Littleton is a village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in North Tipperary

North Tipperary

North Tipperary is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-West Region and is also located in the province of Munster. It is named after the town of Tipperary and consists of 48% of the land area of the traditional county of Tipperary. The county was established in 1898 and has had a county...

, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. It is within the townland

Townland

A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...

s of Ballybeg and Ballydavid, about 18 km (11.2 mi) northeast of Cashel

Cashel, County Tipperary

Cashel is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 2936 at the 2006 census. The town gives its name to the ecclesiastical province of Cashel. Additionally, the cathedra of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly was originally in the town prior to the English Reformation....

 and to the southeast of Thurles

Thurles

Thurles is a town situated in North Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Eliogarty and is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly...

. By-passed by the M8

M8 motorway (Ireland)

The M8 motorway is an inter-urban motorway in Ireland, which forms part of the road from the capital - Dublin - to Cork city. The 149 km motorway commences in the townland of Aghaboe, County Laois and runs through the counties of Kilkenny, North Tipperary, South Tipperary and Limerick,...

 in December 2008, Littleton lies at a crossroads on the R639 road

R639 road

The R639 road is one of Ireland's regional roads. Once designated the N8 national primary road , it was reclassified in stages as the R639 following the progressive opening of sections of the M8 motorway, which rendered the single carriageway N8 redundant as a national primary road...

. Its population was 463 at the 2006 census. It is in the barony of Eliogarty

Eliogarty

Eliogarty is one of the baronies of Ireland, an historical geographical unit of land. Its chief town is Thurles. It is one of 14 baronies in the old county of Tipperary between Ikerrin to the north , Kilnamanagh Upper to the west and Middle Third to the south .The...

.

As well as being a familiar name to travellers between Dublin and Cork, Littleton is closely associated with Bord na Móna

Bord na Móna

Bord na Móna , abbreviated BNM, is a semi-state company in Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company is responsible for the mechanised harvesting of peat, primarily in the Midlands of Ireland...

 peat harvesting in the nearby complex of raised bogs. Littleton is also home to the long-established 'Moycarkey Band', the Seán Treacy Pipe Band.Bord na Mona website.

History

St. Ruadhan of Lorrha founded a monastery on a raised island in the middle of the bog at Littleton.

It is called Derrynaflan and it became famous when a ninth-century chalice

Derrynaflan Chalice

The Derrynaflan Chalice is an 8th- or 9th-century chalice, that was found as part of the Derrynaflan Hoard of five liturgical vessels. The discovery was made on 17 February 1980 near Killenaule, South Tipperary in Ireland...

, paten, stand and strainer were found there in 1980. They are now in the National Museum

National museum

A national museum is a museum maintained by a nation.The following is a list of national museums:-Australia:*Australian National Aviation Museum*Australian National Maritime Museum*, Sydney*Australian War Memorial*Museum Victoria...

 in Dublin.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland