Fethard, County Tipperary

{{short description |Town in County Tipperary, Ireland}} {{For|the village in County Wexford|Fethard-on-Sea}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox settlement |name = Fethard |native_name = {{native name|ga|Fiodh Ard}} |native_name_lang = gle |settlement_type = Town |image_skyline = FethardCentre3473.jpg |image_caption = Town centre |pushpin_map = Ireland |pushpin_label_position = left |pushpin_map_caption = Location in Ireland |coordinates = {{coord|52.465|-7.696|dim:1000_region:IE|display=inline,title}} |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = Ireland |subdivision_type1 = Province |subdivision_type2 = County |subdivision_name1 = Munster |subdivision_name2 = Tipperary |unit_pref = Metric |area_total_km2 = 2.21 |elevation_m = 69 |population_as_of = 2022 |population_footnotes = <ref name=cso2022>{{cite web | url = https://visual.cso.ie/?body=entity/ima/cop/2022&boundary=C04160V04929&guid=1a30651f-8fa2-450e-992f-9caac591f3e3 | title = Interactive Data Visualisations: Towns: Fethard | work = Census 2022 | publisher = Central Statistics Office| access-date = 30 September 2023}}</ref> |population_total = 1738 |blank_name_sec1 = Irish Grid Reference |blank_info_sec1 = {{iem4ibx|S207355}} }} {{Historical populations|state=collapsed|width=22.2em |1821|2878 |1831|3405 |1841|3915 |1851|2767 |1861|2303 |1871|2106 |1881|1926 |1891|1607 |1901|1498 |1911|1473 |1926|1180 |1936|1112 |1946|1024 |1951|984 |1956|992 |1961|962 |1966|997 |1971|1064 |1981|1285 |1986|1391 |1991|1431 |1996|1397 |2002|1388 |2006|1374 |2011|1541 |2016|1545 |2022|1738 | footnote=<ref name=cso2016>{{cite web | url = http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=ST2016&Geog_Code=24D5F135-29A5-41FC-84FE-72D5B747CA34 | title = Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Fethard | publisher = Central Statistics Office (Ireland) | access-date = 22 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="cso2022"/><ref>http://www.cso.ie/census and www.histpop.org. Figures include environs of Fethard. For a discussion on the accuracy of pre-famine census returns see J. J. Lee "On the accuracy of the pre-famine Irish censuses" in Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p. 54, and also "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850" by Joel Mokyr and Cormac Ó Gráda in The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov. 1984), pp. 473–488.</ref> }} '''Fethard''' ({{IPAc-en|'|f|ɛ|θ|ər|d|}}; {{Irish place name|Fiodh Ard|high wood}})<ref>A. D. Mills, 2003, ''A Dictionary of British Place-Names'', Oxford University Press</ref><ref name=logainm>{{cite web|title=Fiodh Ard/Fethard|url=http://www.logainm.ie/47849.aspx|work=Placenames Database of Ireland|publisher=Government of Ireland|access-date=20 June 2011}} (archival records)</ref> is a small town in County Tipperary, Ireland. Dating to the Norman invasion of Ireland, the town's walls were first laid-out in the 13th century, with some sections of these defensive fortifications surviving today.

Fethard is located {{convert|16|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of Cashel on the ''Clashawley River'' where the R692, R689 and R706 regional roads intersect. It is a civil parish in the barony of Middle Third and in the ecclesiastical parish of "Fethard and Killusty" in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. {{As of|2022}}, the town's population was 1,738.<ref name=cso2022/>

== History == thumb|Fethard's walls with mural tower house (at left) and church tower (at right) Fethard was founded in the early 13th century during the Norman invasion of Ireland.<ref name="okeefe">{{cite book |url = https://fethard.com/histor/history.html | title = Fethard - A Guide to the Medieval Town | last = O'Keefe |first = Tadhg | publisher = Fethard Historical Society | isbn = 9780951816813 | year = 1997 | via = fethard.com }}</ref> While the low hill, on which the town stands, may have been the location of a pre-Norman church, the first evidence of significant settlement dates from 1201, when a Norman lord, likely William de Braose, settled here.<ref name="okeefe"/>

Fethard was laid-out with a market area, a church and graveyard, and a regular pattern of streets.<ref name="okeefe"/> Its economy was supported by the area's arable farmland. Fethard's founding charter gave it the status of a 'borough' and provided it with a constitution. Under this constitution, the town's people (burgesses) had fixed annual rents, access to a court, and defined fines for certain offences.<ref name="okeefe"/>

thumb|North Gate The town and lands of Fethard passed out of William de Braose's hands in 1208 following a dispute with King John.<ref name="okeefe"/> In 1215 Fethard was granted to the archbishops of Cashel, and it remained part of the archepiscopal estates until the 16th century.<ref name="okeefe"/> At the start of the 14th century, an Augustinian Friary was established outside the town.<ref name="okeefe"/>

Because of some lawlessness in the town's hinterland (marked, for example, when the nearby woods of Thomas de St Aubin were cleared because some travelling merchants had been robbed or killed), defensive walls were built around Fethard and other towns in the area. The first reference to the walling of Fethard dates to 1292 when the king allowed levies to be applied (over seven years) on items sold in the town, with the collected funds allocated to "the inclosing of their vill and the greater security of Ireland".<ref name="okeefe"/> Records of money still being collected (to fund wall building) date to the 14th century,<ref name="okeefe"/> with another grant issued for Fethard in 1375. This grant specified that stone walls were to be built, suggesting that the earlier town walls were made of earth and timber.<ref name="okeefe"/>

thumb|Defensive wall along the northern bank of the Clashawley River The town received a royal charter from Edward VI in 1552–3, allowing it a corporation in perpetuity, composed of one Sovereign, one Provost, Burgesses and inhabitants.<ref name="okeefe"/> The next royal charter was issued in 1608.<ref name="okeefe"/> A figure in the attainment of this second charter was Sir John Everard.<ref name="ball1926">Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' John Murray London 1926 pp.227-8</ref> John Everard, a lawyer and member of a local landed family, served the Butler clan and Earl of Ormond. His performances as a justice in the Earl's liberty of Tipperary saw him appointed by Elizabeth I as Second Justice of the Court of King's Bench (Ireland) in 1602.<ref name="ball1926"/> Although the Everards were Catholic, John Everard (by this time "Sir" John Everard) pledged allegiance to the Crown, and when he surrendered all his property to the Crown in 1607, it was immediately granted back to him. His good favour with the Crown was a factor in Fethard attaining a new charter in 1608.<ref name="okeefe"/>

[[File:Town Hall, Fethard, Co. Tipperary - geograph.org.uk - 207562.jpg|thumb|Fethard Town Hall, built as an almshouse c. 1610]]In the new charter, the town was described as "a place of strength surrounded with a fair strong wall", and under its terms, the town's corporation was renewed and enlarged.<ref name="okeefe"/> The Fethard corporation was directed to build "a Tholsel (common Hall) for assemblies"; this led to the construction of some almshouses, which developed to become Fethard Town Hall.<ref name="okeefe"/>

During the 17th century, the town was subject to two significant threats. The first was by the army of Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin, and followed his Sacking of Cashel in 1647. When news of the massacre at Cashel reached Fethard, its citizens submitted to Inchiquin. Three years later, in 1650, Oliver Cromwell marched on Fethard on his way to besiege and take Kilkenny. In a letter, Cromwell described Fethard as "having a very good wall with round and square bulwarks, after the old manner of fortification". Referring to the nearby Augustinian Friary, he wrote that he had stationed troops "in an old abbey in the suburbs". As with Inchiquin, the citizens of Fethard also agreed to terms of surrender with Cromwell.<ref name="ball1926"/>

By the 18th century, some parts of the town were in a state of decay, with the corporation's books for 1718 noting that 56 people had houses with dangerous chimneys.<ref>Michael O'Donnell, ''Tipperary Historical Journal'' (1988), pp. 22–38.</ref> In the same period, the Everard family's involvement with Fethard came to an end when the last Baronet, Sir Redmond Everard, 4th Baronet, who lived in France, sold his family's properties in Fethard in 1725. The new landowner, Mr Barton (a wine merchant from Bordeaux), replaced the old Everard mansion with a new house, which in turn became a military barracks early in the 19th century.<ref name="okeefe"/>

During the 19th century, the remaining medieval fabric of the town was largely demolished, with all but one of the town's gates removed. The west tower of the Augustinian Friary was removed in 1835.<ref name="okeefe"/>

Despite some demolition works, much of the town's defensive walls remain,<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.tipperary.com/sites/default/files/files/Fethard_Historic_Town_Walls_Conservation_and_Management_Plan.pdf |work = Conservation & Management Plan | title = Fethard Historic Town Walls | date = June 2009 | access-date = 6 November 2019 }}</ref> making it one of the "best example[s] of a medieval walled town in Ireland".<ref name="wallstourism">{{cite web|url = https://www.tipperary.com/fethard-town-walls | website = tipperary.com |publisher = Tipperary Tourism Company | title = Fethard Town Walls | access-date = 6 November 2019 }}</ref> In some areas the remaining walls rise to a height of {{convert|7.8|m|ft}}.<ref name="wallstourism"/>

==Economy== According to Tipperary County Council's 2017 "Settlement Plan for Fethard", the economy and employment within the town are "linked deeply with the heritage of the Town, the surrounding agricultural hinterlands and the equine industry".<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.tipperarycoco.ie/sites/default/files/Fethard%20Settlement%20Plan%202017.pdf%20-%20Adobe%20Acrobat_1.pdf | publisher = Tipperary County Council | website = tipperarycoco.ie | title = Settlement Plan for Fethard, Co Tipperary | date = April 2017 | access-date = 6 November 2019 }}</ref> Heritage tourism marketing for the area focuses on the town's medieval defensive walls and the area's association with horse-racing and breeding.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.tipperary.com/location/fethard | publisher = Tipperary Tourism Company | website = tipperary.com | title = Fethard Tourism Attractions | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191106021936/https://www.tipperary.com/location/fethard | archive-date = 6 November 2019 }}</ref>

== Sport == The town is also known in the thoroughbred horse racing industry as the home of Coolmore Stud and of the stables of Michael "Mouse" Morris. McCarthy's Hotel was the home of Dick McCarthy, a professional jockey of the early 20th century, who rode ''Savernake'' in the 1930 Grand National.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fethard.com/research/dick_mc.html|title=Looking into local history: The Fethard Story|publisher=Fethard.com|access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref>

Fethard GAA Club plays at Fethard GAA Park, formerly known as the Barrack Field. The club holds 21 senior county Gaelic football titles, more than any other team in the county.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kenny|first=Joe|title=Fethard GAA Club|url=http://fethard.com/organ/GAA.html|publisher=Fethard At Your Fingertips|access-date=5 October 2012}}</ref>

==Transport== The Thurles-Clonmel bus route, operated by Bernard Kavanagh & Sons/The Shamrock Bus Company, serves Fethard.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.bkavcoaches.com/html/timetable.html | website = bkavcoaches.com | title = Scheduled Bus Timetables | access-date = 3 November 2019}}</ref>

The nearest station is Clonmel railway station, approximately 13 kilometres away.<ref>{{cite web |title=Timetable: Dublin/Waterford – Clonmel – Limerick Jctn – Galway/Cork/Dublin – Monday – Saturday (excluding public holidays) |url=http://www.irishrail.ie/media/12-WaterfordLimerick1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116195115/http://www.irishrail.ie/media/12-WaterfordLimerick1.pdf |archive-date=2013-01-16 |publisher=Iarnród Éireann}}</ref>

== Culture == The Fethard Medieval Festival takes place annually in June. A parade runs through the main street that culminates in Valley Park centred on the River Clashawley, next to the town's medieval walls. Activities in the festival include amusements, workshops, craft demonstrations, archery, live music, and food stalls.<ref name=Kenny>{{cite web|last=Kenny|first=Joe|title=Medieval Festival|url=http://fethard.com/walledtown/index.html|work=Fethard News|access-date=20 March 2012}}</ref>

Fethard was used as a location for the 2011 film ''Stella Days'', based on a book by Michael Doorley about life in Borrisokane during the 1950s.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.irishcentral.com/ent/Martin-Sheen-set-to-film-Stella-Days-in-Tipperary-106505908.html | website = irishcentral.com | title = Martin Sheen set to film 'Stella Days' in Tipperary | date = 2 November 2010 | access-date = 3 November 2019 }}</ref><ref name=Butler>{{cite web|last=Butler|first=Tony|title=South Tipp Today|url=http://www.southtipptoday.ie/news/local/filming_in_tipp_commences_this_week_for_sheen_flick_stella_days_1_1921779|publisher=South Tipp Today|access-date=20 March 2012}}</ref>

== Notable people == {{See also|Category:People from Fethard, County Tipperary}} * Thomas Francis Bourke (1840-1889), Fethard-born Irish soldier who fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War and was later a figure in the Fenian Brotherhood.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 2009 |title=Bourke, Thomas Francis |url=https://www.dib.ie/biography/bourke-thomas-francis-a0807 |website=Dictionary of Irish Biography}}</ref> * Thomas Bray, Archbishop of Cashel (1792–1820)<ref>{{cite web|url = https://fethard.com/people/more_web_articles/walk_around_fethard.html | website = fethard.com | title = A Walk Around Fethard By Michael O'Donnell | access-date = 3 November 2019 }}</ref> * John Butler, 12th Baron Dunboyne was buried in the Augustinian friary, Fethard <ref>{{Cite ODNB|id=4196|title=Butler, John, styled twelfth Baron Dunboyne (1731–1800)}}</ref> * John J. Cantwell, Archbishop of Los Angeles, attended the Patrician Brothers Monastery National School, and the nearby Classical Academy<ref name="CSHM1">{{cite web |url=http://www.cshm.org/jjcantwell.html |title=Cantwell High School |access-date=2010-10-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919060752/http://cshm.org/jjcantwell.html |archive-date=2010-09-19 }}</ref> * John Magnier, owner of Coolmore Stud, is based in Fethard<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/rich-list-2019/profiles/john-magnier-37749066.html| publisher = Independent News & Media | work = independent.ie | title = Rich List 2019 - Profiles - John Magnier | access-date = 3 November 2019 }}</ref> * Mouse Morris, Irish racehorse trainer, is based in Fethard<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.tipperarylive.ie/news/sport/307629/good-news-for-tipp-trainer-mouse-morris-with-extra-horse-added-late-to-aintree-national.html| publisher = Tipperary Live | website = tipperarylive.ie | title = Good news for Tipp trainer Mouse Morris with extra horse added late to Aintree National | date = 13 April 2018 | access-date = 3 November 2019}}</ref> * Patrick Mary O'Donnell, Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia (1965–73), born in Fethard<ref>{{cite web | title = Patrick Mary O'Donnell | url= https://fethard.com/people/bishop.html | website = fethard.com | access-date = 21 December 2022}}</ref> * George Plant (1904-1942), Irish Republican Army member executed in 1942.<ref name="dibPlant">{{cite journal |url=https://www.dib.ie/biography/plant-george-a7360 |title=Plant, George |last=White |first=Lawrence |date=October 2009 |journal=Dictionary of Irish Biography |publisher=Royal Irish Academy |access-date=29 November 2023 | doi = 10.3318/dib.007360.v1 |doi-access=free }}</ref> * William Tirry (1609–1654), executed during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland and buried in the former Augustinian Priory at Fethard, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1992 as one of the Irish Catholic Martyrs.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Irish Martyrs |date=2005 |publisher=Four Courts Press |editor-last1=Cornish |editor-first1=Patrick J. |place=Dublin |pages=176–183 |editor-last2=Millet |editor-first2=Benignus}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category|Fethard, County Tipperary}} {{Wikivoyage|Fethard}} * [http://www.fethard.com Fethard website]

Category:Parishes of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly Category:Civil parishes of Middle Third (County Tipperary barony) Category:Towns and villages in County Tipperary