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| CAHIR CASTLE, CO. TIPPERARY.- The above town is often called Caher as Cahir, and its Gaelic form is Cathair, which, according to Irish savants, originally meant "city," but, in later times, was applied to a circular stone fort or "dun." A structure of the kind once stood upon the site of the present castle, and from it, beyond doubt, the town derived its name. The place is situated on the river Suir, in Tipperary, and nestles it a beautiful valley, bounded on one side by the lofty Galtee mountains and on the other by the massive ridge of Knock-mael-down-"the bare, brown hill." Cahir Castle was built by the Anglo-Normans in the 12th or 13th century, and was a place of great strength. It stood several sieges, the last by Oliver Cromwell, who captured it, in 1649. The Earl of Glengall, who now owns the property, restored the great irregular building, which stands on the left bank of the river, and occupies it as a country residence. It has a magnificent park, which extends for two miles along the stream, and the gardens are models of the landscape artist's skill in improving on the works of nature. The business of the town is almost exclusively confined to traffic in the usual agricultural produce of the surrounding country. The military barracks at Cahir are quite extensive and connodious. It is a favorite station of British cavalry regiments. |
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