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Walk 2 (2.5 miles).
From the
Leisure Centre
head down the
street to the
Oratory and
turn left onto
the Glaslough
Road. The Garda
Station used be
on the left and
hopefully will be
there again in
the not too
distant future. It was originally built in the early 1960’s
and moved from Main Street. The Hill on your left is
Derrygasson Hill which was one of the McKenna Seven
Hills. It was always called Bonfire Hill, as celebratory
bonfires were usually lit there to mark important events.
Greatest of these was probably the visit of Charles Stuart
Parnell to Emyvale in 1883. The River is on your right and
flowing ‘with’ you.
Derrygasson Lane forks up to the left and is an
alternative route for this walk and while shorter but
more difficult because of the hill climb it is also much
safer as the main road has little area to stand/walk in
when traffic is passing. However we continue on the Main
Road.
.75 miles out and Tully Lane is on your right. This leads
up past Emyvale GFC HQ, which was officially opened in
1990, to Tully Fort. It is all that remains of the McKenna
Headquarters from mid-twelve century to mid-
seventeenth century. The small bridge you would cross
as you enter Tully Lane is probably the oldest bridge on
the river but you stay on the Main Road and at the top of
the next hill turn down past Emy Lough. Emy, from the
ancient Irish clan “Uí Meith”, who settled here in the
fourth century, also gives its name to EMYvale. Emy
Lough is a well-known beauty spot in Co. Monaghan and
more so since Donagh Development provided a wonderful
Walkway around the Lough. The Lough has figured
prominently in song and story and it is also known as a
very popular place for swans to gather during the winter
months. It is also a wild-life sanctuary and the wild
ducks delight when they see people coming to the Car
Park area as they usually get something to eat. It is also
known that ducks should not be fed with bread.
Emy Lough was full of pike and other coarse fish but in
the mid-fifties the Fisheries Board, in conjunction with
local interests, decided to remove the coarse fish and
stock it with Trout. There were some exceptionally large
pike and eels taken from the lake and transferred to
other lakes. However it was impossible to clear the lake
of coarse fish completely and some pike survived and
occasionally cause problems for the trout. Fishermen
from all over come to Emy Lough and the local angling
club, set up by Emyvale Development Association, are to
be thanked for the work they do in promoting and
maintaining the fishing interests and developing the
Lough as an attraction.
The Lough was originally much smaller in size but when,
in the 1800’s, the Mill Race was formed the Lough
doubled in size and the Sluice was built to control the
amount of water needed to drive the machinery in Emy
and Mullan Mills. There was also a McKenna Crannóg on
the Lough but now under water where the island appears
when the Lough is low. McKenna had his HQ on
Portinaghy Hill after Tully was destroyed by the enemy in
1643 and the Crannóg was his place of refuge, if his HQ
was attacked. There was a special causeway to get to the
Crannóg from the far-right corner of the Lough and only
residents would know the path of the Causeway. Legend
has it that a Saint or Holy man had his ‘bed’ on the
Crannóg and some would claim that St. Enda is buried
there. It is also thought that the great Patrick McKenna,
McKenna chieftain, was also buried there in 1612.
Head on past the Lough and past Emy Lane on your right
and Connolly Furniture on your left, until you reach the T-
Junction. Turn left here and you will arrive back to the
village when you pass up ‘the Cassey’ to the Main Street.
The Cassey comes from the Irish word ‘Cabhsa’ meaning
‘a pathway’. Turn left again at Main Street to return to
your starting point at the Leisure Centre.