Fenor, officially Fennor (), is a village in

County Waterford County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The village itself is quite small, consisting almost entirely of the local school, pub, and parish church. It is on the R675 road around west of

Tramore Tramore (; ) is a seaside town in County Waterford, on the southeast coast of Ireland. With humble origins as a small fishing village, the area saw rapid development upon the arrival of the railway from Waterford City in 1853. Initially, the to ...

History

Stone Age

Matthewstown Passage Tomb Matthewstown Passage Tomb is a passage tomb situated in County Waterford, Ireland. Location The tomb is located 1.6 km (1 mile) north of Fenor. Most of the surrounding countryside is visible, to the Comeragh Mountains. History Matthewstown Pas ...

, constructed 2500–2000 BC, lies a mile to the north of Fenor.

Early Middle Ages

Fenor Parish, which in medieval times was known as the Parish of Islandkeane of the Barony of Middlethird. Traces of Iron Age habitation can be found on the promontory forts of Garrarus, Islandkeane, Kilfarassy and Woodstown. The Deise were converted to Christianity by St. Declan from their worship of the sun god. St. Declan was himself the son of a Deise Chieftain and this conversion pre-dated the coming of St. Patrick by about thirty years.

Norman times

After 1169, the Normans made their presence felt when the lands of the O'Faolain chieftains of the Deise were taken by the De Paors. The old parish church of Islandkeane was built by the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

. After their suppression their property was taken over by the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...

. They retained ownership of church house and its lands until King

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

's Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Parish church

The first church in Fenor village was built in the early 19th century, possibly before 1826, on lands donated by Lord de la Poer of Gurteen, Kilsheelin. This church, called the Church of Our Lady of the Nativity, was smaller than the present church and seated approximately 250 persons. The architect Walter G. Doolin designed the present church, completed in 1894.

Fenor Bog

Fenor Bog Fenor Bog is a regenerated alkaline fen and national nature reserve of approximately in County Waterford. It is the county's first national nature reserve and the only extant alkaline fen in the southeast of Ireland. Features Fenor Bog was le ...

was formerly a raised bog where turf was cut. Owned by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council it was designated as Waterford's first National Nature Reserve in 2004. During the 2016 heatwaves in Ireland, Fenor Bog suffered a major natural wildfire incident that was contained by the Waterford Fire Department, leaving some of its area permanently burned.

Education

The first school in Fenor village was a slated building built in 1826 on marginal land at the edge of Fenor Bog. Lord de la Poer of Gurteen also donated this land to the parish. The school was fully paid for by local funds. There were 200 pupils on roll, 126 boys and 74 girls. In 1832, the Department of Education set up the National School system which would give free education to all children. This school continued to be used until 1946 when the present school was renovated and extended in 1986.

Sports

Fenor GAA Fenor GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the small east Waterford, Ireland village of Fenor. The club enters teams in both Gaelic football and hurling each year, both of which compete in their respective junior championships. Fe ...

has a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Fenor GAA pitch. The sport of road bowling is also played locally by Fenor Road Bowling Club, which is a overseen by the sport's national governing body, ''Bol Chumann Na hÉireann''.

References

{{County Waterford Towns and villages in County Waterford