Population:19,000 (town and environs). Employment:C&C (Bulmer's); Abbott; Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pinewood Laboratories; Clonmel Healthcare, Boston Scientific; Coillte; Flancare (distribution); Southern Regional Fisheries Board; County and Borough Councils. Clonmel-made Bulmers cider (Magners in Britain).
Hospitals:South Tipperary General; St Michael's (Psychiatric).
Education:eight primary schools including a popular Gaelscoil, housed in a temporary building for 13 years, which is seeking a permanent site. Five secondary (Loreto; Presentation; High School/CBS; Coláiste Céitinn and Vocational). For third-level, the Tipperary Institute of Technology has a campus in Clonmel (www.tippinst.ie). The Waterford Institute of Technology is 30 miles away, the closest university at Limerick 50 miles away.
Commute:opt to live in lovely villages close to the town such as Kilcash, Kilsheelan or Fethard.
Culture:Ireland's first custom-built county museum; South Tipperary Arts Centre (gallery exhibitions, art classes, classical music season); Junction Arts Festival every July.
Sport:famous rugby club; GAA and soccer clubs; racecourse and greyhound track. Angling on the Suir, hare coursing, shooting and hunting with the Tipperary Foxhounds ("The Tipps") at Fethard. Hill and mountain walking. Pool, traditional bathing spots on the river including the splendidly-named Lady Blessington's Bath.
History:under British rule, Tipperary was divided into two administrative divisions, the north and south ridings, which today have been renamed and are run by separate county councils. Clonmel is the county town of South Tipperary and the town has its own borough council and mayor.
Websites:www.clonmel.ie and www.southtippcoco.ie
Radio:TIPP FM 97.1 fm
Best aspects:wide streets, shops; river setting.
Main issue:areas of Clonmel close to the River Suir are prone to flooding. A flood relief project, the River Suir drainage scheme, is due to start this autumn.
