Fethard Fortified Town

Fethard comes from the name Fiodh Ard meaning 'the high wood'. The Anglo-Normans planned and constructed Fethard in the early 1200's. The area was chartered as a borough, giving it several advantages. Fethard had it's own court to set their own fines and fixed annual rents. The king granted Fethard to the archbishops of Cashel in 1215. Rents stopped being paid to the church in the 16^th century.

In 1552 and again in 1608, the town was granted a royal charter, which allowed a corporation to administer the business and legal matters of Fethard. The corporation consisted of one Sovereign, one Provost, Burgesses, and inhabitants. The Sovereign and Provost were elected once a year.

Fethard originally built a wall in 1292 to protect themselves. The king taxed items sold in the town to finance the wall. The first wall was probably made of timber. It was replaced in 1375 with a stone wall. There is evidence that the wall had been either expanded or rebuilt two times since then. The towers that were part of the wall each had a name. Since our photographs only show the south wall, there is Fethard Castle, Edmund Castle and Court Castle.

The 17^th century saw the arrival of Inchiquin and Cromwell. Inchiquin armies attacked Cashel in 1647 and Fethard surrendered to avoid a similiar fate. Cromwell took control in 1650 after Fethard negotiated the terms of surrender.