Fethard is one of the many walled towns in Ireland. The town received at least four murage grants, the first one in 1292 when King Edward I of England made provision to the burgesses of Fethard for "the inclosing of their village and the greater security of Ireland". Another grant was received in 1375, then in 1409. Most of what we see today is probably the heritage of the grant received in the period 1450–1455 under the Lord Lieutenancy of Richard, Duke of York.
The efforts to make the town impregnable, though, failed, and in 1468 Garret FitzGerald attacked and burnt the town to avenge the murder of Thomas FitzJames FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond.
Prior to this fact, between 1456 to 1468, Fethard received a maintenance-and-repair grant, and another one was received following the burning, with restoration works between 1468 to 1480.
This section of town walls stands at the north side of the medieval walled town, where Pierce's Gate once was. Today it is just a 40 metre long stone wall with an array of bottle bank bins against it. The wall runs along the southeast-northwest (150°-330°) axis.
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