Fethard-on-Sea or Fethard () is a village in southwest County Wexford in

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 ...

. It lies on the R734 road on the eastern side of the

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. The coastline has a number of beaches. The peninsu ...

, between

Waterford Harbour Waterford Harbour ( gle, Loch Dá Chaoch / Cuan Phort Láirge) is a natural harbour at the mouth of the Three Sisters; the River Nore, the River Suir and the River Barrow in Ireland. It is navigable for shipping to both Waterford and New Ross ...

and Bannow Bay. The village had a population of 311 as of the 2016 census. It lies in the Fethard electoral district in the

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 ...

constituency. It is in the Templetown

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns The Diocese of Ferns ( ga, Deoise Fhearna) is a Roman Catholic diocese in south-eastern Ireland. It is one of three suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the Archdiocese of Dublin. ...

. Its main industries are fishing and tourism.

Public transport

Two Bus Éireann routes serve Fethard-on-Sea: route 370 to

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

via New Ross and a Tuesday-only route 373 to Wexford via Wellingtonbridge.

History

In the 12th century, Baginbun near Fethard was the site of Norman landings during the Norman invasion of Ireland. The remains of Norman people, Norman-era earthworks and fortifications may be seen at Baginbun Bay, south of Ingard Point. A 12th-century castle was built by Raymond FitzGerald, 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 of Ireland church. 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 this was a landing site for French troops during the revolutionary wars.

Village name

Long known simply as 'Fethard', the village became known as Fethard-on-Sea following events in 1914 when the lifeboat ''Helen Blake'' capsized. Nine of the lifeboat's fourteen-man crew were drowned during a service mission to the schooner ''Mexico'' off the Keeragh Islands. There was an outpouring of sympathy for the village and charitable donations were posted from around the world. To avoid this post from being misdirected to Fethard, County Tipperary, Fethard in County Tipperary, the name of the Fethard in County Wexford was reputedly changed to better distinguish the two.

Local businesses

There are three public houses in the village, a grocery shop and a number of cafes, B&B and a hotel that was refurbished and reopened in 2019. Local tourist attractions include Hook Head, Hook Head Lighthouse and Loftus Hall, further afield on the Hook Peninsula.

Fethard-on-Sea boycott

In May 1957, Roman Catholic villagers ("incited by the local curate") boycotted Protestant-owned local businesses in response to the actions of a Protestant woman, Sheila Cloney, who had left her Catholic husband and the village, to avoid being obliged to send her children to the local Catholic school. The boycott received national and international attention before it concluded. The family was reconciled, with the daughters being home-schooled. A film was made about the Cloney family and boycott. Released in 1999, ''A Love Divided'' starred Orla Brady and Liam Cunningham. A review of the film by the American Catholic League (U.S.), Catholic League organisation questioned the film's depiction of the Catholic Church in Ireland.">Catholic League: For Religious and Civil Rights: BBC Bashes Catholics in "A Love Divided"

References