Tullamore 5.88

Tullamore is a town in County Offaly, in the midlands of Ireland. It is Offaly's county town and is located in the centre of the county. It is the 4th most populous town in the midlands region with a population of 14,607 in the 2016 census.Tullamore was designated a 'gateway' town, along with Mullingar and Athlone, in late 2003 by the Irish Government, making it eligible for increased infrastructural investment. The town retained Gold Medal status in the National Tidy Town Awards in 2015 and also played host to the 'World Sheep Dog Trials' in 2005 which attracted international interest in the region. The Tullamore Show is held near the town every year.The town's most famous export is Tullamore Dew – an Irish whiskey distilled by Tullamore Distillery – that can be traced back to 1829. The original distillery shut down in the 1954, with the brand later being resurrected and produced at the Midleton Distillery, in Cork. However, the brand's new owners, William Grant & Sons, invested in a new distillery near Tullamore, bringing whiskey production back to the town in 2014.HistoryIn ancient Gaelic Ireland, Tullamore was located in what was then known as the landfill territory of Firceall ruled by the O'Molloy clan. Firceall was then part of the ancient Kingdom of Meath. Following the plantation of Offaly in the 16th and 17th centuries, Firceall was divided into the baronies of Ballycowan, Ballyboy and Eglish, with Tullamore located in Ballycowan.