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| A BRIEF HISTORY OF CARRICK ON SUIR
Carrick on Suir was one of seven walled towns in County Tipperary founded by the Anglo Normans following their conquest of Ireland in the 12th century. In medieval times, Carrick on Suir was the largest town in the County with 36 acres of land enclosed by the town wall, parts of the town wall are still to be seen in the Ormonde Castle and Castleview Tennis Club area. The town was named Carraig Mac Griffin after Matthew Fitzgriffin, Lord of the Tudor Manor. In 1309, Edmond le Bottlier came to Carrick on Suir and in 1315 was made Earl of Carraig. The Butlers were to become very influential in the subsequent history of the town and Edmond’s son was created Earl of Ormonde.
With the river Suir tidal to a couple of miles upstream, Carrick on Suir grew in stature during this medieval period and developed into a thriving market town. The Butler family set up a woolen industry, which added much to the town’s prominence and prosperity. In 1447, the first stone bridge across the river Suir was erected and is now known as the Old Bridge. In the 19th century, a sum of £600 was left over from a famine relief fund and the owners of the Ormonde Castle handed over some land, and a local committee decided to set up public parks and planted trees. The present day Town Park and Fair Green are very much admired and enjoyed by townspeople and visitors.
In the mid 1930s, the Hitchmann family who were involved in leather tanning in Eastern Europe, came to Carrick on Suir and established a tannery, naming it Plunder and Pollak.
The tannery prospered and exported finished leather all over the world. In the early years, over three hundred people – mainly male – were employed there. In the 1960s, on a recommendation from the Government at the time, four tanneries in Ireland in Carrick on Suir, Portlaw, Gorey and Dungarvan merged to become Irish Leathers, employing over a thousand people. This in time, proved to be a mistake and in 1985, Irish Leathers closed and Carrick on Suir became a black spot for unemployment.
From the latter years of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century, Carrick on Suir became a noted sporting town and produced many outstanding sportsmen. The Davin brothers were prominent in many sports including rowing, boxing and athletics, and Maurice Davin was one of the founding members of the Gaelic Athletic Association and its first President. Tom Kiely was a world athletic champion and won a gold medal at the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, U.S.A.
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