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Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Drogheda and Wexford. With the exception of the townland of Suir Island, most of the borough is situated in the civil parish of "St Mary's" Placenames Database of Ireland – St Mary's, Clonmel civil parish which is part of the ancient barony of Iffa and Offa East.
One of the former entry points into the town is now the site of the West Gate, a 19th-century reconstruction of an older structure. There were originally three gates in the walled town, North, East and West – with the South being protected by the river Suir and the Comeragh Mountains. The West Gate is now an open arched entrance onto O'Connell Street, the main street of the town.
According to historian James Coombes, "Here, as in other southern towns, Counter-Reformation Catholicism was already beginning to make a real impact; and, as in these other towns, the citizens of Clonmel were beginning to come up against the problem of combining loyalty to the Pope with loyalty to the Queen. Maurice MacKenraghty continued his ministry during what proved to be a long imprisonment".
In April 1585, his jailer was bribed by Victor White, a leading townsman, to release the priest for one night to say Tridentine Mass and administer Communion in White's house Kinrechtan (MacKenraghty), Maurice, Dictionary of Irish Biography on Easter Sunday (11 April 1585). Permission was granted, and Fr. MacKenraghty spent the whole night hearing Confessions.
The jailer, however, had secretly tipped off the President of Munster Sir John Norris, who had just arrived at Clonmel. According to historian James Coombes, "Norris arranged to have White's house surrounded by soldiers and raided. The raiding party entered it shortly before Mass was due to begin and naturally caused great panic. Some people tried to hide in the basement; others jumped through the windows; one woman broke her arm in an attempt to escape. The priest hid in a heap of straw and was wounded in the thigh by the probing sword of a soldier. Despite the pain, he remained silent and later escaped. The soldiers dismantled the altar and seized the sacred vessels".
According to historian Judy Barry, Fr. Mac Ionrachtaigh, "surrendered himself when he learned that White would otherwise be executed in his place. He refused to take the oath of supremacy and was condemned to death. On 30 April 1585 he was tied to the tail of a horse and taken to the market place, where he was partially hanged. Accounts differ as to whether his executioners were persuaded to behead him without quartering his body. At all events, after his remains had been exhibited for some days on the market cross, they were handed over to local Catholics for honourable burial".
According to historian James Coombes, the former location of Victor White's house near Lough Street in Clonmel continued to be nicknamed "Martyr Lane" until well into Cromwellian times. Fr. Muiris Mac Ionrachtaigh was beatification by Pope John Paul II, along with 16 other Irish Catholic Martyrs, on 27 September 1992.
After being denounced by three men who desired the £5 bounty and arrested at Fethard while vested for Tridentine Mass on Holy Saturday, 25 March 1654, Augustinians Friar William Tirry was taken to Clonmel Gaol (on the future site of the Clonmel Borstal) and held there pending trial. On 26 April, he was tried by a jury and Commonwealth judges, including Colonel Solomon Richards, for violating the proclamation of 6 January 1653, which defined it as high treason for priests to remain in Ireland. In his own defense, Fr. Tirry replied that while he viewed the Commonwealth as the lawful government, he had no choice but to disobey its laws, as the pope had ordered him to remain in Ireland. Fr. Tirry was according found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging, which was carried out in Clonmel on 2 May 1654.
An account told by Franciscans Friar Matthew Fogarty, who had been tried with Friar William Tirry, supplies further details: "William, wearing his Augustinian habit, was led to the gallows praying the rosary. He blessed the crowd which had gathered, pardoned his betrayers and affirmed his faith. It was a moving moment for Catholics and Protestants alike." Blessed William Tirry at Midwest Augustinians. Retrieved 22 Oct. 2007.
Despite the efforts of a Puritan minister to silence him, Fr. Tirry told the assembled crowd, "there is only one true Church, whose head is the pope: Pope and Church are to be obeyed. He publicly forgave the three men who had betrayed him, and... stated explicitly that he had been offered life and favour, it would renounce his religion." Fr. Tirry was then hanged, after which he was buried, with some ceremony, in the ruins of the Augustinian friary in nearby Fethard. The evidence is that he was buried in the grounds, rather than inside the ruins of the church, but it has not yet been possible to locate his grave. Fr. William Tirry was beatification by Pope John Paul II along with 16 other Irish Catholic Martyrs on 27 September 1993. "Blessed William Tirry", Augustine Recollects The Augustinian order celebrates his feast day on 12 May.
Following the failed attempt at rebellion near Ballingarry in 1848, the captured leaders of the Young Irelanders were brought to Clonmel for trial. The event was followed with great interest internationally and for its duration brought journalists from around the country and Britain to Clonmel Courthouse. Standing in the dock in the image opposite is Thomas Francis Meagher, Terence MacManus and Patrick O'Donoghue. Their co-defendant, William Smith O'Brien was also sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered, the last occasions such a sentence was handed down in Ireland. When delivering the guilty verdict, the foreman of the Grand Jury, R.M. Southcote Mansergh, great-grandfather of the academic Nicholas Mansergh stated:
We earnestly recommend the prisoner to the merciful consideration of the Government, being unanimously of opinion that for many reasons his life should be spared.The sentences of O'Brien and other members of the Irish Confederation were eventually commuted to transportation for life to Van Diemen's Land. A conspiracy to rescue the prisoners on 8 November led by John O'Leary and Philip Gray was betrayed and resulted in the arrest at 'The Wilderness' of seventeen armed rebels led by Gray.O'Donnell, Sean : Clonmel – 1840–1900 Anatomy of an Irish Town 1999 p153
In November 2015, the town was the location of Ireland's first marriage between two men.
Under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, the area became an urban district, while its body retained the style of a borough corporation. The borough corporation became a borough council in 2002. On 1 June 2014, the borough council was dissolved and administration of the town was amalgamated into Tipperary County Council. Pat English was the last Mayor of Clonmel Borough Council.
Clonmel retains the right to be described as a borough. The chair of the borough district uses the title of mayor, rather than Cathaoirleach. As of the 2019 Tipperary County Council election, the local electoral area of Clonmel elected 6 councillors.
As of 2024, Clonmel is within Dáil constituency of Tipperary South which elects three TDs to Dáil Éireann (the Irish parliament).
The flood defence consists of demountable barriers, walls and earth banks. Flooding occurred at the Gashouse Bridge, Coleville Road, Davis Road, the Quays and the Old Bridge area before the flood defences.
The Showgrounds Shopping Centre, built during the Celtic Tiger on the town's original showground, is approximately 1 km from the town centre. This shopping centre has retailers such as M&S and TKMaxx.
The Poppyfield Retail Park is located on the outskirts of the town. Developed in 2004, it has stores such as DID Electrical, Supervalu, Maxi Zoo, Woodie's and World of Wonder. There is also a hotel on the site.
Several beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, are produced in the town. Bulmers cider, also known as Magners outside Ireland, was founded in the town and is still brewed in a complex east of the town with orchards surrounding it. The original brewery in the town is set to become a new visitor attraction. Glenpatrick Spring Water bottles still, carbonated and flavoured water from the limestone rocks beneath Slievenamon for a number of supermarket chains.
Clonmel is home to international engineering and construction groups such as Kentz and Sepam which were both founded in the town. Sepam has been involved in several large infrastructure projects around the world such as the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, Disneyland Shanghai and some of the terminals at Heathrow Airport.
Also owned by Johnston Press is South Tipp Today, a free tabloid newspaper founded in 1995. It is delivered door-to-door in some areas, and available in local shops across South Tipperary.
The Sporting Press, also published and printed in Clonmel, covers news related to the Greyhound racing in Ireland. As of 2007, it had a circulation of approximately 7,500. Greyhound Press Journal subscription required medialive.ie
The Tipperary Free Press was established in 1826 by the future first Catholic Lord Mayor of Clonmel, John Hackett. It had a circulation of 45,650 in 1829 and supported "liberal" causes. It supported Daniel O'Connell's movement for Catholic emancipation. Hackett was sued for libel on several occasions for his of political rivals. Printed on O'Connell Street bi-weekly, it circulated in counties Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, Cork and Limerick. In its later years, it assumed a Catholic-Whig political leaning and ceased printing in 1880 when it was replaced by the Tipperary Independent (1880–1892).
The Main Guard was a civic building until 1810 when it was converted to shops. During a one restoration, some of its sandstone columns were found to have been 'reclaimed' from the Medieval ruins of the Cistercians Inislounaght Abbey at Marlfield. It was used in the past as a Tholsel or office to collect tolls, duties and customs dues, a place for civic gatherings and as a court. It now houses an exhibition showing the historic development of Clonmel, including a model of the town as it appeared in the 13th century.
The South Tipperary Arts Centre opened in 1996. As well as presenting a range of visual arts exhibitions in the main gallery space, the centre also host events such as music, performance, art classes, poetry readings and dance. The centre has an upstairs studio which is used for short term exhibitions and screenings, as well as for a variety of classes and workshops.
Clonmel's Stagecraft Youth Theatre was founded in 1998. It provides training for young actors in several aspects of theatre practice. Stagecraft is one of Ireland's largest youth theatres and is affiliated with NAYD. In 2011, a 45-seat studio theatre, known as "The Hub", was opened in Albert Street. The Hub is home to Stagecraft.
The Ward Anderson, with five screens and located on Kickham Street, is the town's only remaining cinema. Other cinemas formerly operated in the town including the Ritz, which opened in 1940 and was located on the site of the present Credit Union. The first cinema in the town opened in January 1913 as the Clonmel Cinema Theatre. Later renamed the Clonmel Electric Picture Palace, it was located at the rear of No. 35 Gladstone Street. It was soon followed by John Magner's Theatre at the Mall, which burned to the ground in 1919, to be re-built in 1921 with an increased capacity of over a thousand seats. It was eventually named the Regal Theatre and remodelled as an 850-seat theatre, which finally closed in 2001. It was in the Regal Theatre where the tenor Frank Patterson made his stage debut. The Oisin, in O'Connell Street, was of a similar scale and was also built in 1921. It was destroyed in a fire in 1965.
"Finding a Voice" is a festival that is held around International Women's Day, 8 March. It presents performances of music by female composers.
The town is home to the International Film Festival Ireland, which focuses on independent films. Its inaugural event was during September 2009 Clonmel to host international film festival| The Nationalist, 4 July 2009 and ran for five days. It subsequently became an annual event, occurring every September. The 2010 event expanded to include a Youth Film Festival, that showcased locally made short films. Film festival visitors "blown away" by warm welcome| The Nationalist, 4 July 2009
Clonmel's busking festival runs for four days every August. It provides free music events during the day in the town centre, while at night a number of concerts take place in venues throughout the town. – official website
Clonmel has hosted the Irish traditional music festival, the Fleadh Cheoil, on five occasions from 1992 to 1994 inclusive, and again in 2003 and 2004.
One of the better-known songs concerning Clonmel is "The Gaol of Cluain Meala", a translation from the turn of the 19th century by a Cork man, Jeremiah Joseph Callanan, of the traditional Irish language song "Príosún Chluain Meala".Lyrics and info. on . The original can be found at: http://songsinirish.com/priosun-chluain-meala-lyrics/ "Príosún Chluain Meala", which is believed to have been composed by an anonymous local member of the Whiteboys, which awaiting execution. It was revived by the balladeer Luke Kelly in the 1960s. The narrator in the Irish republican song "Galtee Mountain Boy" farewells Clonmel in the song. It was written by Patsy Halloran from Clonmel.
Music venues in Clonmel include The Piper Inn, which previously hosted a show by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy.
Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel The Big Sleep features Rusty Regan as a main character: "A big curly-headed Irishman from Clonmel, with sad eyes and a smile as wide as Wilshire Boulevard."
Charles Kickham's 1873 novel Knocknagow had two main characters modelled on Clonmel locals. These were his cousins, Dr T.J. Crean Sr. as "Arthur O'Conner" and his wife Clara Crean (née Kickham) as "Mary Kearney", who both lived on Queen Street at the time.
John Flanagan's 2009 novel The Kings of Clonmel uses Clonmel as a fictional kingdom. It is the eighth book in the Ranger's Apprentice series.
The Workmen's Boat Club (WBC) was established in 1883. The property was leased from the Bagwell estate until 1999 when it was finally purchased by the club. In 2007, the club undertook the restoration of the historic racing craft Cruiskeen, which was built in the 1840s by GAA founder member Maurice Davin. The project took several years of cleaning, treatment and repair and the 38 ft./11.6m timber boat is now on permanent display in the County Museum, Clonmel.
Clonmel's cricket club, United Cricket Clonmel, fields teams in competitions organised by the Munster Cricket Union. The club's adult and youth teams play their home games in the Presentation Convent Field.
The area is also home to Clonmel Athletic Club which was founded in 1971.
St Mary's Parochial School, also known as the Model School, traces its roots to the Incorporated Society School of 1832. This Church of Ireland school is located on the Western Road.
Other primary and national schools include St Oliver's National School (founded in 1982), St.Mary's CBS, St. Peter and Paul's CBS, Sisters of Charity Girls School and Presentation Primary School.
The Clonmel Central Technical Institute (CTI Clonmel) comprises three sections: an English-medium secondary school, an Irish-medium secondary school and a "College of Further Education". The English-medium school, Raheen College (or Coláiste Chluain Meala), is co-educational and under the control of the local Education and Training Board. It reputedly traces its history to 1842. The Irish-medium school (or Gaelcholáiste), named Gaelcholáiste Chéitinn after the poet Geoffrey Keating, was established in 2004 in response to a demand for second-level education through the medium of Irish. The college of further education, CTI Senior College of Further Education, offers Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses. As of 2024, CTI Clonmel had a combined enrollment of approximately 285 students, up from 238 in 2016.
Clonmel is today served by three town bus routes (routes CL1, CL2 and CL9) operated by TFI Local Link.
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