Profound sadness at passing of a much-loved legendary Clonmel figure

There was an outpouring of grief and a deep sense of loss for the town of Clonmel following the passing of Carrie Acheson on Monday.
A much-loved and legendary figure of business, political and community life in Clonmel and well beyond, Carrie Acheson was a trailblazer, a powerful and successful achiever at whatever role she took on.

A formidable person of great substance and decency, Carrie Acheson was a very proud Clonmel woman who held her Tipperary heritage close to her heart.

A lady of impeccable style and an engaging personality, Carrie endeared herself to all who knew her.
Known for calling a spade a spade, Carrie had a unique persuasive charm that she put to good use throughout her life to bring people with her in business, politics and community activism.

Carrie’s funeral will arrive at St Mary’s Church, Irishtown, this morning, Thursday (19th) at 11.45am for Requiem Mass at 12 noon.

Against all the odds Carrie became the first female TD to be elected to Dáil Éireann from the Tipperary South constituency in the 1981 General Election.
She made history along with her sister Tras, who was elected to Seanad Éireann. They became the first sisters to be elected to the Oireachtas at the same time.

Carrie was the first female Alderman to be elected to Clonmel Corporation in 1974, she was also elected to Tipperary County Council at the same time, and she became Mayor of Clonmel in 1980.

She passed away on Monday at Tipperary University Hospital after a brief illness.
The tributes were led by Tánaiste Micheál Martin who said Carrie had an infectious and warm personality.
“She was an able and determined public representative, a true community activist, always caring for and advocating on behalf of her constituents,” said the Tánaiste.

Carrie was born in Thurles in September 1934. Her father Matt was an engineer in the local sugar factory and her mother, Connie, was a Ryan from Thomastown.
She was part of a close knit Barlow family that consisted of her brothers Sean, Con and Aidan and sisters Tras, Dymphna Nancy and Clare.

She is survived by her Aidan, Tras and Clare. Her husband Hugh passed away in 2009.
Carrie immersed herself in the family business at a young age.

She went into Barlo Farm Machinery in Emmet Street in Clonmel in the mid-50s running the stores.
It was there that she developed a great bond with the farming community that she maintained for all of her life.
Barlo Farm Machinery, which her brother Sean had established and Barlo Heating, which her brother Aidan had established, both moved down to sites on the Davis Road in 1969.

Carrie was a director of both companies and she was primarily involved in BFM as a full time employee.
She stepped back from full time involvement in business when elected to the 22nd Dáil but she remained a director of BFM into the late-80s where a lot of her work was taken up with working with the subsidiaries of the company.

Prior to her election to the Dáil, Carrie enjoyed her work as an Alderman of Clonmel Corporation and being a member of Tipperary South County Council.
She had a way of relating to everybody and worked tirelessly to help people get housing and to apply pressure in her own inimitable style to persuade officials to get repairs carried out for the tenants of council houses.
She was deeply upset by the abolition of Clonmel Corporation in 2013.

DAIL EIREANN
Speaking to The Nationalist at the opening of a 100 Years of Women in Politics and Public Life exhibition at the Main Guard in 2021 which marked the achievements of female TDs, Carrie candidly admitted to enjoying local politics and the work involved with the people of the town more than she did being a TD.

On a visit to the exhibition Carrie said that she was honoured to be elected to Dáil Éireann but she soon realised that it was not for her as she found it very difficult to take herself away from her family in Clonmel for so long every week and when she returned at weekends found she was obliged to carry out a lot of clinics and constituency work.
“Of course I was honoured to be elected. I wanted to go in 1977 but it did not work out and in 1981 there was an expectation that I would go. I did not take to it because I was too long away from my only child and my husband who was farming,” said Carrie.

The following year when another General Election was called Carrie approached Charlie Haughey and told him she did not want to go for election again.

The FF leader was having none of it and instructed Carrie to go, which she did but did not retain the seat.
She admitted to never having been an admirer of Haughey and pointed to Jack Lynch and Paddy Hillery as two of the leaders she looked up to most.
“I loved local politics, I loved helping people and at the same time I could continue to devote myself to the family and to work at the Barlo company. The Dáil was just not my scene. Tras was the born politician of the family and she went on to serve fifteen years in the Senate,” said Carrie.

“I was dedicated to my family, Barlos and the farmers and the Dáil took me away from all that. When I was in Dublin for so long every week I had no time with my family and I just did not want that,” said Carrie.
Carrie had a genuinely natural way of connecting with farmers. She took a keen interest in their families and there was a strong bond between Carrie and the farming community.
That powerful loyalty to farmers and her love of the agricultural community lasted all of her life through her association with the National Ploughing Championships, Clonmel Show and Tullamore Show.

Carrie was treated like royalty at all those events every year and she cherished greatly the friendships she developed through those events over the decades.
She was involved in all of those organisations up to the present day and prior to Christmas she attended a committee meeting of Clonmel Show where she presented cheques to recent Bursary winners.
She joined the Clonmel Horse Show committee in 1979 and succeeded William Carroll as President of the Clonmel Show Society in 2000.

Clonmel Show Society pays heartfelt tribute to the late Carrie Acheson

Her commitment to the show was all consuming and to prove this point she volunteered to ride in the Donkey Derby in the old showgrounds in 1981 when her competitive nature saw her break a few ribs in a fall approaching the finishing line.
She attended the National Ploughing Championships in Laois in 2022.
She was known as the “public voice” of the Ploughing Championships given her front of house role in the public address service.

Carrie was determined to attend in Laois with the return of the event again after Covid and showed great endurance to attend for three days of the ploughing.
Carrie had already booked her hotel for the 2023 Ploughing Championships that she was looking forward to attending.

In the 60s Carrie became involved in the 3rd Tipperary Brigade Old IRA.
Carrie was moved by how a lot of families of men who fought in the War of Independence were unable to pay for graves and burials. Carrie, whose father Matt fought in the War of Independence beside Dan Breen, set about raising funds to support those families,

She was very proud of her work with the Old IRA Commemoration Committee and was involved right up to the present day with that group.
She also used her business prowess to raise funds for another organisation, the Irish Red Cross.

When she became Irish Red Cross President in the early eighties, Carrie, realising funds were low, set about the task of drawing in funds to enable the organisation to establish a high standard refugee centre in Merrion Street.
She used her powers of persuasion to bring Prince Albert of Monaco, the International Red Cross President, to Dublin for a charity ball, which put the organisation in a strong financial position again.

Throughout her life Carrie had a deep passion for Tipperary GAA and took great pleasure in attending matches and following the fortunes of her beloved Tipperary.
She was also an enthusiastic supporter of Liverpool FC, a passion she shared with her son Brian.

Carrie also had an interest in horses and it was her decision to give Brian and his wife Carmel the present of “a leg of a horse” on their wedding day that was to lead to another magical chapter in her life.
She followed with great pride how successful Brian became in the horse racing industry through the Robcour brand with Cheltenham and many other memorable victories enjoyed to the full.

Carrie will be sadly missed by her loving son Brian, daughter-in-law Carmel, adoring grandchildren Courtney and Robert, brother Aidan,  Tras, Clare, nephews, nieces, relatives and many friends.