Emly

Emly or Emlybeg (Irish place name|Imleach Iubhair|The Border of the Lake of the Yew Trees) is a village in County Tipperary, in Ireland, and is situated on the R515 Regional Road which goes west from Tipperary Town to Abbeyfeale, County Limerick. Emly lies 14km west of Tipperary Town and had a population of 278 in the 2002 census (the parish has a population of about 1,000 as it includes the surrounding countryside).

Name

The yew tree references pre-Christian history of Emly. Emly is one of the oldest centres of Christianity in Ireland and pre-dates the coming to Ireland of the National Apostle, St. Patrick. Up until the early Middle Ages Emly was the premier diocese in the south of Ireland. St. Ailbe is Patron Saint of the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. Tradition tells us that he preached Christianity in Munster before the arrival of St. Patrick and he is also associated with the founding of a monastery at Emly which remained a Cathedral city until the 16th century.

Monastery

It was the site of a monastery founded by Saint Ailbe, which became famous for its school and was also the episcopal see of a Roman Catholic bishopric, but this has been merged in 1715 with the Archbishopric of Cashel, its former Metropolitan, hence also known under the name of Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. It is further the title of a barony in the peerage of the UK, with the title Baron Emly, of Tervoe.

Transport

*Emly railway station opened on 1 January 1880 and finally closed on 9 September 1963. [cite web | title=Emly station | work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-10-13]

People

*Blessed Dermot O'Hurley was born at Emly about the year 1530. He spent much of his time working in Rome in the service of the Church. He was still a layman when in 1581, he was appointed Archbishop of Cashel. In 1583, O'Hurley arrived in a troubled Ireland. He never reached his diocese but was arrested, imprisoned and tried for treason. He was tortured and then executed.
*Blessed Terence Albert O'Brien was the last bishop of the diocese of Emly. He was captured by the Cromwellian troops after the siege of Limerick and with other leaders was put to death. In 1992 the Pope beatified Dermot O'Hurley and Terence Albert O'Brien.

ee also

* List of towns and villages in Ireland.

References

* [http://www.gcatholic.com/dioceses/diocese/emly0.htm GigaCatholic]
*Catholic Encyclopaedia "passim"
* [http://www.emly.ie Emly Parish Website]

External links

* [http://www.emly.ie Emly Parish Website]