Nenagh

A short visit to Nenagh today to take in a few sights in the area. Nenagh, a Market town in North Tipperary, is often overlooked as a place to visit which is a bit of a shame considering its rich heritage and history.

Among some of the things to see or visit here are Nenagh Castle which is free entry and has a beautiful view from the top and Nenagh Gaol which is also free entry and which is home to an intriguing Heritage Centre housing a wealth of artifacts from bygone times.

It is staggering the amount of history told here through it's various collections, a true hidden gem.

The guide here was fantastic and we got a tour of the Gatehouse where prisoners were kept prior to execution. This guide had a wealth of knowledge and was both entertaining and informative and you could really appreciate he enjoyed sharing his knowledge of the area.

The few pictures posted here show just a tiny fraction from the Heritage Centre/Gaol. The Execution platform and Noose certainly bring home the horror's awaiting the condemned as does the condemned men's tiny exercise yard.
 

The Franciscan Friary in Nenagh shown below is somewhat nondescript but worth visiting as it sits right in the heart of town.

Nenagh Gaol and the Hangmans platform.

Not far from Nenagh are the Silvermine Mountains and if you like scenic cycling combined with a steep hill climb there's no better choice of climb than Keepers Hill just beside Silvermine's village, a guaranteed burn for the legs......

Famine Pot beside Nenagh Public Library.

Nenagh Castle.

Early c. 1720 Church ruin and Bell Tower, Nenagh.

Pictured below is Tyone Monastery ruin, Nenagh. Originally a Priory and Hospital of John the Baspist operated by the Fratres Cruciferi, the Crutched Friars.

Belived to have began as an Italian order and also sometimes claimed to have originated in the 1st Century in the Middle East, their Priory at Nenagh was dissolved in 1551.

Nenagh Courthouse is an imposing building with its grand Ionic style columns and it has some thoughtfully designed statues on the grounds of Irish Olympic Champions from times of old.

Lisbonney Church ruin on the edge of Nenagh. It is rumored that an underground tunnel ran from Lisbonney to Tyone on the other side of Nenagh.

Site of a Ring Fort (Rath) at Nenagh. These were a type of protected homestead generally dating from the Iron Age. There are several located close to the town and also quite a few Bronze Age Ring Barrows as well.

Photographs from Nenagh Gaol and Heritage Centre.

 

The Heritage Centre is incorporated into Nenagh Gaol and has a fantastic collection of local antiquities including a well laid out furnace room.

The old style shop is very interesting and well stocked with provisions.