Ardfinnan () is a small village in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is situated on the River Suir and R665 regional road. The Catholic parish of Ardfinnan is made up of three areas: Ardfinnan, Ballybacon, and Grange. Ardfinnan is also a civil parish in the ancient barony of Iffa and Offa West. The village is located 14 kilometers from the town of Clonmel and six miles from Cahir via the R670 road. The population of the village is approximately 900 people. Transport During the week it is served five times a day in each direction by Bus Éireann route 245 linking it to Clonmel, Mitchelstown, Fermoy and Cork. At the weekend there are three buses each way. 7th century abbey Saint Finian Lobhar (or Finian the Leper) founded an abbey for Canons Regular of Saint Augustine with a leper colony here in the early 7th century, high up on the site of the now present castle, known as Fíonáin's height, where the village gets its name. In 908, King of Munster Cormac mac Cuilennáin bequeathed one ounce of gold, one ounce of silver, his horses, armour and sword to the abbey. The abbey was plundered and burnt by Cambro-Normans during the Norman Invasion of Ireland in 1178. A Carmelite abbey was later built on the opposite side of the river valley, known as Lady's Abbey, of which its ruin is still extant after it was destroyed during the English Reformation. There was also a monastery for Franciscan Friars, Third Order Regular. Ardfinnan Castle A prominent feature of the village is the Anglo-Norman Ardfinnan Castle, the sister castle to Lismore Castle and was built by Prince John of England in 1185 to guard the river crossing. The 13 arch bridge was started soon after the castle was completed. The castle has a long and varied history of owners and is inhabited to the present. The castle is a private residence and is not open to the public. Economy Mulcahy-Redmond & Co. The former Ardfinnan Woollen Mills of Mulcahy-Redmond & Co., which produced its renowned Ardfinnan tweeds and suitings was established in the village in March 1869. It was built on the site of a former corn mill which had been in operation since before the Civil Survey of 1654 up until it was sold by the Prendergasts of Ardfinnan in the mid 19th century. The woollen mills became a leading firm