Celebrations break out as Cahir Castle reaches milestone visitor target of 100,000

Huge celebrations broke out in Cahir Castle when it emerged that it had reached a milestone of 100,000 visitors since the start of the year for the first time ever.

It is a phenomenal achievement for the excellent staff at Cahir Castle, the OPW and the huge volunteer effort that goes into making Cahir such an attractive place to visit.

The 100,000 target has been within reach for the last few years. Last year Cahir Castle fell just short of that target with 96,000 people visiting Cahir Castle from January to December.

Now in 2026, the 100,000 mark was reached on Tuesday, October 20th so by the end of December the figure will be well in excess of the 100,000 mark.

“When we hit that figure, the feeling was just amazing,” said Lorraine Egan, Supervisor guide at Cahir Castle.

“After going so close last year, we were hoping to hit it this year, but you never know how one year will go, as anything can change the dynamic. Everything went great, and we have hit that target early. Everybody is so thrilled,” said Lorraine.

Lorraine Egan said that so many people deserved credit for reaching the milestone apart from the staff at Cahir Castle.

She said huge progress had been made over the years in making Cahir an attractive place and a lovely place to visit.

She said the Tidy Towns group and all of their volunteers deserved tremendous praise as did other community groups and Tipperary County Council.

“The town has improved so much, it is more and more attractive for individuals and families to visit thanks to the amazing work being done in the community. When you look at Cahir Castle as well as the Swiss Cottage, the Inch Field and how well the town looks then it is very appealing to visitors,” said Lorraine Egan.

“Reaching this figure is great news. Just five years ago we had 70,000 visitors to Cahir Castle so we have made huge progress in the last few years,” she said.

Lorraine Egan said there were 10 guides working at Cahir Castle in the high season, and she also praised the work of the National Monuments staff.

“Three of them are based in Cahir full time, and the buildings are always well maintained on a day-to-day basis,” she said.

Speaking on the remarkable news, local councillor Andy Moloney congratulated the guides, the crew and the team behind the huge success. He also paid tribute to for custodians of the site over the past 50 years who promoted and maintained the site.

“The town of cahir has come on leaps and bounds over the past decade and the castle is complimented by the lovely surrounds and the coronation walk leading to the other hidden gem, The Swiss Cottage. With visitor numbers like that there is always a spin-off for the hospitality sector and it's important that we keep our town looking well as numbers grow year on year.

This announcement will surely travel far and wide and can only lead to bigger and brighter days ahead. Well done to all concerned and keep up the good work,” said Cllr Moloney.