Things to do in Cashel
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Cashel
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months. Long light, full offer open, and September adds the Arts Festival.
Good months, with July and August busiest at the Rock and fullest in programme.
Hardest months. Short days, early last admissions and the quietest town offer.
St Patrick's Day gives the town a parade and a pulse before the crowds return.
What's on
- Cashel Arts Festival September, four days
Music, theatre, visual art and workshops using heritage buildings as venues, many events free.
- St Patrick's Day Festival 17 March
Community parade and family festivities in Cashel, as in towns across Tipperary.
- National Heritage Week Mid to late August
Heritage events at the Rock, the Swiss Cottage and other sites across the county.
- Cahir Castle Medieval Festival July
Re-enactment, crafts and falconry at Cahir Castle, 16 km from Cashel.
Best things to do in Cashel
Rock of Cashel
A walled medieval cluster above the Golden Vale, with Cormac's Chapel, a round tower and a Gothic cathedral.
Hore Abbey
A ruined Cistercian abbey in a field below the Rock, free, quiet and framed by views of the Rock itself.
Cashel Folk Village
A small owner guided museum of Irish folk life and the 1916 Rising that punches far above its size.
Brú Ború Cultural Centre
Comhaltas home at the foot of the Rock, with summer music, song and dance shows and a history exhibition.
Cashel Heritage Centre
The free town museum and information point for charters, town history and reliable local advice.
Athassel Priory
Ireland's largest medieval priory, a vast and silent ruin by the River Suir that almost no tour visits.
St. Dominic's Abbey
A roofless 1243 Dominican friary in the middle of town, worth ten minutes on a slow Cashel walk.
Bolton Library
One of Ireland's finest antiquarian collections, now shown through exhibitions at the Chapter House.
Where to stay in Cashel
Main Street / Town Centre
first visits, food trips, car free stays
Walk to dinner, cafes, pubs and the Rock in ten to fifteen minutes.
Moor Lane / The Rock side
Rock views, B&B character, budget stays
B&Bs in view of the Rock, minutes from Main Street, with cooked breakfasts and parking.
Glen of Aherlow
walkers and outdoors bases
A countryside base 25 minutes west, inside the walking landscape below the Galtees.
Think twice about
- Main road fringe outside the walkable centre
Car dependent and not walkable for dinner. It loses the evening walk advantage that makes Cashel work.
- Cahir, Clonmel or Tipperary Town as a Cashel base
Fine towns, but a 20 to 30 minute drive to the Rock and Cashel restaurants every day.
Best restaurants in Cashel
The Bishop's Buttery
The starred dining room of Cashel Palace, built on Golden Vale produce and fine service.
Chez Hans
Fine dining since 1968 in a converted 1861 Synod Hall, famous for local lamb and Sunday lunch.
Mikey Ryan's Bar & Kitchen
An award winning gastropub by the Rock, with a walled garden, open fire and consistent cooking.
Café Hans
The daytime sibling of Chez Hans, serving serious lunches, coffee and cakes at cafe prices.
Bowes & Co.
A family run cafe famous for its full Irish, eggs Benedict, pancakes and generous lunches.
Grogan's Café and Ice Cream Parlour
A cafe, deli and ice cream parlour locals defend as serving the best ice cream in Tipperary.
Spearmans Bakery & Tea Rooms
A family bakery and tea room for soda bread, scones, toasties, home made lunches and cakes.
Feehan's Bar
A traditional bar serving pub lunches daily to 4pm, with an open fire and a fine Guinness pour.
Outdoor things to do in Cashel
Cahir Castle
One of Ireland's largest and best preserved castles, on a rocky island in the River Suir.
Swiss Cottage
A fairytale thatched cottage orne reached by a flat riverside walk from Cahir Castle.
Mitchelstown Cave
A vast limestone show cave with a guided tour through chambers held at about 12 degrees all year.
Glen of Aherlow
An 18 km valley with eight waymarked loops from forest tracks to ridge views over the Galtees.
Galtymore
Ireland's highest inland mountain at 917 m, a serious unsheltered ridge day above the Glen of Aherlow.
Suir Blueway
About 21 km of flat surfaced riverside towpath for walking, cycling and paddling by the River Suir.
St. Declan's Way
A 116 km pilgrim route from the Rock to Ardmore, whose Cashel to Cahir stage makes a fine walking day.
Cahir Park Golf Club
An 18 hole par 71 parkland course by the River Suir, with a range, pro shop and clubhouse.
Best hotels in Cashel
Cashel Palace Hotel
A restored 1730 Palladian palace with Rock views, gardens, a spa and a starred dining room.
Baileys Hotel Cashel
A 4 star Georgian hotel on Main Street with large quiet rooms, parking and a well regarded restaurant.
Rockville House
A classic B&B facing the Rock, with en suite rooms, cooked breakfast and free parking at the rear.
Cashel Town Bed and Breakfast
An in town budget guesthouse with a lounge and shared kitchenette, useful for longer stays.
O'Briens Cashel Lodge
A quieter lodge stay praised for very good rooms, friendly hosts and a fantastic breakfast.
Aherlow House Hotel
A woodland country hotel in the glen, best for walkers who want the trailheads minutes away.
Is Cashel expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €75 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €140 a person |
| Splurge | €350 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Brú Ború Cultural Centre: a few days ahead
- Marlhill Open Farm: a few days ahead
- Cahir Park Golf Club: a few days ahead
- County Tipperary Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Cashel Equestrian Centre: a few days ahead
- Cashel Palace Hotel: weeks ahead
- Aherlow House Hotel: a few days ahead
- The Bishop's Buttery: weeks ahead
- Book The Bishop's Buttery and Chez Hans as soon as dates are fixed.
- Book Cashel Palace well ahead for summer, festival and holiday weekends.
- Verify and book Bru Boru summer shows by phone for the exact night.
- Book golf tee times ahead on weekends.
Is Cashel safe?
- Galtymore is serious unsheltered mountain terrain. Take waterproofs, boots and a told someone plan.
- Field approaches to Hore Abbey and Athassel Priory are muddy and uneven after rain.
- St Declan's Way involves road walking on quiet country roads.
- Emergency number in Ireland is 112, and 999 also works.
Cashel travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The 90 minute midday Rock stop with coach crowds, no guided tour and no Hore Abbey.
- Expecting nightlife. Beyond good pubs there is none, and pubs wind down near midnight.
- Arriving at the Rock in its final hour, after last admission has passed.
- Trusting stale aggregator hours for pub kitchens and limited fine dining days.
Getting around Cashel: public transport and more
- Walk inside Cashel town. The Rock is ten to fifteen minutes uphill from Main Street.
- Nearest stations are Thurles and Cahir. Buses serve Cashel from Dublin and Cork.
- A car unlocks the Glen of Aherlow, Mitchelstown Cave, the Vee and Athassel Priory.
- Rock parking is paid separately from admission.
Who Cashel suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Cashel your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store