Full house as Fethard hosts Decade of Centenaries lecture

Fethard Historical Society hosted a lecture entitled Fethard Military Barracks and the Revolution by Niamh Hassett in December.
The lecture attracted a full house at Fethard ICA Hall.

Michael Mallon, Chairman of Fethard Historical Society, opened the proceedings by welcoming all present and stating how delighted the society was to invite Niamh back to Fethard as part of its Decade of Centenaries programme.

Niamh is a well-known local Tipperary historian and curator of the Comóradh na nÓglach Facebook page.
Terry Cunningham, Assistant Secretary, spoke next, remarking that the full house attendance was testament to the interest in the topic under discussion.

He also mentioned the contribution made to the Tipperary historical archive by Niamh’s father, the late John Hassett – another renowned local historian.

Niamh opened her talk by stating that, for her, the Decade of Revolution extends from 1915 to 1925. Her lecture focussed on the events happening in and around Fethard up to and including August 2022, with special reference to the British Military Barracks in the town.

She began by giving an historical context for the building. The Everard townhouse occupied the site from the 13th century until 1752 when it was purchased by Thomas Barton, a wine merchant of Bordeaux.
The townhouse at this stage had fallen into serious disrepair and was demolished and a new building was erected on the site.

It became a temporary barracks from 1763 being occupied by a company of cavalry. In 1797 the house and surrounding fifteen acres was sold to the British military with the cavalry taking up permanent residence.
In 1805 there were 119 soldiers and 84 horses on site. By 1820, they had been supplemented with the Royal Field Artillery. As the Royal Irish Constabulary wasn’t established until 1822, it very much fell to the military at that time to keep order with the help of the local Yeomanry.

In 1911 there were 107 soldiers stationed in Fethard most of whom were English, with a few Irish, a few Welsh and one New Zealander.

Niamh’s deft delivery kept her audience riveted as she gave a comprehensive overview of events as they unfolded from 1914 onwards: the formation of the Irish Volunteers; Pierce McCann’s swiftly countermanded order to mobilise during Easter 1916; and local Fethard men D.P. Walsh and P.J. Henehan were arrested and sent to Frongoch, Wales.

In 1917, the local Volunteers were reinvigorated by Paddy Hogan and Patrick Ryan became Officer in Command, while in 1918 the proposed British Conscription Bill for Ireland failed miserably.
The conclusion of the First World War in November 1918 was followed by Sinn Féin winning a huge majority in the general election that December.

Niamh then went on to relate the tumultuous events from 1919 onwards, culminating in the burning of the Fethard Barracks in July 2022. Her comprehensive account painted a vivid picture of those troubled times in this part of the Tipperary and included lots of detail regarding the local people involved.

Following the lecture, Niamh invited contributions from the audience and a lively, informative discussion ensued. The evening concluded with light refreshments and further conversation.