Swiss Cottage
The Swiss Cottage, Cahir, Co. Tipperary
If you are visiting or staying in Clogheen then a visit to the Swiss Cottage, just outside Cahir, is certainly worthy of consideration. It takes about 20 minutes to drive there. You could also consider visiting it in conjunction with a viewing of Cahir Castle, which is only 2Km away from it and can be reached via the lovely Coronation Walk running between the two.
The Swiss Cottage is a beautiful ‘cottage orné’ built in the early 1800s by Richard Butler, the first Earl of Glengall, to a design by the famous Regency architect John Nash. Its interior contains a graceful spiral staircase and some elegantly decorated rooms. The wallpaper in the Salon manufactured by the Dufour factory is one of the first commercially produced Parisian wallpapers. It is situated on an elevated site with access by stone steps.
The cottage was in a state of disrepair up to about 20 years ago, but was then taken in charge by the state and fully refurbished to its original specifications.
Location
You’ll find the Swiss Cottage 2km south of Cahir Town, off the R670 road to Ardfinnan (see this Loc8 code – YYW-79-C86 – for your SatNav – there’s a map at the bottom of the page if you can’t use this). As mentioned earlier, you can also, if you wish, walk to the cottage via a beautiful route known as the Coronation Walk, named for the coronation of King George IV in 1821. This was the route taken by the occupants of Cahir Castle to reach the cottage (the cottage was originally built as a daytime play retreat for the castle’s residents where they could pretend to be peasants when they so wished). It runs from the back of the car park beside the castle along the back of the GAA Pitch, beside Cahir Golf Club and along the banks of the river suir right up to the cottage. The route is surrounded by native broadleaf woodland planted from the 1790’s onwards, including mature beech, oak, Spanish chestnut, sycamore, laurel, rhododendron and elder. It is also full of wildlife such as swans, duck and cormorants as well as red squirrel, pheasant and woodcock.
Facilities
The car park for the Swiss Cottage is across the bridge in the woods before you come to the cottage, although disabled access is allowed right to the cottage. There are public toilets outside the cottage.
Opening
31st Mar – 24th October: Daily 10.00 – 18.00. The cottage closes for the season at 3 o’clock on 24th October.
Admission by guided tour only. Last admission 45 mins before closing. A tour takes about 1 hour to complete.
Admission
Adult: €3.00
Sen/Group: €2.00
Child/Student: €1.00
Family: €8.00
Additional Information
- Please note that this is a very busy site and visitors may experience a delay during the Summer months.
- Photography and video are not allowed inside the building or on the guided tour.
- No bus tours on Sundays or Bank Holidays.
- All Groups of 10 or more must be pre-booked.
- Maximum group booking: 48 persons
Contact
Kilcommon, Cahir, Co. Tipperary
Phone: +353 52 74 41144
Email:
Map
