Carrick-on-Suir () is a town in
County Tipperary,
Ireland. It lies on both banks of the
River Suir. The part on the north bank of the Suir lies in the
civil parish of "Carrick", in the historical
barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of
Iffa and Offa East. The part on the south bank lies in the civil parish of Kilmolerin in the barony of
Upperthird,
County Waterford
County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...
.
Location
Carrick-on-Suir is situated in the south-eastern corner of South Tipperary, 21 kilometres (13 miles) east of
Clonmel
Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...
and 27 kilometres (17 miles) northwest of
Waterford. Most of the town lies north of the river in the townland of ''Carrig Mór'' (''Big Rock''), with the remainder of the town on the opposite bank in the townland of ''Carrig Beg'' (Small Rock). The town is connected to
Limerick and
Waterford by the
N24 road and a
rail link
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) is an American short line railroad holding company, that owns or maintains an interest in 122 railroads in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and formerly Australia. It operate ...
.
Carrick-on-Suir railway station opened on 15 April 1853. Two trains a day operate to
Waterford and two trains a day operate to
Limerick Junction via
Clonmel
Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...
,
Cahir and
Tipperary. There is no train service on Sundays. Several buses also run on this route. There is a recently refurbished riverside walk to
Clonmel
Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...
named the Blueway allowing visitors to walk or cycle along a scenic riverside path. This has recently been upgraded and replanted.
For the purposes of elections to
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...
, the town is part of the
Tipperary constituency.
History
Influence of the Butler family
Carrick-on-Suir (originally called Carrig Mac Griffin) was formed on an island settlement upstream of Waterford. The town remained as an island until the 18th century when small rivers were diverted to form dry land north and west of the town. The earliest known records of a settlement are dated to
1247
Year 1247 ( MCCXLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* War of the Thuringian Succession: The claims on the Ludovingians' inheritance after t ...
, when a charter of 3 fairs per year was awarded to Matthew Fitzgriffin, Lord of the manor of Carrick who was a member of the
Cambro-Norman nobility.
By the early 14th century, Carrick Mac Griffin had become home to a prosperous
Hiberno-Norman
From the 12th century onwards, a group of Normans invaded and settled in Gaelic Ireland. These settlers later became known as Norman Irish or Hiberno-Normans. They originated mainly among Cambro-Norman families in Wales and Anglo-Normans from ...
family - the
Butlers. The first significant leader of the Butler clan,
Edmond Butler
Edmund or Edmond Butler (March 19, or September 19, 1827 – August 21, 1895) was a United States Army, U.S. Army officer who served with the Union Army during the American Civil War and later became a prominent Indian fighter in the Great Plain ...
(a.k.a. ''Edmund le Bottilier'') was created
Earl of Carrick in
1315. However, his son James did not inherit the title. Instead, 7 years after the death of his father, he was created
Earl of Ormond in his own right. In 1447,
Edmund MacRichard Butler founded the first bridge over the estuary at Carrick-on-Suir.
Other notable members of the Butler clan were
Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond (a.k.a. ''Black Tom'') who built the Tudor Manor House extension to
Ormonde Castle and
James the 12th Earl and 1st Duke of Ormond, who founded the town's woollen industry in 1670.
Edmond le Bottiler erected two large, heavily garrisoned castle keeps named the Plantagenet Castle on the north bank of the
Suir, just east of what is now Main St. In the 15th century, a four towered castle was erected on the same site, two of which are now incorporated into the Elizabethan Manor House built by
Black Tom Butler, c.
1560
Year 1560 ( MDLX) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 7 – In the Kingdom of Scotland, French troops commanded by Henri Cleutin and ...
. The Manor House, where Archbishop
Dermot O'Hurley
Dermot O'Hurley (c. 1530 – 19 or 20 June 1584)—also ''Dermod or Dermond O'Hurley'': ga, Diarmaid Ó hUrthuile—was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cashel in Ireland during the reign of Elizabeth I, who was put to death for treason. He ...
, the site of the 1583 arrest of one of the most celebrated of the 24
Irish Catholic Martyrs
Irish Catholic Martyrs () were 24 Irish men and women who have been beatified or canonized for dying for their Catholic faith between 1537 and 1681 in Ireland. The canonisation of Oliver Plunkett in 1975 brought an awareness of the others ...
, still stands today, having been extensively refurbished by the State in the 1990s and is open to the public.
The town was also the inspiration for the 16th-century song, ''
Cailín ó chois na Siúire mé'', which is attested to as early as 1595 and mentioned in
William Shakespeare's ''
Henry V'' as ''
Caleno custure me
''Caleno custure me'' (also spelled ''Calin o custure me'') is the title of a song mentioned in Shakespeare's Henry V (IV,4). The context is on a Hundred years war battlefield, where an English soldier cannot understand his French captive and inte ...
''.
In
1649
Events
January–March
* January 4 – In England, the Rump Parliament passes an ordinance to set up a High Court of Justice, to try Charles I for high treason.
* January 17 – The Second Ormonde Peace concludes an allian ...
, the town was taken by English Parliamentarians during the
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland or Cromwellian war in Ireland (1649–1653) was the re-conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell invaded Ireland wi ...
. They captured Carrick by stealth after discovering an undefended gate as part of operations during the
Siege of Waterford. Irish troops from
Ulster under a Major Geoghegan tried to re-take Carrick but were eventually beaten off with the loss of over 500 killed.
In
1670
Events
January–March
* January 17 – Raphael Levy, a Jewish resident of the city of Metz in France is burned at the stake after having been accused of the September 25 abduction and ritual murder of a small child who had disa ...
the Butlers set up a woollen industry in the town. By 1799, the town enjoyed some prosperity from the woollen industry, fishing, basket weaving and other river-related businesses - the population reached around 11,000 by this point. In that year, a barge capsized on the river near the bride, resulting in the deaths of around 91 people. Over the next 120 years however, the town suffered from high taxes and levies imposed by the British on the woollen industry, leading to high unemployment, poverty and emigration. The
Great Famine also contributed greatly to the depopulation of the town.
20th century
With the coming of
Independence and the
Civil War, Carrick was initially occupied by the
Anti-Treaty IRA until the town fell to
the Free State army in 1922. By this stage, industrialisation had reached Carrick with the establishment of cotton factories and a local creamery. Most significant however for the economic development of the town was the arrival of the tanning industry in the 1930s, providing regular, dependable employment in the town for the first time. The local town council also embarked on building social housing projects in an effort to deal with appalling living conditions in the town for those economically disadvantaged. Despite these developments, economic opportunities were limited and poverty widespread - the town saw widespread emigration to
Dublin, Britain and further afield especially during the long recessions of the 1940s and 1950s.
The closure of the Pollack & Plunder tannery in 1985 caused immense hardship in the town, as a significant proportion of the population (Carrick's population was roughly 4,000 by this point) were employed there or were dependent on someone who was. Carrick suffered a prolonged recession throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, again leading the population to drop due to emigration - a fate
suffered by other small, rural Irish towns during the period. By the late-1990s, the economy of the town was on the upswing - unemployment had dropped, the
SRAM bicycle component factory had opened as had numerous small businesses, and the population began to increase again for the first time in two centuries.
Carrick's local infrastructure (in particular health and transport) still remains relatively undeveloped, due to its location on the border of 3 counties (and subsequent lack of political muscle both at county and national level), and the nearby larger towns of
Clonmel
Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...
and
Waterford. As of 2006, no large manufacturing operation remains in the town - the
SRAM plant closed in 2006, but Carrick continues to prosper economically. The population continues to increase, and the town expands with ongoing significant house building projects. The future of Carrick is likely to be that of a commuter town, servicing those working in
Waterford and
Clonmel
Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...
- a role it has been performing for decades.
Features and amenities
There are two theatres in Carrick-on-Suir, the Brewery Lane Theatre and the Operatic Society. While the Operatic society tends to focus on musicals, operas and pantomimes, Brewery Lane usually does dramas which can be serious, or often black comedy. Many of these are Irish.
River Suir
Carrick-on-Suir is the tidal limit of the River Suir. Carrick has a 1-in-50-year flood defence system with quay walls ranging in height from 1.2m to 1.5m. Currently, the walls give protection from flooding caused by high tides. Flooding still occurs along the Glen/Mill River and Markievicz Tce.
Landmarks
In 1447, a stone bridge was built, now known as the "Old Bridge". A new, more modern bridge (later named after
John Dillon
John Dillon (4 September 1851 – 4 August 1927) was an Irish politician from Dublin, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for over 35 years and was the last leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. By political disposition Dillon was an a ...
) was built in the early 20th century. The central part of the Old Bridge (and likewise the Dillon bridge) was destroyed by retreating
IRA forces in 1922 in an attempt to slow the advance of
the Free State army, but both were rebuilt by 1927.
The
West Gate on the street of the same name is the last remaining gates of the town wall.
Several, at times very narrow
lanes (Oven Lane, Cook Lane, Rowe's Lane etc.) leading off Main Street are testament to the
Medieval layout of the town.
Carrick's town clock was erected in 1784. A public park was created in the fair green in the 1860s. The town fair continues to this day, having been moved from the fair green in the 1920s to a new site just west of the fair green.
Churches
There are three Catholic churches. The largest church in Carrick Mór is St Nicholas' church which was built in 1879, replacing an earlier church of the same name built in 1804. In Carrick Beg are the small St Molleran's parish church (parts of which date back to the 13th century) and the larger
Franciscan friary. The
Franciscan order's presence in Carrick dates back to
1336 with the granting of land for a friary by the 1st Earl of Ormond. However, the suppression of monasteries by
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
led to the closure of the friary. Just prior to the invasion of
Ireland by
Cromwell, the friars had returned for an 11-year period, before being shut down again and the friars having to go underground to avoid persecution. It was not until 1820 and the onset of
Catholic Emancipation that the friars were able to fully return and a new chapel was built. The friars served the local community until the lack of vocations to the order led to the order finally leaving Carrick-Beg in 2006.
Before the
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...
, the
Church of Ireland community was relatively substantial. After returning to Ireland from
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
, famous 18th century
Bard
In Celtic cultures, a bard is a professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors and to praise t ...
Donnchadh Ruadh Mac Conmara briefly converted to
Protestantism and read aloud an
Oath of Abjuration
Abjuration is the solemn repudiation, abandonment, or renunciation by or upon oath, often the renunciation of citizenship or some other right or privilege. The term comes from the Latin ''abjurare'', "to forswear".
Abjuration of the realm
Abj ...
inside the Church of Ireland parish at Carrick-on-Suir. More recently, however, the former Protestant church on Main Street was abandoned until the late 1980s, but the church building and grounds have both been renovated and now serve as a heritage centre.
Sport
GAA is represented in the area by
Carrick Davins
Carrick is an Anglicised version of ''creag/carraig'', Gaelic for "rock", and may refer to:
People
*Carrick (surname)
* Donnchadh, Earl of Carrick (died 1250), Scottish Mormaer and first Earl of Carrick
* Marjorie of Carrick (1256–1292), moth ...
(named after the first GAA president
Maurice Davin),
Carrick Swans and
St. Molleran's GAA clubs. The former two play in the
Tipperary GAA area, and the latter in the
Waterford GAA area. The 1904
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition i ...
final was played in Carrick-on-Suir. The match was held on Maurice Davin's land on 24 June 1906 between Cork and Kilkenny. Kilkenny won by a single point, 1–9 to 1–8.
Carrick United AFC is a junior (non-league, amateur)
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
team that plays in the Waterford & District League. The club plays at Tom Drohan park, and has had some success in the Waterford & District League, Munster Senior and Junior Cups and also in the
FAI Junior Cup
The FAI Junior Cup is a cup competition organized by the Football Association of Ireland for junior association football clubs from the Republic of Ireland. The inaugural winners were Brideville. The competition's most successful club is Fairvi ...
.
An amateur rugby team, Carrick-on-Suir RFC, plays in the Munster Junior League Division II. The club grounds are located east of the town in
Tybroughney, County Kilkenny.
There is an 18-hole golf club, golf driving range, and swimming pool in the area. Castleview Lawn Tennis Club has four artificial grass courts, and Carrick-on Suir Handball and Racquetball Club is at Davin Park Indoor courts, Clonmel Road.
In cycling,
Sean Kelly and
Sam Bennett are both from the town, both of whom have won the
points classification in the Tour de France. The town is home to the Carrick Wheelers road club.
There are also two boxing clubs (Carrick-on-Suir Boxing Club and St. Nicholas Boxing Club) and a triathlon club.
1986 English Greyhound Derby
The 1986 Daily Mirror Greyhound Derby took place during May and June with the final being held on 30 June 1986 at Wimbledon Stadium. The winner was Tico and the winning owner Alan Smee received £25,000. The competition was sponsored by the Dail ...
champion
Tico was born in the town.
Clubs and societies
The Carrick-on-Suir Musical Society (formed in 1943) is a musical and amateur operatic society. The Musical Society bought and refurbished the Strand Theatre on Main Street in 2003 for use by the Society. The Brewery Lane Drama Society (formed in 1955) performs several productions a year at their 75-person capacity theatre, which was formerly a malt house owned by
Smithwicks
Smithwick's () is an Irish red ale-style beer.
Smithwick's brewery was founded in Kilkenny in 1710 by John Smithwick and run by the Smithwick family of Kilkenny until 1965 when it was acquired by Guinness, now part of Diageo. The Kilkenny b ...
.
The
Irish Traction Group is based in Carrick-on-Suir, where restoration work is carried out on vintage diesel locomotives.
Carrick-on-Suir also has a Republican Flute Band which plays at many Irish Republican and
Sinn Féin events.
Carrick Swim Club (Carrick Dippers) use the Sean Kelly Sports Centre as their base.
Notable people
Notable people from the town include:
*
Dorothea Herbert
Dorothea Herbert (c.1767–1829) was an Irish diarist and poet. Her ''Retrospections'', (original title: ''Retrospections of an Outcast, or the Reflections of Dorothea Herbert written in Retirement'') first published in two volumes in 1929-3 ...
(1770–1829), writer
*
Clancy Brothers, folk music group
**
Paddy Clancy, singer,
harmonicist
**
Tom Clancy, singer, actor,
**
Bobby Clancy, singer and banjo, guitar, harmonica, and
bodhrán player
**
Liam Clancy, singer,
guitarist
A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...
,
concertina player
*
Finbarr Clancy, singer, guitar, banjo, flute and bass with folk group
The High Kings.
*
Maurice Davin, first President of the
Gaelic Athletic Association, 1884–1887
*
Michael Anthony Fleming, Roman Catholic bishop of St John's, Newfoundland
*
Daryl Kavanagh, footballer for
St Patrick's Athletic
St Patrick's Athletic Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Lúthchleas Phádraig Naofa) is a professional Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the Irish Premier Division. Founded in May 1929, they played origin ...
*
Sean Kelly, cyclist
*
Gertrude Kelly
Gertrude Bride Kelly (10 February 1862 – 24 February 1934) was a prominent New York City surgeon and suffragette, labour and social activist, Irish independence supporter, and anarchist.
Early life
Born Gertrude B. Kelly was born Brigid Kelly ...
, doctor and activist
*
Sam Bennett, cyclist
*
Tom Kiely, Olympic decathlon gold medalist at the
1904 Summer Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended s ...
, from Ballyneale, just outside the town.
*
John Lonergan
John Lonergan (April 7, 1839–August 6, 1902) was a captain in the Union Army and a Medal of Honor recipient for his actions in the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Captain, C ...
, recipient of the United States Government's
Medal of Honor
*
Fiona Glascott, actress
*
Mick Roche
Michael Roche (8 October 1943 – 7 December 2016) was an Irish hurler whose league and championship career with the Tipperary senior team spanned twelve seasons from 1963 to 1974. He is regarded as one of the greatest centre-backs of all time, ...
, former
Tipperary hurler
*
Gerard Hogan, academic, constitutional lawyer, former judge of the Irish High Court and Court of Appeal and former Advocate-General of the Court of Justice of the European Union. Current judge of the Irish Supreme Court.
References
External links
Carrick-on-Suir official websiteA history of Carrick-on-Suir from DiscoverIreland.ie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carrick-On-Suir
Iffa and Offa East
Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore
Towns and villages in County Tipperary