelchair friendly being on a slope. 5 acres, south facing on acid soil. Wide range of interesting herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees.

Ballysaggartmore Towers are two ornate entrance lodges that are situated on the former Ballysaggartmore Demesne approx 2.5 kilometres from the town of Lismore in County Waterford, Ireland. The structures are considered architectural "follies".They were constructed for an Anglo Irish Landlord, Arthur Keily-Ussher no later than 1834. The house itself was large but of a very plain design, which was in obvious contrast to the lodges.

Lady Louisa’s walk is a gentle and picturesque walk which takes you, for the most part, on a woodland walk along the river bank. Along the walk one can expect to find plants such as beech, ash, ferns, spindle tree, holly and ivy as well as wood sorrel, golden saxifrage and wild garlic. Make sure to look back along the riverbank as you walk to catch views of Lismore Castle.

Lismore Castle is a luxury exclusive use castle, built by King John in 1185. It sleeps up to 27 guests and is perfect for family gatherings and celebrations. Spread over seven acres, the historic gardens at Lismore Castle in County Waterford are divided into two very distinct and different halves. The Upper Garden is a complete example of the 17th-century walled garden first constructed here by Richard Boyle, the First Earl of Cork, in about 1605.