Tipperary, most famous for the pre WW1 song "It's A Long Way To Tipperary" is also known as the centre of horseracing in Ireland. There are many trainers in the county, as well as racecourses at Clonmel, Thurles and Tipperary city and the world famous Coolmore Stud is based near Fethard. But there are some more historic reasons to make your way to Tipperary.

I didn't realise that there are actually 8 Cashels in Ireland? I looked them up to write this. You would do well to check where you are going when in Ireland, as a lot of placenames are reused. There might be 7 other Cashels, but only one "Rock of Cashel".

This is an extraordinary collection of religious buildings dating from between 1100 and 1250 that are some of the best preserved in all of Europe.

Also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick's Rock it served as the traditional seat of the Kings of Munster from about 500 AD, long before the Norman invasion, though few remnants if any of the earliest buildings survive today.

You walk up a winding path from the small town of Cashel and can immediately appreciate the position that the "Rock" holds, and why strategically it was so important as it towers over the surrounding countryside.

There are four main buildings that stand today. The Round Tower; a 90 foot high dry stone building built around 1100. The Chapel of King Cormac; finished in 1134, the most important building from the point of view of the modern visitor. The Cathedral; built between 1235 and 1270, is an aisle-less building of cruciform plan, having a central tower and terminating westwards in a massive residential Castle. Finally, The Hall of the Vicars Choral which was built in the fifteenth century.
Naturally the roofs have long gone, they would have originally been made of wood, but you still get an amazing sense of place and on a cold and overcast Feburary day the buildings were pretty eerie.

For more information try: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Tipperary http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Cashel