Emly
Emly or Emlybeg () is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Clanwilliam. It is also an Ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. It is situated on the R515 Regional Road which goes west from Tipperary Town to Abbeyfeale, County Limerick. Emly lies 14 km west of Tipperary town and had a population of 302 in the 2016 census. History. Ancient times. 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. The Protestant cathedral functioned with a Chapter until the mid-19th century, when it was dismantled and its materials sold for construction purposes. The site of Emly  was in ancient times known as "Medón Mairtine", as it was the capital of an Érainn people called the Mairtine. After their apparent disappearance from the Irish landscape, the powerful Eóganachta are later found using the site for their chief church in early historical times. St. Ailbe's church. The large Catholic St Ailbe's Church was built in the 1880s and replaced the older church (built early 19th century) which is now used as the village hall. Monastery. Emly was the site of a monastery founded by Saint Ailbe, which became famous for its school. Emly was established as  an episcopal see in 1118 by the Synod of Ráth Breasail. In the Catholic Church, the diocese was merged in 1715 with the Archbishopric of Cashel, its former Metropolitan. The merged entity is today known as the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. In the Church of Ireland, the diocese, having formerly been united with Cashel, is now part of the United Dioceses of Limerick, Ardfert, Killaloe, Kilfenora, Clonfert, Kilmacduagh and Emly. Annalistic references. See Annals of Inisfallen Amenities and facilities. There is a shop on the main street of the village, with a smaller store (which also sells fuel) on  the outskirts of the village on the Tipperary road. There are five licensed premises in the village, three of which have regular opening hours. Emly GAA club is centrally located, with a large floodlit GAA pitch with a covered stand running its full length. It is near the National School. Transport. Emly railway station opened on 1 January 1880 and closed on 9 September 1963. Community awards. In September, 2009 the village won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition. In 2013, Emly came first in Ireland in the Energy Neighbourhoods competition. The community achieved a 37% reduction in home energy consumption