Clonoulty is situated on the R661 road, 15 km southwest of Thurlesand 22 km northeast of Tipperary town. Holycross and its eponymous abbey is 8km away on the Thurles road. Cashel and the tourist landmark, the Rock of Cashel is approximately 12.5 km away. It has a primary school and a post office, two pubs, shop and a church. Other primary schools are located in the nearby village of Rossmore, both. The local GAA club has two pitches and a children's playground. There are plans to expand the viewing stand at the club. A Sheela na Gig from Clonoulty Castle/Church is now on view in GPA Bolton Library, Cashel.
Summer activities
Each year the village hosts "The west awake", a festival of music with local and other bands from across Ireland. It is for all ages and is hosted in the GAA field. The annual vintage rally is also hosted each August.
History
The Calendar of Patent Rolls of Ireland records difficulties from 1582 onwards with Clonoulty rent collection for land which had passed into Crown control after the dissolution of the monasteries. Lands were burned, spoiled and remained waste for up to three years. The Irish language translation of the name was adjusted to 'Cluain Ula', meaning 'meadow of the orchard' due to a desire to re-associate the name of the parish more closely to the local area. Cluain an Ultaigh being adopted due to a strongly held belief that Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare and his followers spent a night in the Clonoulty area as they fled their native territory based in the present day Killarney peninsula. The destination being a march 250 miles north to the area of present-day Co. Leitrim. The purpose of this exodus was to fight alongside the strongest Gaelic chieftains present in the north of Ireland against belligerent English armies fighting for dominance. Also after the English victory at the battle of Kinsale there was an immediate need to escape capture or annihilation from the pursuing victorious armies. During the 1800s, many people from the area emigrated to Australia. Boorowa, New South Wales was settled by Europeans who were mainly Irish convicts transported from Clonoulty after political activity against the British in 1815. On the 12 August 1848, Thomas Francis Meagher was arrested on the road between Clonoulty and Holycross. Seventeen years later, on 12 August 1865 a single stone meteorite of 4 lb 14.5oz was seen to fall and was recovered from John Johnson's potato field. It was the home of Eamon Ó Duibhir, the IRB member and officer of the Irish Volunteers.Seán Hogan of the Third Tipperary Brigade was captured by the RIC on the morning of 11 May 1919, after leaving a dance at his house. Hogan was rescued the following day at Knocklongrailway station - two of his four-man RIC escort being shot. On the 31 March 1920, during the War of Independence, an RIC hut here was attacked by the 2nd Battalion of the South Tipperary Brigade. The defense was successfully led by Sgt Patrick McDonnell who was subsequently assassinated on 10 May of the same year at Goold's Cross railway station on his way to the RIC hut.
