It is on the Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midlands Region, with 15,598 inhabitants at the 2022 census.

However, in 2014, the brand's new owners, William Grant & Sons, invested in a new distillery near Tullamore, bringing whiskey production back to the town.

[2] In the Middle Ages, Tullamore was within the Gaelic territory of Firceall ruled by the O'Molloy clan.

[9] The Tullamore area, comprising some 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres), was granted by the English to Sir John Moore in 1622.

At that time the Tullamore estate included a ruined castle, ten cottages and two water mills.

The event is yearly commemorated by the Phoenix festival which celebrates Tullamore's resurrection from the ashes following the accident.

During the Napoleonic Wars, a clash between troops of the King's German Legion and a regiment of British Light Infantry who were both stationed in the town, became known as the Battle of Tullamore.

Tullamore has a long history of whiskey distilling, with two distilleries known to have operated in the town in the 1780s, though closed some years later.

[12] When Molloy died, the distillery first passed to his brother Anthony, before eventually making its way into the hands of his nephew, Bernard Daly.

With an estate in Terenure, Captain Daly left the day-to-day running of the business to Daniel E. Williams, the distillery's general manager, under whose careful watch the distillery grew and prospered, and launched Tullamore Dew, the whiskey which bears his initials.

Williams also capitalised on the Irish coffee concept, and promoted blended whiskeys along with Tullamore Dew.

The Tullamore Phoenix Festival was an annual celebration of art, culture and heritage first held in August between 2000 and 2007.

[citation needed] Festival events included hot air balloons, concerts, street entertainment, a parade, and fireworks.

[citation needed] The Queen of the Land Festival takes place in Tullamore each year on the second weekend in November.

[citation needed] Hugh Lynch's Pub on Kilbride Street has been operating as a public house since the early 1800s.

Williams Distillery, and run as a public bar and grocery, along with many other outlets in the Irish Midlands, from which they sold their growing whiskey brand "Tullamore Dew".

[14] The National Ploughing Championships, Europe's largest Outdoor Exhibition and Agriculture Trade Show, was held in Screggan, Tullamore in 2016.

However following the cancellation of the show for two consecutive years due to heavy rainfall the event was moved to a new location with improved drainage in the Blue Ball area, south of the town.

For example, in Srah Industrial Estate, employers include multinationals like Sennheiser, GeneMedix, Covidien, Isotron and Zannini.

[23] The Tullamore Retail Park on the Portarlington Road also has a mix of shops including Tesco, Heatons, Petmania, Harry Corry and Woodie's DIY.

[1] Tullamore railway station, first opened on 2 October 1854,[26] is served by trains on the Dublin-Galway and Dublin-Westport/Ballina inter-city routes.

In association with the County Westmeath urban centres, Athlone and Mullingar, Tullamore forms part of what is known as the Midlands Gateway.

At Kilbeggan (about 12 km north of Tullamore) the N52 forms an interchange with the M6 motorway which connects Dublin and Galway.

The N80 national secondary road connects Tullamore with Killeigh, Mountmellick and Portlaoise, travelling in a southwards direction.

The scheme began construction in April 2008, and was officially opened in late 2009 by then Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

[28] Tullamore has a number of sporting organisations, including Gaelic games, association football, rugby union and athletics clubs.