History of Tullamore

Historical overview of Tullamore

Tullamore was part of the first English plantation of Offaly in the 1570s. In 1785 the town was seriously damaged when the crash of a hot air balloon resulted in a fire that burned down about 100 houses giving the town the unusual distinction of being home to the world's first aviation disaster.

To this day, the town shield depicts a phoenix rising from the ashes. The Grand Canal linked Tullamore to Dublin in 1798. Tullamore became county town of County Offaly in 1835, replacing Daingean.

Tullamore (Tulach Mhór in Irish) is a town in County Offaly, Ireland, located in the midlands of the island of Ireland, with approximately 15,000 inhabitants in the district. It is the county town (main administrative town) of County Offaly. Tullamore is a major commercial and industrial centre in the region. Major international employers in the town include 'Tyco Healthcare' and 'Boston Scientific'.

In 2004, Tullamore Retail Park was formed. It includes outlets such as a Tesco Extra hypermarket, DID electrical, Argos Extra and Atlantic Homecare. Tullamore is the home of the 'Midland Regional Hospital' and 'Midland Health Board' {HSE} which employ over 1,000 people. A new state of the art hospital is currently under a phased opening process.

Tullamore was designated a 'gateway' town in late 2003 by the Irish Government, making it eligible for increased infrastructural investment. The town and its community received a bronze medal in the Governments National Tidy Towns Competition in 2004 and also played host to the 'World Sheep Dog Trials' in 2005 which attracted huge international interest in the region. The Tullamore Show is held in Charleville, Tullamore every year.

The town's most famous export is Tullamore Dew - an Irish whiskey previously distilled by Tullamore Distillery - that can be traced back to 1829. The distillery closed in the 1950s but its traces are still visible in the town. Tullamore Dew is now produced by Irish Distillers Ltd. in Midleton, County Cork, and marketed by Cantrell & Cochrane.