Date of Birth: 27th October 1940

Place of Birth: Rathvilly, Co. Carlow

Date Interviewed: 14th April 2009

Summary: Although he was born in Co. Carlow John Jude came to live in Co. Wexford in the 1960s and spent 19 years as a horticultural researcher at the research centre in Clonroche. He eventually married into a local family who ran a pub in the centre of the village. In 1976 he and his wife Ann renovated the building which was renamed The Cloch Ban. Sport has played a huge part in John Jude’s life – he’s been involved with the local GAA club for many years, is a leading figure in equestrian matters and is a director of Horse Board Ireland. He has produced and written a multitude of publications, often focussing on famous local figures, and was the presenter of a DVD production which highlighted the places, people and songs of Co. Wexford. He regularly reports on equestrian events for a variety of radio stations. During the interview he details some of the research he was involved in at the Clonroche centre, particularly in relation to soft-fruit growing, and laments the fact that Wexford is no longer a sugar beet-growing county.