Fethard-on-Sea
Encyclopedia
Fethard-on-Sea or Fethard, is a village inn south-western County Wexford
, Ireland
on the eastern side of the Hook peninsula
. It is in the parish
of Templetown in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns
. Neighbouring parishes are Duncannon
, Ramsgrange and Ballycullane
.
in the 12th century. The remains of Norman-era earthworks and fortifications may be seen at Baginbun Bay, south of Ingard Point.
A 12th-century castle was built by Raymond le Gros
, which passed to the Bishop of Ferns
and was used as an episcopal residence. There is little evidence of the castle today. Alexander Devereux (the 16th century bishop of Ferns and Abbot of Dunbrody) is buried in St Mogue's Church (Church of Ireland)
Fethard was granted a charter by James I of England
and became a municipal borough, sending two members to the Irish parliament, before its dissolution. In 1798 a harbour was built and was a landing site for French troops during the revolutionary wars.
In modern times the main industries have been fishing and tourism.
The village has a population of 253. It lies in the electoral district of Fethard in the constituency of County Wexford
. It is bordered by the Electorial areas of Tintern, Rathroe (Ramsgrange) and Ballyhack
and the Bannow Bay estuary divides it and Bannow.
The name of Fethard, Co Wexford, was changed to Fethard-on-Sea following a loss of life at sea when the lifeboat Helen Blake capsized in 1914 on a service mission to the schooner Mexico off the Keeragh Islands. Nine of the crew of the Fethard lifeboat were drowned and just five survived. There was an outpouring of sympathy for the village and money came in from all around the world – however, a lot of it ended up in Fethard, County Tipperary
, so the name of the village was changed to Fethard-on-Sea to distinguish it.
decree. A Roman Catholic priest and his parishioners started a boycott
of Protestant-owned local businesses; a Protestant music teacher lost 12 of her 13 pupils, and the Roman Catholic teacher of the local Protestant school was forced to resign. The boycott was in response to the actions of a Protestant woman, Sheila Cloney (née Kelly) who had left both her Roman Catholic husband and the village, taking her two daughters, rather than sending them to the local National (Roman Catholic) School as her husband demanded. The boycott received national and international coverage through the summer (some TDs
regarded this as a case of kidnapping), before ending that autumn. Cloney's husband himself was boycotted as he continued to frequent the Protestant shops. Eventually the family was reconciled, with the daughters being home-schooled and not attending their parents' churches. In 1998, the diocese
's bishop referred to the boycott as “a very painful episode in our history” and asked for “forgiveness and healing from God, from all within the Church of Ireland community, and from all who have suffered in any way then or since”.
as Sheila Cloney. The film itself also proved to be controversial, with allegations of fabrications and historical misrepresentation,
and the omission of important facts relating to the case. Press criticism in Ireland focused on one of the movie's writers, Gerry Gregg, a Communist and former member of the Workers' Party of Ireland
, who was accused of antagonism towards both the Roman Catholic Church and Irish Republicanism
.
lorcan o brien is a coward
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
on the eastern side of the Hook peninsula
Hook Peninsula
The Hook Peninsula is a peninsula in County Wexford, Ireland. It has been a gateway to south-east Ireland for successive waves of newcomers, including the Vikings, Anglo-Normans and the English....
. It is in the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Templetown in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns
Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns
The Diocese of Ferns is a Roman Catholic diocese in south-eastern Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the Archdiocese of Dublin. The incumbent Ordinary is Denis Brennan....
. Neighbouring parishes are Duncannon
Duncannon
Duncannon is a village in southwest County Wexford, Ireland. Bordered to the west by Waterford harbour and sitting on a rocky promontory jutting into the channel is the strategically prominent Duncannon Fort which dominates the village.Primarily a fishing village, Duncannon also relies heavily on...
, Ramsgrange and Ballycullane
Ballycullane
Ballycullane is a small village located in the south-west of County Wexford, in Ireland.-History:Ballycullane Railway Station opened on 1 August 1906. In its final years the rail service consisted of a solitary train in each direction between Rosslare Europort and Waterford...
.
History
Now known as a fishing village and holiday resort, in past times Fethard was a place of some importance. It was one of site of Norman landings during the Norman invasion of IrelandNorman Invasion of Ireland
The Norman invasion of Ireland was a two-stage process, which began on 1 May 1169 when a force of loosely associated Norman knights landed near Bannow, County Wexford...
in the 12th century. The remains of Norman-era earthworks and fortifications may be seen at Baginbun Bay, south of Ingard Point.
A 12th-century castle was built by Raymond le Gros
Raymond Fitzgerald
Raymond FitzGerald , nicknamed Le Gros, was a Cambro-Norman commander during the Norman invasion of Ireland....
, which passed to the Bishop of Ferns
Bishop of Ferns
The Bishop of Ferns is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Ferns in County Wexford, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:...
and was used as an episcopal residence. There is little evidence of the castle today. Alexander Devereux (the 16th century bishop of Ferns and Abbot of Dunbrody) is buried in St Mogue's Church (Church of Ireland)
Fethard was granted a charter by James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
and became a municipal borough, sending two members to the Irish parliament, before its dissolution. In 1798 a harbour was built and was a landing site for French troops during the revolutionary wars.
In modern times the main industries have been fishing and tourism.
The village has a population of 253. It lies in the electoral district of Fethard in the constituency of County Wexford
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
. It is bordered by the Electorial areas of Tintern, Rathroe (Ramsgrange) and Ballyhack
Ballyhack, County Wexford
Ballyhack is a small village located in the south-west of County Wexford, in Ireland, on the eastern shore of the Waterford Harbour, which is the estuary of The Three Sisters.-History:...
and the Bannow Bay estuary divides it and Bannow.
The name of Fethard, Co Wexford, was changed to Fethard-on-Sea following a loss of life at sea when the lifeboat Helen Blake capsized in 1914 on a service mission to the schooner Mexico off the Keeragh Islands. Nine of the crew of the Fethard lifeboat were drowned and just five survived. There was an outpouring of sympathy for the village and money came in from all around the world – however, a lot of it ended up in Fethard, County Tipperary
Fethard, County Tipperary
Fethard is a village in South Tipperary in Ireland. It is located east of Cashel on the Clashawley River where the R692, R689 and R706 regional roads intersect. It is in the barony of Middle Third, and is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly...
, so the name of the village was changed to Fethard-on-Sea to distinguish it.
Ne Temere decree incident
In May 1957, Fethard-on-Sea found itself embroiled in controversy related to the Ne TemereNe Temere
Ne Temere was a decree of the Roman Catholic Congregation of the Council regulating the canon law of the Church about marriage for practising Roman Catholics....
decree. A Roman Catholic priest and his parishioners started a boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
of Protestant-owned local businesses; a Protestant music teacher lost 12 of her 13 pupils, and the Roman Catholic teacher of the local Protestant school was forced to resign. The boycott was in response to the actions of a Protestant woman, Sheila Cloney (née Kelly) who had left both her Roman Catholic husband and the village, taking her two daughters, rather than sending them to the local National (Roman Catholic) School as her husband demanded. The boycott received national and international coverage through the summer (some TDs
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
regarded this as a case of kidnapping), before ending that autumn. Cloney's husband himself was boycotted as he continued to frequent the Protestant shops. Eventually the family was reconciled, with the daughters being home-schooled and not attending their parents' churches. In 1998, the diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
's bishop referred to the boycott as “a very painful episode in our history” and asked for “forgiveness and healing from God, from all within the Church of Ireland community, and from all who have suffered in any way then or since”.
The film
A movie, A Love Divided (1999) was made about the Cloney family, starring Irish actress Orla BradyOrla Brady
-Early life and career:The second of four children born to Dublin publican Patrick Brady and his wife Catherine who had appeared in amateur productions at the Gate Theatre, Brady first became interested in an acting career after reading works by Germaine Greer and Simone de Beauvoir.Brady drifted...
as Sheila Cloney. The film itself also proved to be controversial, with allegations of fabrications and historical misrepresentation,
and the omission of important facts relating to the case. Press criticism in Ireland focused on one of the movie's writers, Gerry Gregg, a Communist and former member of the Workers' Party of Ireland
Workers' Party of Ireland
The Workers' Party is a left-wing republican political party in Ireland. Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970 after a split within the party, adopting its current name in 1982....
, who was accused of antagonism towards both the Roman Catholic Church and Irish Republicanism
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
.
See also
- Hook HeadHook HeadHook Head is a headland in County Wexford, Ireland located on the east side of the estuary of the three sisters rivers . It is part of the Hook peninsula and is adjacent to the historic townland of Loftus Hall...
- List of RNLI stations
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- Mervyn A. EllisonMervyn A. EllisonMervyn Archdall Ellison was an Irish astronomer. He was recognized as a world authority on solar physics and the effect of solar flares on the Earth....
lorcan o brien is a coward
Source
- Cassells Gazeteer of Great Britain and Ireland Vol I/II A–C (sic)