Walking Almost 20 years ago Emyvale Development Association prepared a number of Walks around Emyvale, suggesting that people could select one of them and complete the walk and watch out for the various sights along the way as highlighted by us. At the time we produced a little Booklet containing the Walks and I have decided to post the walks again and perhaps some might enjoy reading about them if not actually doing the Walking. We started all the Walks at the Leisure Centre. Walk 1 (4 Mile in Length) The Leisure Centre, which was built 1981-1985, on the site of a former Methodist Meeting House which had been erected in 1836. A Patrick Murphy taught a Hedge-school here for Catholics and Protestants in 1837. Opposite Centra is where the Old Emyvale Inn was and it was there that the Dublin Derry Mail coach stopped and changed horses and had food. Irish scholar, John O’Donovan, stopped there in 1835. The Oratory comes next on the left hand side. This used to be the Courthouse where Petty Sessions were held every fortnight. It was burned down by the Irish Volunteers during the War of Independence in 1921. On the opposite side you will see the High House where, in 1959 during renovations, a Bronze Age tomb was unearthed under the kitchen floor, which indicated that people lived here some three thousand years ago. Next you come to the Bridge at the bottom of the town where you will turn right. The present bridge replaced the Old Bridge in 1994.As you head out the road notice that the main river is on the left and the Mill Race is on the right. The Mill Race was built about 1810 to feed into Emy Lake to provide power for the Mills at Emy and Mullan. When you cross the small bridge you will have both rivers on your left until you come to the weir where they separate. The Hill on your right is Scarnageeragh Hill, which was one of McKenna’s seven hills and had a Ring Fort originally. Carry on until you come to a T junction and turn left here at Gola, formerly Woodlands Furniture and formerly McCreedy’s. It was a Scutch Mill before the furniture. Carry on to Drumully Bridge which was built before the Emyvale bridge. When you cross the bridge you will see a very attractive restored gate-house on the right and the walls and gate posts which were the entrance to the original Anketell Grove. Turn right her up the New Line. A large field to the left is called the Castle Field where McKenna had a Castle in 1592. You now pass through a beautiful weeded area with oak, ash, beech, sycamore, holly, laurel, etc etc. Turn a sharp right at the first house on the right. Look into a field on the left to see a mound which is called ‘the Cealdrach’ (burial place for unbaptised children) and there was iron smelted and weapons made here. Continue along the river past a house of the left and you will reach the ‘Blue Bridge’, which was erected in 1801 by Matthew Anketell and it is mentioned by William Carleton in ‘The Fair of Emyvale’. On the left of the bridge is where Hugh O’Neill’s army encamped on the eve of the Battle of Clontibret 1595. The field is called ‘Sigara’ ( The fairy Garden). Cross the bridge and continue to the end of the Line, turn right at the T junction, On the right in a clump of trees was a Famine Burial ground. Up the Hill and take the first right back towards Emyvale. At a fork in the road take a left and this will take you straight back to the village. As you go up the steep hill the ‘Back Lough’ is on you left and you pass the housing estates of Lake View and Oriel Park before arriving back to Main Street.

Walk 2. HERE