ST. MATTHEWS ~ EMPER ~ 2000 ["EMPER CHAPEL"] Click on the photo to see it in full size |
Distant Cousin, Anna Mary Drew, revisits her childhood school: IRISHTOWN SCHOOL ~ 1971 Click on the photo to see it in full size |
The two unimposing buildings shown above were both built during the pre-emigration days (1830's) of our Westmeath ancestors. John Drew and Rose Reilly and their parents would have witnessed the planning and construction of both buildings. Both were built of cut stone; and, most likely, our ancestors were involved in the quarrying, transporting, and laying of the stones. The family attended this church; and the children (including James Drew, our great grandfather) would have attended this school until their emigration in 1847. Emper chapel (left) is still in use as of the year 2000. In the 1971 photo at right, our distant (4th) cousin, Anna Mary Drew, sits atop the stone wall that surounds the "schoolyard" of Iristown school where she attended school in the 1920's. By 1971, the school had long since closed and was replaced by a more modern school at Milltown.
The photographed pages below are from a history of Westmeath and give interesting information about both Emper Chapel and Irishtown School. --DCD
