William Carleton (1794 - 1869), the Irish novelist, spent some time in the North Monaghan area and received his classical education in a house, which was situated beside St. Mary’s Church, Glennan. In his writings he refers to the beauty around the Blue Bridge and wrote about ‘The Fair of Emyvale’. When the committee began to gather money for a Leisure Centre in Emyvale they organised a festival to raise public awareness. They called the festival - ‘The Fair of Emyvale’. Included in this was a competition for ‘Fairest Maiden’ and the first ever Fairest Maiden was Ursula McQuaid, now Slowey. In 1997, Monaghan County Council, at the request of Emyvale Development Association, erected plaques at the two sites to mark Carleton’s association with the area. Members of the Carleton Summer School hold tours to the area each year. The pictures below were taken in 2016 when the EDA had the original plaque reframed and re-erected on the parapet of the Blue Bridge. It was unveiled by Michael Fisher, Chairman of the Carleton Society.

Ms. Melissa Carleton, Victoria, Australia. She is the great-great-great granddaughter of the novelist and she is pictured here beside the Plaque at the Blue Bridge during a visit in September 1999.

Michael Fisher unveils the new Plaque.

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