REPLETE WITH HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

When Patrick and his disciples began the task of evangelising Ireland, they found no words in the language of Ireland that would adequately describe themselves, their buildings or their religious practices. Their solution was to borrow the appropriate Latin terms which were assimilated into Irish and, in the course of time, subjected to the rules of Irish pronunciation, spelling and grammar. As well as words for several kinds of church buildings, these Latin borrowings provide Irish with quite a list of of other well-known ‘church-words’.

Eglish is such a word and derives from the Latin ecclesia meaning “church”. Ecclais, (‘Eglish’ or ‘Aglish’, the Ordnance Survey versions of the word), was introduced into Irish in the early Christian era but the precise date is uncertain.

History

The Eglish History Society has been set up as a cross-community body, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to collate, celebrate and circulate in various forms the history of the area, to a much greater extent than ever before.

Heritage Trail

The Eglish Historical Society is establishing a trail of historic sites in the surrounding area. Each site will be marked with interpretative boards, which provide historical inforamtion of the respective area.

Genealogy

The Eglish Historical Society are keen to learn the genealogy of local families, both past and present. Why not use this resource to learn more about your family, or why not provide us with your family history?