County Tipperary was one of the first Irish counties to be established in the 13th century. Tipperary is the only county in Ireland divided in two to form two administrative entities – Tipperary North and Tipperary South. The county has two county towns – Nenagh in the North and Clonmel in the South and is the largest inland county in Ireland. This division dates back to the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, the county's two "ridings" having had separate assize courts for much longer. The use of riding for the divisions was a historical misnomer, since the word derives from the dividing of an area into three parts. Indeed the expression riding has been discontinued for official purposes since 2002 (Local Government Act, 2001 section 10 and schedule 5)

Tipperary is sometimes referred to as the Premier County, a description attributed to Thomas Davis, Editor of The Nation newspaper in the 1840s as a tribute to the nationalistic feeling in Tipperary and said that "where Tipperary leads, Ireland follows." Tipperary is famous for its horse breeding industry and is the home of Coolmore Stud, which is the largest thoroughbred breeding operation in the world.

The centre of County Tipperary is known as "the Golden Vale," a rich pastoral stretch of land in the basin of the River Suir, which crosses the county from north to south. Tipperary is bound by mountains to the south and west with a border on Lough Derg in the north thus offering a superb range of outdoor activities for visitors and locals alike. The primary historical site is that of the Rock of Cashel, an imposing Cathedral and round tower encompassing some 2000 years of history, was once an important ecclesiastical centre and home to the Kings of Munster.

The County particularly nurtures the ancient game of hurling and its teams have regularly been champions of Ireland since the 19th century.

Tipperary is an important equestrian area, with racecourses at Thurles, Clonmel. and Tipperary town. Regular race meetings take place at Tipperary Racecourse which is actually situated at Limerick Junction and was formerly known as "The Junction." There are also many racing stables and studs in the area. The world-famous Coolmore Stud is situated in Fethard with its satellite farms dotted around the Tipperary countryside. The great Istabraq is trained locally at Ballydoyle. Next to Kildare, one could suggest that the area is the bloodstock and racing centre of the country.

The town of Tipperary situated in the south west of the county was the subject of the famous World War I British army song It's a Long Way to Tipperary. As with several other counties in Ireland named for a town or village, Tipperary Town has never been the county town of County Tipperary. That Honour belonged to Cashel for a while prior to the creation of the County Palatine and thereafter to Clonmel until the creation of separate assizes in 1838 when Clonmel has shared the honour with Nenagh.