The Village
In 1993 the adjudicators of the National Tidy Towns Competition described Emly as ‘a very impressive entry.’ That was in the early days of our involvement in that competition.
Each year since then the adjudicators have been lavish in their praise of the efforts made in beautifying the village and its environs and, at the same time, in highlighting the history of this ancient place.
In 2009 Emly was named as the Tidiest Town in Ireland.
Our beautiful and much admired parish church, dedicated to our patron St. Ailbe, is the centre-piece of our village. The nearby graveyard contains our most famous items of antiquity, St. Ailbe’s Cross and Well.
The village’s Four Seasons Park, the newly developed environmental garden and the planting done in and around the village are much admired.
An unique monument dedicated to our emigrants stands in the car park of the parish church. The names engraved on it are a sad reminder of a facet of our past history but are also, more happily, a focal point of remembrance for the families of emigrants who come to visit us.
In 2010 we celebrated the centenary of Emly National School. The architect of this building was George Ashlin who, almost 30 years earlier, designed our impressive parish church.
