Description from Thoms’ 1931 Directory

Tipperary an inland county is the province of Munster is bounded on the north by Galway and Offaly (King’s county), on the east by Offaly, Laois (Queen’s county) and Kilkenny, on the south by Waterford, and on the west by Cork, Limerick, Clare and Galway. Length from the corner of the Araglin river on the boundary south-west of Clogheen to where the Little Brosna river enters the Shannon is 74 miles; breadth from the western boundary between Hospital and Emly and Carrickdoon Hill on the eastern boundary is 45 miles.

Name & Former Divisions

The ancient sub-kingdom of Thomond or North Munster, included portions of North Tipperary and Ormond, or East Munster, included in the middle and southern parts of the county. The ancient district of Muskerry Tire, part of Thomond, corresponds with the barony called Lower Ormond, and part of that called Upper Ormond both erroneously named. The Galtee mountains were originally called Crotta Cliach, or Slieve Grod, a name which survives in Dungrod, an old castle near Galbally. In ancient times there were four royal residences in Tipperary, one at Cashel which was the ancient capital, and is still the Ecclesiastical capital of Munster; a second at Cahir (Caher), on a rock in the Suir; another at Dungrod Castle; and another at Knockgraffon, the residence in the 3rd century of Fiacha Mullehan, King of Munster.

Physical Features

There was an extensive coalfield in Tipperary; it extended about 20 miles by 6 between Freshford, Co. Kilkenny, to near Cashel, and was about 6 miles broad. North east of Killaloe, in the Arra Mountains are the Killaloe slate quarries. Mines of lead with a mixture of silver were worked in the 18th century, in the Silvermine mountains near Kilboy.

The chief Mountain Ranges are Knockmealdown, the Galtees and Slievenaman in the south, the group of which Keepherhill is the principle in the west and the Slievedaragh Hills in the east. The Knockmealdown, the highest summit of which is Knockmealdown or Slievecua (2,609′) run east and west. The Galtees are separated from the Knockmealdown by a valley about 7 miles wide. The highest summits are Galteymore (3,015′) and Slievenamuck (1,215′). Slievenaman (2,364′) stands in the south east of the county, and is surrounded by several smaller peaks, the chief of which are Carrickabrock (1,859′), Sheegouna (1,822′) and Knocknahunna(1,654′). Knockshigowna (701′) near Cloughjordan, is associated with many fairy legends. The range of which Keeperhill (2,278′) is the chief, are situated in the west of the county. Mauherslieve (1,783′), Knocktiege (1,312′) and Knocknasceggan (1,296′) are the principle; a smaller group lies to the south east of these from which they are separated by the valley of the Bilboa river; the chief peaks are Knockalough (1,407′) and Laghtseefin (1,426′). The Silvermine mountains lie north of Keeperhill and are separated from it by the Mulkear river. North west of these are the Arra mountains (1,517′), rising over the Lough Derg opposite Killaloe. South of the town of Roscrea, the group known as the Devil’s Bit (1,583′) begins and runs south west. This mountain has a remarkable gap in its outline, from which it was formerly called Barnane Ely; the other peaks in the range are Kilduff (1,462′), Borrisnoe (1,471′), Benduff (1,399′), Knockanora (1,429′) and Latteragh (1,257′)

(NOTE: The directory does not explain that the Devil was on his way to Cork or that direction anyhow, and he felt a bit hungry, took a bite out of a mountain. Didn’t like the taste and spit it out. That’s how we have the Rock of Cashel :)

The middle of the county is occupied by a fine plain through which runs the River Suir. The “Golden Vale”, well known as containing some of the richest land in the country, is a branch of this plain; it runs west from Fethard into Limerick and is bounded by Slievenamuck on the south and Slievefelim on the north, and from this stretches towards Kilmallock and Bruree in Co. Limerick.

The chief rivers are the Shannon, the Suir and the Nore with their tributaries. The Shannon and Lough Derg form the north western boundary; the tributaries of the Shannon are the Little Brosna, the Ballyfinboy, the Nenagh (with its tributaries, the Ollatrim and Ballintotty), the Newtown river, the Kilmastulla river, the Newport river, the Clare river, the Bilboa river (with its tributaries the Gortnageragh, the Cahernahallia and the Dead river). The Nore rises in the Devils Bit Mountains, flows east-north-east for about 9 ½ miles through Tipperary, forms the boundary with Laois (Queen’s county), for about two miles and then enters Laois. The King’s river rises in Tipperary, near Ballingarry and flows first southward and then eastwards and enters county Kilkenny near Callan. The Munster river forms the boundary for about 8 miles between Tipperary and Kilkenny, entering Kilkenny where it joins the King’s river. The Suir rises at the foot of the Benduff Mountain near Moneygall, it flows eastward for about 5 miles, and then south for about 55 miles when it touches county Waterford and turns in a south east direction and after about 5 miles turns east again and forms the boundary between Tipperary and Watrford for about 1 ½ miles. It’s chief tributaries are the Drish (with its tributary the Black river), the Anner (with its tributaries, the Honor, the Clashawley and the Moyle) and the Lingaun on the left bank; the Clodiagh (with its tributaries the Cromoge and the Owenbeg), the Multeen (with a tributary also called Multeen), the Ara (with tributary the Aherlow), the Thonoge, the Tar (with tributaries, the Duag and the Burncourt) on the right bank.

ANALYSIS OF THE CENSUS FOR COUNTY, 1821-1926

Year	Males	Females	Total Pop.
1821	172,468	174,428	346,896
1831	197,713	204,850	402,563
1841	216,650	218,903	435,553
1851	160,024	171,543	331,567
1861	122,483	126,623	249,106
1871	106,499	110,214	216,713
1881	98,755	100,857	199,612
1891	86,807	86,381	173,188
1901	81,399	78,833	160,232
1911	78,584	73,849	152,433
1926	72,867	68,079	141,015

Families and Houses in 1926

The number of families in the county was 30,403, the average number in each family being 4.5. The number of inhabited houses was 29,425 showing an average of 4.7 persons to each house. The special inmates of public institutions are omitted from these calculations.

There were in the county 19,081 Occupiers or Heads of Families who were in occupation of less than five rooms, being 62.7% of the total for the county; of these, 1,004, or 3.3% of the families in the county occupied one room; 4,148, or 13.6% , 2 rooms; 5,856 or 19.2%, 3 rooms; and 8, 073 or 26.5%, occupied 4 rooms.

There were in the county 356 tenements in which the room had only one occupant; 450 cases where the room had 2-4 occupants; 163 cases in which there were 5-7 occupants and 35 cases where the occupants f one room exceeded 7 in number, including 4 cases where 10 persons and 2 cases where 12 or more persons occupied the same room.

Birthplace of Inhabitants

Of the population in 1926, 87.23% were born in the county, 11.22 % in other counties in Saorstat Eireann. 0.26% in Northern Ireland, 0.88% in Great Britain, and 0.41% were born abroad.

Education

In 1911 there were in the county 126,545 persons aged 9 years and upwards; of these 115,062 or 90.9% could read and write; 3,250 or 2.6% could read only; and 8,233 or 6.5% were illiterate. As this is the first census where the age was raised from 5 to 9 it is not possible to compare figures for earlier censuses. However, the report states that the percentage of those of 5 years and upwards who were unable to read and write was 15.1% in 1891, 10.9% in 1901 and had fallen to 8.9% in 1901.

IRISH SPEAKING (1861-1911)

No. of people	1861	1871	1881	1891	1901	1911
Irish only	680	675	248	68	15	3
Irish & English	36,621	21,245	23,558	12,244	9,720	10,017
Irish Total	37,301	21,920	23,806	12,312	9,735	10,020
% of population	19.6	10.1	11.9	7.1	6.1	6.6

RELIGIONS, 1871-1926 (% of population)

Religion	1871	1881	1891	1901	1911	1926
Roman Catholic	93.8	94.2	94.0	93.82	94.57	96.86
Church of Ireland	5.4	5.1	5.3	5.43	4.74	2.64
Presbyterians	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.35	0.29	0.16
Methodists	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.29	0.28	0.12
Others	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.11	0.12	0.22

EMIGRATION (1861-1911)

1861	1871	1881	1891	1901	1911
81,068	47,269	26,465	32,762	19,050	12,307