Roots

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, described people of Irish descent throughout the world as being the "Irish of the Diaspora."  This phrase recognises the right of the descendants of our people to regard themselves as truly Irish.

The forced emigration of the 19^th century decimated our countryside.  The population of Emly in 1841 was 4,400.  As we end the 20^th century our population is less than 1000.

Emigration has been part of our history.  The people who left brought Emly with them.  Its name is remembered by their families.  Its name appeared on many a tombstone and death notice in the English speaking world.

In recent years there has been a great upsurge of interest in the tracing of Irish roots.  This has also been reflected in the number of enquiries coming to Emly.


WHERE to BEGIN:   Were your folk from Emly?  This is where you should begin.  The parish records of the last century were relatively well kept.  They date back to 1809. We are also lucky to have our history well researched.  If you wish to get in touch, do so and we will try to help or point you in the right direction.  But please be patient.

EMIGRANT WALL: This wall was erected in August 2000 and honours the memory of those who were forced to leave our parish. The names of emigrants have been recorded on stone as a memorial to our people who made a new life for themselves far from Emly.

Families with roots in Emly are invited to have the names of their ancestors inscribed on this memorial stone. Each inscription entry will have a maximum of 40 characters (incl. spaces.)

Charge per entry £150 (Ir) or $200 (U.S.) The families of our emigrants will always get a special welcome in Emly.