| Fethard-on-Sea Fiodh Ard
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| — Village — | |
| Fethard Quay | |
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Fethard-on-Sea
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Wexford |
| Elevation | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| • Total | 326 |
| Irish Grid Reference | S793049 |
Fethard-on-Sea (Irish: Fiodh Ard), 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.
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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 Ireland in the 12th century. The remains of Norman-era earthworks and fortifications[2] 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.
In May 1957, Fethard-on-Sea found itself embroiled in controversy related to the Ne Temere 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.[3] 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),[4] before ending that autumn.[5] Cloney's husband himself was boycotted as he continued to frequent the Protestant shops.[6] Eventually the family was reconciled, with the daughters being home-schooled and not attending their parents' churches.[7] 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”.[8]
A movie, A Love Divided (1999) was made about the Cloney family, starring Irish actress Orla Brady as Sheila Cloney.[9] The film itself also proved to be controversial, with allegations of fabrications and historical misrepresentation,[10][11][12] and the omission of important facts relating to the case.[13][14] 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,[15] who was accused of antagonism towards both the Roman Catholic Church[16] and Irish Republicanism.[15]
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