Carrick-on-Suir

Town in County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland; population (2002) 5,500. It is connected with Carrickbeg, in County Waterford, by two bridges over the River Suir. Tipperary crystal is manufactured here and current industries include healthcare products and bicycle components. The town is a centre for fishing on the River Suir and for climbing and hillwalking in the Comeragh Mountains.

Carrick-on-Suir has its origins before the 9th century AD when Turgesius, a Norse leader, built a fort at the mouth of the river. Later, in 1447, a stone bridge, which is still standing, was built. The Earl of Ormond founded a woollen industry in the town in 1670, which flourished until the 19th century. A tanning industry developed in the 1930s but the tannery closed in the 1990s.

The town has a fortified Elizabethan mansion (built by Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond), which adjoins the ruins of the 15th-century Carrick-on-Suir Castle. The Georgian mansion of Castletown House, built originally by David Ducat in 1767-70 for the Bishop of Ossory is situated nearby. Other features include Tipperary Crystal, which is open to visitors; a heritage centre; and a Town Clock, dating from 1784. Carrick is home to an Amateur Operatic Society and two theatres and was the birthplace of the cyclist Sean Kelly.