The medieval walled towns of Tipperary

The walled towns of Tipperary encapsulate the story of our past, from the modern day right back to the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in the 12 ^th  century – in some cases even further. Today our walled towns link their communities to their past, while shaping the current and future form and fabric of our modern towns.

There are eight medieval walled towns recorded in county Tipperary of which four are members of the  Heritage Council’s Irish Walled Towns Network . Some of these towns have survived to be busy urban centers today, such as Clonmel, while others, like Emly, were destined for a more modest existence. There are many possible reasons for this including the continued importance of the route they were situated on and the impacts of the Black Death in 1338-9, a pandemic that devastated urban populations in particular, leading to some towns being completely abandoned.

Many walled towns were developed when the Anglo Normans arrived in Ireland from the late 12th century onwards. The colonising lords quickly began to establish manors and towns in the Irish countryside and as time went on, these towns were defended with large walls, towers and gates. The walls acted as an impressive display of the town’s wealth and status as well as a distinct boundary between everything ‘within’ the walls and ‘without’. One of the most important functions of walled towns (apart from defence) was as a market centre for trading goods from the town and its agricultural hinterland.

The age of gunpowder and cannon and a prohibition on the fortification of Irish towns in 1700 saw the beginning of the end of medieval town walls. From then on, they began to suffer from neglect and even demolition to make way for new developments.

Today many of our walled towns still have surviving sections of wall, which contribute to a unique sense of place, belonging and identity. They are an important long term source of civic pride and a focus for tourism and cultural and economic development.

The walled towns of Tipperary are full of traces of our medieval past. From the remains of the walls themselves, to the street patterns, the medieval churches, gates, castles and tower houses that still stand within the walls all remind us of our connection to the past and thanks to investment over the years, these archaeological monuments are being conserved for future generations to enjoy. 

There are many sites to explore within our medieval towns and for further information about these, why not pick up a copy of The Medieval Walled Towns of Tipperary from local libraries across the county.