Annyalla
Eanaigh Gheala

The Ireland's Ancient East
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Eanaigh Gheala · Co. Monaghan

Bright marshes. Between Castleblayney and Clontibret. St. Michael's church.

Annyalla (Irish: Eanaigh Gheala, "bright marshes") is a small village between Castleblayney and Clontibret in east Monaghan. It was designated as a census town by the Central Statistics Office in 2016 with a population of 228, down to about 205 by 2022. It is one of the smallest census towns in Ireland.

The main feature is St. Michael's Church, built between 1922 and 1927 and designed by architect William A Scott. The church is solid, quiet, a marker of the parish.

The landscape is drumlin. The walks are quiet. There is not much here except the parish and the landscape, which is the whole point.

Population

~200

Founded

Medieval parish

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Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

1922–1927

St. Michael's Church

The church was built between 1922 and 1927, designed by William A Scott and completed under the supervision of R M Butler of University College Dublin. It is a solid stone building — the parish marker.

1921

War of Independence

During the War of Independence, the area was the scene of several events involving the local 2nd Monaghan Brigade, 5th Northern Division IRA Battalion. On 25 May 1921, a member of the Black and Tans was wounded in an ambush in which the IRA unit seized a number of weapons.

2016

Census Town Status

Annyalla was designated as a census town for the first time in the 2016 census with a population of 228. This made it one of the smallest census towns in Ireland. The population has remained small.

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