{{Short description|Municipal building in Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox building | name = Fethard Town Hall | native_name = Halla an Bhaile Fiodh Ard | image = Town Hall, Fethard, Co. Tipperary - geograph.org.uk - 207562.jpg | caption = Fethard Town Hall | address = Main Street, Fethard | location_city = | location_country = Ireland | pushpin_map = Ireland | pushpin_label = Fethard Town Hall | coordinates = {{coord| 52.4660|N| 7.6951 |W|display=inline,title}} | completion_date = c.1610 | architect = | architectural_style = Neoclassical style }} '''Fethard Town Hall''' ({{langx|ga|Halla an Bhaile Fiodh Ard}}) is a municipal building on Main Street in Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland. It is currently used as a museum space and hosts the Fethard Horse Country Experience.
==History== Following the granting of a new charter by King James VI and I in 1608, Fethard Corporation was directed to build "a tholsel (common hall) for assemblies". The main landowner, Sir John Everard, responded by laying out Main Street and commissioning almshouses for the poor people of the town.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ball |first=Francis Elrington |author-link=F. Elrington Ball |date=1926 |title=The Judges in Ireland 1221–1921 |edition=1st |volume=1 |publisher=John Murray |location=London |oclc=832154869 |url=https://archive.org/details/judgesinireland10000unse/page/227/ |page=227|quote=[Everard] obtained a charter for almshouses founded by him in Fethard in 1611.}}</ref>
The new building was designed in the neoclassical style, built in rubble masonry and was completed in around 1610. The design involved a broadly symmetrical long main frontage with a central gable facing onto Main Street.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/assets.ria.ie/ihta/ihta-digital/anglo-norman-towns/fethard/IHTA_13_Fethard_Text.pdf |first=Tadhg |last=O'Keeffe|title= Irish Historic Towns Atlas, no. 13, Fethard|publisher=Royal Irish Academy, Dublin|year=2003|page=4| access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref> There were four doorways on the ground floor providing access to the individual almshouses and a series of cross-windows on the first floor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/22110021/fethard-town-hall-main-street-fethard-fethard-tipperary-south |title=Fethard Town Hall, Main Street, Fethard, County Tipperary|publisher=National Inventory of Architectural Heritage|access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref> The coats of arms of Sir John Everard and another local landowner, James Butler, 2nd/12th Baron Dunboyne, whose seat was at Kiltinan Castle, were fixed to the front of the building.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://pilgrimagemedievalireland.com/tag/tholsel-fethard/ |title= Heritage Week 2017 Walking Tour of Medieval Sculpture and Folk Art in Fethard|date= 28 August 2017|publisher=Pilgrimage in Medieval Ireland| access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref>
By the mid-18th century, the building was no longer operating as a facility for the poor and an assembly room had been established on the first floor, which was used as a courtroom as well as a meeting place for the corporation.<ref name=adaptions>{{cite web|url=https://fethardtownhall.weebly.com/adaptions-over-time.html |title=Adaptions over time|publisher=Fethard Town Hall| access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=MnS5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT99 |title=Men on Trial Performing Emotion, Embodiment and Identity in Ireland, 1800–1845 |first= Katie |last=Barclay|year= 2018|publisher=Manchester University Press|isbn=978-1526132949}}</ref> The corporation was abolished under the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840 but the building was soon brought back into use by the town commissioners who were first appointed at that time.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://fethard.com/research/fethard_1889.html |title=Fethard|publisher= Bassett's Directory|year= 1889| access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref> The east end of the building was used as library from the late 19th century.<ref name=adaptions/> For most of the 20th century, the ground floor served as the local fire station, while the assembly room on the first floor was used as a community events venue, hosting dances and theatre performances.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.fhcexperience.ie/about |title=The building history|publisher=Fethard Horse Country Experience| access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref> Scenes from the film, ''Stella Days'', starring Martin Sheen, were shot in the town hall in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fethard.com/annews/2010.pdf|title=Fethard and Killusty Newsletter| year=2010 |page=250|issn=1393-2721}}</ref>
An extensive programme of refurbishment works, involving the replacement of the cement render on the front of the building as well as the conversion of the interior for museum use, was initiated in October 2014. The works, which cost €1.6 million, were financed by grants from the Department of Rural and Community Development, Fáilte Ireland and Tipperary County Council<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20288035.html |title= 17th century Tholsel set to be transformed into tourism hub|date=22 September 2014|newspaper=The Irish Examiner| access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://fethard.com/news_archive_2015/cnews.150223.html |title=Town Hall Renovations|publisher=Fethard.com|date=23 February 2015| access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref> as well as by a series of private donors including the owner of the Coolmore Stud, John Magnier, and the owner of the Watership Down Stud, Andrew Lloyd Webber. The building was officially re-opened by the Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Paul Kehoe, as the Fethard Horse Country Experience in May 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.independent.ie/life/travel/travel-news/first-look-inside-irelands-new-high-spec-horse-country-museum/35773993.html |title= First Look: Inside Ireland's new high-spec horse country museum|date=31 May 2017|newspaper=The Irish Independent| access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.melaniemay.com/fethard-horse-country-experience/ |title= Fethard Horse Country Experience|date= 17 January 2019|publisher=Melanie May| access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://tippfm.com/news/tourism/new-tourist-attraction-fethard/ |title=New tourist attraction for Fethard|date=3 April 2017|newspaper=Tipp FM| access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref> Items in the collection include the skeleton of ''Sadler's Wells'', a 14-time champion sire.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/fethard-horse-country-experience-museum-open/ |title=Fethard Horse Country Experience Museum Open|newspaper=Thoroughbred Daily News|date= 2 June 2017| access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{City and town halls in Ireland|state=collapsed}}
Category:City and town halls in the Republic of Ireland