Fermoy Field Club trip to Clonmel
On Wednesday, 18 May, Fermoy Field Club paid a visit to Clonmel and the surrounding district. Our first stop was at St. Patrick’s Well a short distance from the town. This has been a hallowed spot since at least Early Christian times, as is evident from an ancient stone cross thought to date from the fifth century.
While there are many holy wells in Ireland, this is one of the largest, with a great flow of water feeding a very large pond which might almost be considered a small lake. The site was extensively restored in 1969 on the initiative of the
Clonmel St. Patrick’s Day Society with generous funds from the Irish Israeli Society of South California and the billionaire, Armand Hammer (great-grandfather of the film actor of the same name). It is now a place of great tranquillity, well maintained and popular among the locals who still observe the custom of bathing their feet in the water.
The site includes a ruined medieval church where some members amused themselves in an attempt to decipher the Latin inscription on the tomb of Nicholas White by taking a crayon rubbing on a sheet of newsprint, and also by photographing the lettering under the light of a powerful torch. All were interested to note that the site formerly belonged to the nearby Cistercian abbey of Inislounaght, founded in 1151. It was from here that a group of monks set out in 1170 to set up another house, ‘far from the haunts of men’ like all foundations of their order, and established the Abbey of Our Lady de Castro Dei (perhaps best translated as ‘of the monastery of God’) at Fermoy.
After refreshments at the Talbot Hotel, we visited the Tipperary Museum of Hidden History and were shown around by Julia Walsh Drohan, the education and outreach officer. The display covers the whole county and includes artifacts from all periods. Items of particular note were the hoard of gold guineas and half-guineas discovered in 2013 during repairs to a house in Carrick-on-Suir and the uniform of the late tenor, Frank Patterson as a knight of the Pontifical Order of Pope St. Gregory the Great. Much interest was shown in the detailed exhibition on the War of lndependence in Tipperary. Another display covered the sporting history of the county.
A helmet and cannon ball recalled Cromwell’s siege of the town when his New Model Army suffered its heaviest losses on 17 May ,1650. His troops poured through a breach in the wall, only to be slaughtered by the defenders under Hugh Dubh O’Neill. We were not unmindful of contemporary events: the siege of Mariupol had essentially ended on 17 May, the day before our tour.
A relaxed stroll brought us to the Franciscan friary where we saw the double effigial tomb of Thomas Butler, first Baron of Cahir and his wife, Ellen, dating from the 1530s. The various parts of his armour are shown in great detail. Other carved tomb fragments showed various saints and a very fine Madonna and Child.
After a brief stop at the Main Guard we went north to Donaghmore to admire the Romanesque church with its richly-carved doorway and chancel arch. The nearby village of Lisronagh is itself of historical interest owing to a surviving deed which describes the extent of the manor there in 1333 and gives the names of the occupants.
In keeping with the tradition of the club, we returned to the Talbot Hotel to conclude our proceedings with a pleasant meal.
Contact details: Gerard Crotty 086-8334597 gerardcrotty1@gmail.com