McKenna
William
Carleton (1794 - 1869), the Irish novelist, spent some time in the North Monaghan
area and received his classical education in a house, which was situated beside
St. Mary’s Church, Glennan. In his writings he refers to the beauty around the
Blue Bridge and wrote about ‘The Fair of Emyvale’. When the committee began
to gather money for a Leisure Centre in Emyvale they organised a festival to
raise public awareness. They called the festival - ‘The Fair of Emyvale’. Included
in this was a competition for ‘Fairest Maiden’ and the first ever Fairest Maiden
was Ursula McQuaid, now Slowey. In 1997, Monaghan County Council, at the request
of Emyvale Development Association, erected plaques at the two sites to mark
Carleton’s association with the area. Members of the Carleton Summer School
hold tours to the area each year.
This
is Ms. Melissa Carleton, Victoria, Australia. She is the great-great-great granddaughter
of the novelist and she is pictured here beside the Plaque at the Blue Bridge
during a visit in September 1999.
