William Purefoy of Greenfield house in Donohill civil parish, 1800 - 1846. His death was noted by a local curate thus 'the grave never closed over a greater brute in human form'.

Denis Marnane's first hundred

Purefoy of Cappawhite

The reports of Sir John Perrot to the court of Elizabeth I detailing his efforts to suppress the Geraldine rebellion of James Fitzmaurice, cousin of the Earl of Desmond, who was operating out of a base in the Glen of Aherlow.

Geraldine rebellion in Aherlow 1571

Tipperary Town pulls out all the bells and whistles for a visit from Charles Stewart Parnell in 1880 at the height of the Land War.

Parnell in Tipperary 1880

The contemporary report of Dr. William Wilde on the conditions causing an opthalmia infection to sweep through the children in Tipperary workhouse in 1849 and 1850.

Dr Wilde and Tipperary workhouse

As hostilities escalated over the course of 1920 the IRA changed tactics and targets. Des Marnane talks us through the increasing violence with cycles of attack and retaliation throughout the county.

Tipperary in 1920

Tom O'Donoghue's recollections of the Holycross Horse Show, from its beginnings as a fund raiser for the  restoration of the world famous Holy Cross Abbey, with a team of local volunteers and very little cash. Holycross Horse Show soon grew to be an internationally acclaimed show on the annual calendar, attracting all the leading Irish showjumpers and was  selected as an international trials event.  Local volunteers assisted with every aspect from course building to stewarding. Whilst the main attraction was the jumping and the horses, participation by local clubs from dancing schools to sporting clubs and ladies’ clubs ensured the horse show had something for everybody.

The Holycross Show

The Holycross show

Our  lecture series got off to a flying start with Dr. Margaret Murphy of Carlow College speaking on the Templar Order in Ireland and more particularly on the manor at Clonoulty, Co. Tipperary.
The manor of Clonoulty was granted to the Knights Templar sometime after 1170 and was dissolved in the early years of the 14th century.
The account of the preceptory compiled at it’s dissolution gives us a snapshot of the wealth and farming practices of the order.

Tipperary people & places; series fifteen

Raising revenue for the Holy Land

Dr. Catriona Clear of NUI Galway highlighting aspect of rural and small town life in Ireland  in the 1930s to 1950s through an examination of popular fiction of the time. 
The lecture was held in The Source, Thurles on the 21st April 2022.
Caitriona is author of the popular and accessible social history 'Social change and everyday life in Ireland 1850-1922' as well studies on 19th century nuns, the Great War, emigration and many more

Never no more: rural and small town Ireland in the popular fiction of the 1930s - 1950s

Dr. Des Marnane takes us through 1922 in County Tipperary with the Help of Cathal O'Donoghue in our January lecture.

County Tipperary in 1922

County Tipperary In 1922

Dr. Des Marnane's final lecture in his #Tipperary in the Decade of Revolution series. 
As ever assisted by Cathal O'Donoghue and using documentary evidence, Des closes the series with a discussion on 'Tipperary in 1923'

Tipperary In 1923 Audio

Tipperary republicans in New York in the 1920s and 30s.

But while I may be an exile

But While I May Be An Exile

Lisa McGeeney traces the development of health services in County Tipperary, starting with early charitable efforts and moving through the pivotal role of Poor Law unions. Discover how these unions became the cornerstone of healthcare for the poor and laid the groundwork for our modern system.

Topics include:
The rise of Poor Law unions and their impact on public health.
A special focus on nursing and midwifery in the region.
The fight against tuberculosis in the late 19th and early 20th century.
The development of district nursing in Co. Tipperary.

Public Health and the Poor Laws in Co Tipperary 1852 - 1922 audio

In our January lecture Dr. David Fleming explores the mythology and historical evidence surrounding 'mass rocks' in Ireland and the stories surrounding them.

The 'mass rock' myth and reality

Earley studios stained glass windows in Co. Tipperary

Dr Martin Walsh talks about the Girls Friendly Society and the role it played in helping young protestant women emigrate from Ireland in the late 19th century up to the 1930s.

Unfortunately due to a tech glitch we lost the introduction to his talk but we hope you still enjoy the lecture which is full of detail and information

Friendships Highway_assisting Irish Girls Friendly Society members audio

Thomas Butler Stoney (1875 -1917) was an illustrator from the wealthy Butler Stoney family of Portland Park near Lorrha in Co. Tipperary. Little was known locally about his work as an illustrator and war artist until David Broderick started digging into family archives and photographs.

The life and works of Thomas Butler Stoney 1875-1917 audio

In this recording Fr. Paddy Ryan (Mason) talks to Jane about enrolling himself in school at four years old, cycling to Thurles for secondary school and a summer job helping with installing electricity in the area among other stories

Rossmore Heritage Day 2025_ Fr Paddy Ryan

Jimmy Scott talks to Stephanie about his schooldays in Rossmore, the tradition of cuairtaíocht on winter evenings and his family farm which was a safe house during the War of Independence an other stories

Rossmore Heritage Day 2025_ Jimmy Scott

In this recording Billy Maher talks to Stephanie about the history of how the station at Goolds Cross came about and the development of the branch line to Cashel.

Rossmore Heritage Day 2025_Billy Maher

In this recording Liam O'Dwyer takes Stephanie through historical buildings and famous people related to the parish of Rossmore.

Rossmore Heritage Day 2025_Liam O'Dwyer

David Fleming takes us on a journey through the 18th century Irish calendar exploring customs such as Chalk Sunday, Straw Boys, Skellig weddings, the Cork butchers Shrove Tuesday celebrations, wren boys and more.

The ordinary and everyday in the 18th century

Fr John Barry (1841-1920), a priest of Cashel archdiocese, was a controversial figure. While serving in Canada, he was dismissed by the archbishop of Toronto; on returning to Ireland he was forced to enter Clonmel workhouse. His testament is among the most trenchant accounts we have from an inmate's perspective of Victorian workhouse conditions. The conclusion of this lecture - based on extensive research - is that Fr Barry was a maverick priest but a holy man.
Dr Brendan O Cathaoir's books include a biography of the Young Irelander John Blake Dillon; and Famine Diary, based on his weekly column in the Irish Times during 1995-7. In recent years, he has launched the Tipperary Historical Journal and spoken at the Charles Kickham weekend in Mullinahone.

Fr. John Barry, Champion Of The Poor by Brendan O Cathaoir

Des is an annual speaker at the Tipperary People and Places Lecture Series and needs no introduction to anybody interested in Tipperary local history. He taught in St. Anne’s secondary school in Tipperary town. He is a founder member of the Tipperary Historical Society and an annual contributor to the Tipperary Historical Journal. He is very active in both local radio and the local community. His publications include Land and violence, Land and settlement and Cashel history and guide.

Its A Long Way To Tipperary: A Barracks, A Song And A World War by Des Marnane

The recently rediscovered Morpeth Testimonial Roll sheds interesting but uneven light on the identification of local political participants throughout Ireland in the heyday of Daniel O'Connell. ‘The Morpeth Roll’ was organised by Daniel O’Connell and Augustus Frederick FitzGerald (1791-1874) the 3rd Duke of Leinster, to mark the departure of George Howard (1802-64) as Chief Secretary of Ireland in 1841. It was signed by 160,000 Irish people as a mark of respect to Morpeth’s popularity and in acknowledgement of his role in social and political reform in Ireland between 1836 and 1841. This paper is an introduction to the roll and a contribution to the task of deciphering some of the information that it provides for Co. Tipperary.
Richard Vincent Comerford, professor Emeritus of Modern History Maynooth is a native of Grangemockler. He has a PhD from Trinity College (1977) on mid-nineteenth century Irish politics. He was appointed to the Department of Modern History in Maynooth in 1977, was head of the Dept of History from 1989 to 2010. He retired in 2012. He is a regular visitor to the Kickham weekend in Mullinahone. He is author of C.J. Kickham: a study in Irish nationalism and literature and editor of numerous historical papers.

The Morpeth Roll 1841 by Vincent Comerford

A look at the process of national self-definition in the context of our Gaelic tradition, Colonial Theatre and National Theatre. Did Tipperary have a contribution to make?
Nancy Leahy MA - Retired from St. Anne's Secondary School Tipperary Town. She has had a lifelong involvement with amateur drama and musical theatre.

Irish Drama Defining Irish Identity by Nancy Leahy

Many thanks to Dr. Tadhg O’Keeffe for a wonderfully interesting and informative lecture on Athassel and it’s foundation. Who knew you could tell so much about a building just by looking closely.

Thanks also to the capacity crowd who came along and contributed to a lively question and answer session at the end.

Athassel priory and its history by Dr Tadhg O'Keeffe

Des Marnane with the help of Cathal O’Donoghue will look at 1919 through a selection of contemporary documents. Des Marnane’s most recent publications are The 3rd Brigade: a history of the Volunteers/IRA in South Tipperary  and County Tipperary 1917-1921 – a history in 80 documents. The first part of his study of the civil war in South Tipperary will appear in Tipperary Historical Journal (2020). Cathal O’Donoghue is very involved in drama and musical theatre and took part in last year’s talk on the Soloheadbeg Ambush.

Tipperary Studies People and Places Lecture Series 13

1919 Waiting for a revolution

A short article on the arrangements to assist a group of thirty orphan girls to emigrate to Australia from Cashel Workhouse during the great famine. From Denis G. Marnane's 'First one hundred'

Des Marnane first one hundred

Cashel  workhouse Orphan girls emigration

From Denis G. Marnane's publication, The Second Hundred. A contemporary newspaper account of the ongoing problem of faction fighting in post-famine Tipperary.

Des Marnane's second hundred

Faction fighting in cappawhite

Part II of the story of the trial of Toby Burke in the Old Bailey for Bigamy. His brother testified on his behalf but would his version of events in Cashel be believed by the jury.

Des Marnane's first hundred

Bigamy in Cashel part 2

Dr Dowling spent his working life as the medical attendant in the Tipperary Town workhouse. He kept a diary which captures Victorian life in a rural town.

Dr. Jeremiah Dowling

Lady Cleeve, the wife of Sir Thomas Cleeve a Limerick businessman, was a noted philanthropist who was involved in various charities in Limerick city. The family had several factories including a creamery in Tipperary town and to judge by the reception accorded Lady Cleeve on a visit to Tipperary they were fair and well liked employers.

Lady Cleeve visits a creamery (1901)

On his several visits to Ireland John Wesley visited Tipperary . Among other trips he  visited Shronell in Co. Tipperary. The weavers of Shronell were a settlement of Northern Irish flax workers imported by the Damer estate to develop the industry in Tipperary and to enlarge the protestant working class community.

John Wesley in Tipperary

The Friends did incredible charitable work during the Irish Famine, setting  up well organised and structured relief efforts and also reported on conditions. In February 1847 Robert Davis of Clonmel rode through South Tipperary visiting Soup Kitchens and badly hit areas and reporting back to the committee in Clonmel.

A Quaker view of the Famine in South Tipperary

As the son of an army officer George Borrow spent his early years travelling with his father's regiment. His time in Clonmel brought him into contact with Irish for the first time and sparked an interest in languages.

George Borrow I

On Monday 23rd June 1919, Detective Inspector Hunt was shot from behind at close range by a member of the 2nd brigade as he walked back to Thurles town center after a race meeting at the outskirts of town. A zealous and competent officer, he had become a thorn in the side of the local volunteer operations and was marked down as a high profile target.

The killing of DI Hunt 1919

Dan Finnan is a Doctoral student at UCC.  The subject of his thesis is the life and poetic works of the 18th. century poet Liam Dall Ó hIfearnáin, who lived in and around Lattin and Shronell.  In his talk Dan draws heavily on the folklore material surrounding the poet’s life.

Tipperary people and places series 14

Liam Dall O'hIfearnáin

Clonmel Library Book Review Podcast 14

The many folk traditions surrounding St. Bridget's day, 1st February seem to have roots far older than the christian tradition. Mary explains how pagan customs were merged into the church in the early centuries and still survive to this day.

Tipperary Library Service

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