The Swiss Cottage stands about two kilometres south of Cahir on the bank of the River Suir. It is a cottage orne: a large, expensive, carefully designed house pretending to be a small rustic one. The thatch, the crooked verandas, the tree trunk columns, all deliberate. Nobody ever lived here.
What it was for
Cottages orne were built by wealthy families in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries as retreats on their own estates, used for picnics, small parties, and as a base for fishing and shooting. The point was to play at simple country living for an afternoon and then go back to the real house. This one belonged to the Butlers, whose castle is in the middle of Cahir and whose town house is now the hotel on the Square.
Who built it
It was built for Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Glengall and 10th Baron Cahir, who married Emily Jeffereys of Blarney in 1793. Construction started around 1810 and finished about 1814. The design is attributed to John Nash, the Regency architect best known for Regent Street, Regent's Park and the remodelling of Buckingham Palace, which is a considerable name to find attached to a thatched cottage in south Tipperary.
Originally it was known simply as The Cottage. The Swiss name came later, from the resemblance people saw to an Alpine chalet.
Inside
The interior is the reason to go in rather than just look at it from the path. There is a graceful spiral staircase, and the decorated rooms are far richer than the outside suggests. The wallpaper in the salon was made by the Dufour factory in Paris and is among the first commercially produced wallpapers anywhere, which makes it a significant survival in its own right rather than just a pretty room.
The cottage fell into neglect and was close to lost. Restoration began in 1985 and it opened to the public as a museum in 1989.
Visiting
The Swiss Cottage is an Office of Public Works site and is seen by guided tour, which is the only way to get inside. Season, times and admission are set by the OPW and change through the year, so check the official Heritage Ireland page before you travel. It is a small building and tour numbers are limited, so it is worth booking in summer.
Walking there from the town
Do not drive if you can avoid it. The riverside walk south from Cahir Castle along the Suir takes around half an hour each way on a good path, and it is one of the best short walks in Tipperary. Doing the castle in the morning, walking down to the cottage and walking back is a full and satisfying day in a small town, and it costs nothing but the two admissions.
Walking in Cahir has this route and the others, and things to do in Cahir covers the rest of the town.
If you are making a day of it
The cottage pairs naturally with the castle. Beyond the town, things to see covers the Rock of Cashel, the Vee and the other places within an easy drive.