Fraher Field
With thanks to Waterford County Museum for supplying photographs for this site.
With the exception of Croke Park, Fraher Field has been the site of more All-Ireland Senior Hurling Finals that any other venue (hosted in 1903, 1905, 1907, and 1911). It is also an example of a sporting site in which the name of the grounds provides a doorway into Irish history.
Dan Fraher, for whom the ground is named, leased the land in Dungarvan from Captain Richard Curran in 1885 and developed it into a sports ground (known initially as the Gaelic Field) that was used for football and athletics. Occasionally Republican meetings took place there during matches. Fraher bought the land outright in 1912. He was an important sportsman and he was awarded the All Ireland belt for outstanding all-round performances which was competed for in the Gaelic Field. Fraher was a dominant figure on the Waterford County Board and became a national figure as a GAA player, organiser, administrator and referee (he refereed two Senior All Irelands on the same day in1892). He was also GAA trustee for many years, and, as guarantor, was mainly responsible for the purchase of ‘the Jones Road Field’, now Croke Park, in 1913. Fraher opened his own drapery shop at 17 Grattan Square, Dungarvan which was known as ‘The Gaelic Outfitting Store’. He was a member of the Gaelic League, he started Irish language classes in Dungarvan in 1888, and he was a collector of Irish manuscripts.
After Dan Fraher’s death in 1929, his son Monnie became the owner of the grounds. The Whelan family took over the custodianship when Monnie died. During the Whelan’s ownership major events such as Fr. Peytons Rosary Crusade, the Annual Dungarvan Agricultural show, John Duffy’s and Fossett’s circuses were held at the grounds.
In 1973, a special committee with officers of the Munster Council purchased the grounds for the sum of £40,000. This was paid for with a grant of £10,000 from the Munster Council, a special grant of £10,000 by the Dungarvan born industrialist, John A. Mulcahy, and £20,000 from the County Board. Following the purchase, dressing rooms and toilets were added. Significant redevelopment also took place in the 1990s and the grounds were officially re-opened as the ‘Fraher Field’ in 1995. The redevelopment of the grounds has continued, however the venue has been overtaken by Walsh Park in Waterford City as the most prominent ground in the county.
All of the photographs below are copyright Waterford Co. Museum.
Photograph 1: shows a Gaelic football match being played in the what is now called the Fraher Field. The photo probably pre-dates 1894 as the old style goalposts in the background were replaced by the modern type at this time.
Photograph 2: Dan Fraher photographed in his Dungarvan G.A.A athletic outfit at an unknown location.
Photograph 3: Dan Fraher’s Drapery Shop (The Gaelic Outfitting Store), Dungarvan.
Photograph 4: A hurling match at the Gaelic Field, Dungarvan. The venue is now known as the Fraher Field.
Photograph 5: A bicycle race at the Gaelic Field in Shandon, Dungarvan. The man kneeling with bowler hat and stick on the left of the photograph is Dan Fraher.
Photograph 6: A crowded Grattan Square and Bridge Street, Dungarvan on Munster Hurling Semi-Final Day. The match was played in the Fraher Field, Dungarvan between Tipperary and Limerick. Tipperary won and went on to lose the Munster Final to Cork (3-6 to 2-4) after two replays.
