The late Carrie Acheson was an elegant, bright and uplifting legendary figure
Elders of Clonmel
She wore many hats in her lifetime, Carrie Acheson; they were as elegant, bright and uplifting as she was herself. Those hats now rest in the wardrobe department of the Abbey Theatre.
What do colourful hats, milking machines, politics, cattle, a royal prince, the Tullamore Show, ploughing, and the Clonmel Show have in common? One Caroline (née Barlow) Acheson, known affectionately as ‘Carrie’ to the Clonmel Show Society and all who knew her.
When Carrie died in January 2023 aged 88, the Clonmel Show committee gathered near Southview Veterinary Clinic to walk its beloved first Lady President down through Irishtown to meet her bereaved family and friends outside St Mary’s Church. Many in the guard of honour for our ‘Madam President’ (2000-23) wore hats.
CLONMEL SHOW
Carrie joined the show committee in 1979 a short time before she was elected as the first female Fianna Fáil TD for South Tipperary. She was the Mayor of Clonmel when attending her first show as a committee member in 1980.
Nine years later she was elected as the first ever lady chairperson of the Clonmel Show. Using her persuasive charm and astute business brain, she had every Clonmel Show class fully sponsored. Carrie’s background within her original family business, Barlo’s, enabled her to protect the show society’s interests over the years. She put the show on a sound financial footing.
In 2015, in her introduction to the 150-year history of the show she wrote: “Clonmel Show has given so much pleasure over the years to patrons, competitors and those of us lucky enough to be involved in running the event.”
Carrie, together with her fellow committee members, shared a vision that began in 1865 as a ‘cattle show’ by the Royal Agricultural Society of Ireland. Entries comprised 180 cattle and 85 horses, together with pigs and poultry. That shared vision culminates in town and country gathering on the first Sunday in July where there are now exhibition classes for cattle, horses, sheep, goats, home crafts, flowers, art, make and model, trade stands and pets, with entertainment, a food village and much more - a long way from 1865 and a legacy to which Carrie devoted 44 years.
BRAVE CHOICE
Carrie’s hats floated above the happy crowds over the years, calling a greeting to one and all. She loved to see people mix and gather, renewing friendships, sharing stories. She was particularly pleased when a hat wearer came into view and on one occasion was heard to call, “Nice hat Maura, brave choice.”
Her hand-written cards have a treasured place in the homes of committee members and patrons. With her distinctive larger than life handwriting, one would open the envelope to find: a galloping horse, a pedigree cow, a grazing sheep, a Claas combine harvester, a David Brown tractor, a hunting horn…signed C A R R I E. These cards arrived well before the Trojan work of show preparation began thus encouraging everyone to get stuck in. Cards and photographs would be sent to sponsors after the show thereby setting the seed for the next year. She knew the art of encouragement to her red painted fingernails.
PERSONAL NOTES
Personal notes arrived to so many with impeccable timing - one such to this writer in the early 1990s when three of our young children had chicken pox in the lead up to the show. Their Dad, Tom Acheson (a distant cousin of Carrie's husband, Hughie) and a longtime friend of Carrie’s, was busy with show preparation. He arrived home with a package from Carrie: three colouring books for the children, chocolates for me and one of her cards. My spirits lifted, the children’s father was released with smiles to his show duties - clever, kind lady.
Two of our four were able to repay her kindness decades later by stepping in as chauffeur when Carrie’s health issues required Madam President to be driven in a golf buggy on Clonmel Show Day. Photographs of her in a classy ensemble crowned by a well-chosen hat with her designated driver beaming at some witty remark would arrive days after the event with a warm ‘Thank You’ card.
COURAGE
Carrie’s courage in how she met her health mobility issues after Hughie’s death in 2009 was recognised when The Clonmel Show sponsored a boat for Clonmel Rowing Club in 2023 for adaptive rowing. It was named ‘Caroline A.’
In her younger, more physically able years as President she would appear on show day, in the morning in a slightly low-key outfit and matching hat. She would return in the afternoon in a more glamorous ensemble and equally stunning hat. Her presence was not decorative - she was checking with each section, making sure all was in order and that members and stewards were show-ready. Every problem had a solution and she valued the wisdom within the team.
Carrie admired and liked her Clonmel Show family even if some of them were of a different political persuasion or did not support Liverpool soccer!
She found common ground in a love of Tipperary GAA and farming and proudly said in an interview with The Farmers Journal in 2022: “I was bred, born and reared in Tipperary. I have been dealing with farmers all my life.”
In the words of Sheila Quinn, former show secretary and dear friend, the Clonmel Show saw their first ever lady chairperson and president as “one of a kind”. As president she worked right up to her presentation of Show Bursaries in December 2022, weeks before her death. She was conscious that a voluntary organisation thrived on the wisdom of its old guard yet required young blood to drive it forward into the future.
All through her 44-year involvement in the Clonmel Show Society, to quote Carrie herself, was family: “I was dedicated to my family, Barlo’s and the farmers.”
Heart central were her beloved husband of 50 years, Hughie, her son Brian, daughter-in-law Carmel and grandchildren Courtney and Robert who titled her “Grancar.”
She stated three goals during her rehabilitation from health issues which began in 2009: “Attend the Clonmel Show, the Tullamore Show and the National Ploughing Championships.”
And it was reported on her death, in The Irish Independent: “Carrie Acheson was known nationally as the voice of ploughing and tributes are pouring in.”
PRINCE ALBERT
For one enchanted evening she danced with Prince Albert of Monaco while wearing her hat as President of the Irish Red Cross (1981-84).
Reports of Carrie donning her fundraising hat for funeral expenses for some members of the 3rd Brigade of the old IRA in the sixties have surfaced together with the story that widows in Clonmel were each given a Christmas gift from The Mayoral Fund in 1980.
Picture the stunned faces of the owners of the chipper vans at the Fleadh Cheoil in Clonmel from 1992-94 when the magnificent Carrie arrived in full colour outfits with identical matching hats to collect fees. It is said they waited eagerly to see what she was wearing and enjoyed the banter.
This was during a time when Carrie was known to purchase her clothes from Clinton’s of Clonmel. On occasion she would buy an extra skirt or blouse to ensure her hat completely matched her outfit. She was crowned ‘The Queen of the Chippers’.
It is difficult to bring this posthumous interview to a conclusion with so many tributes and memories to choose from. When in doubt, opt for three:
LEGENDARY FIGURE
Eamon Lacey wrote in Tipperary Live: “Carrie Acheson was a trailblazer and a powerful and successful achiever at whatever role she took on. A much-loved and legendary figure of business, political and community life in Clonmel and beyond. A woman of impeccable style and with an engaging personality. Known also 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.”
Mary and Martin McAleese: “We send our condolences to Carrie’s clan on her passing. She was an elegant powerhouse and a woman we always loved to meet for her genuine welcome. God bless her dear soul.”
In her own words from a video interview at the National Ploughing Championships two years prior to her passing when the interviewer suggested she was “Some woman for the style and the Carrie Bradshaw of the farming world.” Way to go Carrie - she was aged 86. “Oh not at all, you just dress yourself up and come out on the day.”
LEGACY
She went on to describe her compatriots as “a plethora of friends,” adding “It’s the same as if we left each other only yesterday.”
A perpetual cup was presented at the Clonmel Show in July 2024 to honour Carrie Acheson’s legacy - and of course at least one member of the committee will wear a hat when presenting it.