Fermoy - History

History

In 1791, the lands around Fermoy were bought by a Scotsman, John Anderson. He was an entrepreneur who developed the roads and started the mail coach system in Ireland. He designed the town and the streets remain much the same as they were originally built. His descendants, now living in Australia, have named a wine after the town which he established. A plaque and bust in his honour were unveiled by the town park in 2001.

Fermoy was the site of a major British Army barracks, when Ireland was under imperial rule. In 1797, when the army was looking to establish a new and permanent base, Anderson gifted them the land as an inducement to locate in Fermoy. Anderson and the town received considerable economic benefit from the arrangement. In 1806 the first permanent barracks, the East Barracks, were built. They were located on 16½ acres of land and provided accommodation for 112 officers and 1478 men of infantry, and 24 officers, 120 men, and 112 horses of cavalry. A general military hospital of 130 beds was also built. In 1809 West Barracks was built. This also had a 42-bed hospital. When both barracks were complete there was accommodation for 14 field officers, 169 officers, 2,816 men, and 152 horses. By the 1830 s this was the largest military establishment on the island of Ireland. The town of Fermoy expanded around these facilities and retained its British military facilities until 1922, when the Irish Free State was first established.

During the War of Independence, Fermoy was the scene of the first attack for arms by the IRA against British troops, during which Private Jones was killed. This resulted in several reprisals, most notably when British troops looted and burned part of the town centre. One of those who led the raid, IRA Commandant Michael Fitzgerald, was subsequently captured but never tried for the offence. He later became the first IRA man to die on hunger strike during the War of Independence.