County Monaghan

Coordinates: 54°14′38″N 7°02′24″W / 54.244°N 7.040°W / 54.244; -7.040

County Monaghan Contae Mhuineacháin
Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  The Drumlin County
Motto(s):  Dúthracht agus Dícheall  (Irish) "Diligence and Best Endeavour"
Country	Ireland
Province	Ulster
Dáil Éireann	Cavan–Monaghan
EU Parliament	Midlands–North-West
Established	1607[1]
County town	Monaghan
Government
• Type	County Council
Area
• Total	1,295 km2 (500 sq mi)
Area rank	28th
Highest elevation (Slieve Beagh)	373 m (1,224 ft)
Population  (2016)[2]
• Total	61,386
• Rank	28th
• Density	47/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC±0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode routing keys	A75, A81, H18, H23 (primarily)
Telephone area codes	047 (primarily)
Vehicle index mark code	MN
Website	www.monaghan.ie

County Monaghan (/ˈmɒnəhən/ MON-ə-hən;^[3] Irish: Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 61,386 according to the 2016 census.^[2]

The county has existed since 1585, when the Mac Mathghamhna rulers of Airgíalla agreed to join the Kingdom of Ireland. Following the 20th-century Irish War of Independence and the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, Monaghan was one of three Ulster counties to join the Irish Free State rather than Northern Ireland.

Geography and political subdivisions[]

Monaghan is the fifth smallest of the Republic's 26 counties by area, and fourth smallest by population.^[4] It is the smallest of Ulster's nine counties in terms of population.

Historical populationshow

Year	Pop.	±%
1600	2,988	—
1610	4,663	+56.1%
1653	5,801	+24.4%
1659	9,734	+67.8%
1821	174,697	+1694.7%
1831	195,536	+11.9%
1841	200,442	+2.5%
1851	141,823	−29.2%
1861	126,482	−10.8%
1871	114,969	−9.1%
1881	102,748	−10.6%
1891	86,206	−16.1%
1901	74,611	−13.5%
1911	71,455	−4.2%
1926	65,131	−8.9%
1936	61,289	−5.9%
1946	57,215	−6.6%
1951	55,345	−3.3%
1956	52,064	−5.9%
1961	47,088	−9.6%
1966	45,732	−2.9%
1971	46,242	+1.1%
1979	50,376	+8.9%
1981	51,192	+1.6%
1986	52,379	+2.3%
1991	51,293	−2.1%
1996	51,313	+0.0%
2002	52,593	+2.5%
2006	55,997	+6.5%
2011	60,483	+8.0%
2016	61,386	+1.5%
[2][5]

Largest Towns in County Monaghan (2016 Census)[]

1. Monaghan = 7,678 ^[6]
2. Carrickmacross = 5,032 ^[6]
3. Castleblayney = 3,607 ^[6]
4. Clones = 1,680 ^[6]
5. Ballybay = 1,241 ^[6]

Geography[]

Notable mountains include Slieve Beagh (on the Tyrone and Fermanagh borders), and (214 m, 702 ft). Lakes include , , , Lough Egish, Emy Lough, Lough Fea, Inner Lough (in Dartrey Forest), Muckno Lough and White Lough. Notable rivers include the River Fane (along the Louth border), the River Glyde (along the Louth and Meath borders), the Ulster Blackwater (along the Tyrone border) and the (along the Cavan border, linking Cootehill to Ballybay).

Monaghan has a number of forests, including Rossmore Forest and Dartrey Forest. Managed by Coillte since 1988, the majority of trees are conifers. Due to a long history of intensive farming and recent intensive forestry practices, only small pockets of native woodland remain.

The Finn Bridge is a border crossing point over the River Finn to County Fermanagh. It is close to Scotshouse.

Geology[]

Lead was formerly mined in County Monaghan. Mines included Annaglogh Lead Mines and Lisdrumgormley Lead Mines.

History[]

In 1585, the English lord deputy of Ireland, Sir John Perrot, visited the area and met the Irish chieftains. They requested that Ulster be divided into counties and land in the kingdom of Airgíalla be apportioned to the local chiefs. A commission was established to accomplish this and County Monaghan came into being. The county was subdivided into five baronies: Farney, Cremorne, Dartrey, and Monaghan controlled by MacMahon and Truagh by McKenna.

After the defeat of the rebellion of Hugh O'Neill, The O'Neill and the Ulster chieftains in 1603, the county was not planted like the other counties of Ulster. The lands were instead left in the hands of the native chieftains. In the Irish Rebellion of 1641 the McMahons and their allies joined the general rebellion of Irish Catholics. Following their defeat, some colonisation of the county took place with Scottish and English families.

Inland waterways[]

County Monaghan is traversed by the derelict Ulster Canal,^[7] however Waterways Ireland are embarking on a scheme to reopen the canal from Lough Erne into Clones.

Railways[]

The Ulster Railway linked Monaghan with Armagh and Belfast in 1858 and with the Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway at Clones in 1863.^{[7]:Map 8} It became part of the Great Northern Railway in 1876.^[7]:xiii The partition of Ireland in 1922 turned the boundary with County Armagh into an international frontier, after which trains were routinely delayed by customs inspections. In 1957 the Government of Northern Ireland made the GNR Board close the line between Portadown and the border, giving the GNRB no option but to withdraw passenger services between the border and Clones as well.^{[7]:Map 39} CIÉ took over the remaining section of line between Clones, Monaghan and Glaslough in 1958 but withdrew goods services between Monaghan and Glaslough in 1959 and between Clones and Monaghan in 1960, leaving Monaghan with no railway service.^{[7]:Map 39}

Local government and politics[]

2014 Irish Local Elections
Monaghan County Council

Party	Seats	Change
Sinn Féin	7	=
Fine Gael	5	- 1
Fianna Fáil	4	- 1
Independent	2	=

Monaghan is divided into four local electoral areas: Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, Clones and Monaghan.

The towns of Ballybay, Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, Clones and Monaghan are represented by nine-member town councils^[8] which deal with local matters such as the provision of utilities and housing.

For the purposes of elections to Dáil Éireann, the county is part of the Cavan–Monaghan Constituency which elects five T.D.s.^[9] In the 2011 general election, there was a voter turnout of 72.7%.^[10]

For elections to the European Parliament, the county is part of the Midlands–North-West constituency.

Politically, the county is considered a stronghold for Sinn Féin (left wing) which is the largest party in the county, followed by Fine Gael (centre-right).

Culture and architecture[]

County Monaghan is the birthplace of the poet and writer Patrick Kavanagh, who based much of his work in the county. Kavanagh is one of the most significant figures in 20th-century Irish poetry. The poems "Stony Grey Soil" and "Shancoduff" refer to the county.

Monaghan has produced several successful artists. Chief among these is George Collie (1904–75), who was born in Carrickmacross and trained at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. He was a prolific exhibitor at the Royal Hibernian Academy throughout his lifetime and is represented by works in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland and the Ulster Museum.

Monaghan was also the home county of the Irish writer Sir Shane Leslie (1885–1971), 3rd Baronet of Glaslough, who lived at Castle Leslie in the north-east corner of the county. A Catholic convert, Irish nationalist and first cousin of Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Leslie became an important literary figure in the early 1900s. He was a close friend of many politicians and writers of the day including the American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940), who dedicated his second novel, The Beautiful and Damned, to Leslie.

Monaghan County Museum is recognised as one of the leading provincial museums in Ireland, with a Council of Europe Award (1980), among others, to its credit. Located in Hill Street, Monaghan Town, the museum aims to reflect the history of Co. Monaghan and its people in all its richness and diversity.

The best of the county's architecture developed in the Georgian and Victorian periods and ranges from the dignified public spaces of Church Square and The Diamond in Monaghan Town to the great country houses of Lough Fea, Carrickmacross; Hilton Park, Clones and Castle Leslie, Glaslough.

Significant ecclesiastical buildings include St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Carrickmacross); the Gothic-Revival St Patrick's Church of Ireland, Monaghan town, and the St Macartan's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Monaghan town, by (1817–1882).

Economy[]

Agriculture is a significant part of the County Monaghan economy, employing about 12% of the population in 2011 (compared with 5% nationally).^[11] The county is the main source of egg supplies in the Republic of Ireland.^[12]

Notable Monaghan people[]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (October 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Literature and scholarship[]

• Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 – 30 November 1967) - Poet.^[13]
• Patrick McCabe - Novelist and member of Aosdána. Born 1955.^[14]
• Eugene McCabe - Playwright, novelist and screenwriter, also member of Aosdána. Born 1930, lives in Clones.^[15]
• Sir Shane Leslie, 3rd Bt (1885–1971) - Writer and political activist, 3rd Baronet of Glaslough and first-cousin of Sir Winston Churchill. Resided at Castle Leslie.
• Evelyn Shirley (1812–1882) - Writer and antiquarian. Resided at Lough Fea House near Carrickmacross.
• John Robert Gregg (1867–1948) - Pioneer of modern shorthand writing.^[16]
• Sir Tyrone Guthrie (1900–1971) - Writer, theatrical director and founder of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre.^[17] Born in Royal Tunbridge Wells, his maternal grandmother was from Newbliss. He settled at Annaghmakerrig House in Co. Monaghan late in his life.

Politics and military[]

• Andrew, 11th Baron Blayney (1770–1834), prominent military commander with the British Army, especially during the Napoleonic Wars. Also had Castleblayney, his estate town, rebuilt in the early nineteenth century.
• Sir Charles Gavan Duffy (12 April 1816 – 9 February 1903), Irish Nationalist and Australian politician who served as Prime Minister of the Colony of Victoria. Born in Monaghan town.^[18]
• Joseph Finegan (17 November 1814 – 29 October 1885), Confederate General and victor at the Battle of Olustee
• Francis Fitzpatrick (1859–1933), recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Eoin O'Duffy (20 October 1892 – 30 November 1944), turns Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army, Commissioner of the Garda Síochána and leader of the Blueshirts and of Fine Gael. He was also Commander of the Irish Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Born near Castleblayney.^[19]
• Juan Mackenna (1771–1814), vetern of the Chilean War of Independence and Co-Liberator of Chile.
• Dr Heber MacMahon, Lord Bishop of Clogher - Catholic prelate who also served as a military commander for the 'Confederation of Kilkenny' during the 1640s. He commanded at the Battle of Scarrifholis, near Letterkenny, in 1650. Bishop MacMahon was born in Inishkeen.
• Sir William Whitla (1851–1933), physician and politician.
• Thomas Taggart (1856–1929), United States Senator and Mayor of Indianapolis.
• Charles Davis Lucas (1834–1914), A native of County Armagh who was the first ever recipient of the Victoria Cross. Resided for a time at Castleshane.
• Fergal O'Hanlon (1936–1957), IRA volunteer, killed during the Border Campaign.
• Thomas Hughes (1885–1942), Soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross.
• Patricia McKenna, former MEP
• Dr Rory O'Hanlon, politician, former Ceann Comhairle and former Cabinet minister. Born 1934.
• David Nelson, recipient of the Victoria Cross
• David Storey (1856–1924), member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
• Jim Lynagh, Commander East Tyrone Brigade IRA
• Séamus McElwaine, OC South Fermanagh Brigade IRA

Sport[]

• Dame Mary Bailey (1890–1960), aviator who was the daughter of The 5th Baron Rossmore and wife of Sir Abe Bailey, the South African 'Randlord'.
• Barry McGuigan, world Boxing Champion 1985. Born in Clones 28 February 1960.^[20]
• Tommy Bowe, Rugby Union player, born in Monaghan town, 22 February 1984.^[21]
• James Cecil Parke (1881–1946), Tennis and rugby player. Olympic silver medalist in tennis, twice winner of the Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title and Australian Men's Singles title winner. Captain of the Irish rugby team
• Kevin McBride, Olympic Boxer
• John McKenna (1855–1936), the first manager of Liverpool Football Club along with W.E. Barclay.

Music and entertainment[]

• "Big Tom" McBride, country Singer^[22]
• Oliver Callan, satirist and mimic, born in the county in December 1980.^[23]
• The Flaws, indie Rock Band from Carrickmacross.
• Ryan Sheridan, singer and guitarist
• Terry Cavanagh, video game designer

Acting[]

• Caitriona Balfe, fashion model and actress
• Ardal O'Hanlon, actor and comedian
• Charlene McKenna, actress
• Aoibhinn McGinnity, actress

Art[]

• Alexander Williams (1846–1930), Artist, born in Monaghan town.

Religion[]

• Dr John Darley (1799–1884), Church of Ireland Lord Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh, 1874–84.
• George Jeffreys (1889–1962), Welsh founder of the Elim Pentecostal Church, which was first established in Monaghan town in 1915. The movement now has some 9,000 churches worldwide.

Twin cities[]

County Monaghan is twinned with the following places:

• Geel, Flanders, Belgium
• Prince Edward Island, Canada
• Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada
• Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

See also[]

• List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland (County Monaghan)
• Lord Lieutenant of Monaghan
• High Sheriff of Monaghan

Notes[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to County Monaghan.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for County Monaghan.

• Monaghan County Council
• Monaghan Tourism Map
• Sliabh Beagh Hotel and Tourism Centre
• History: Overview and Resources, The McMahon Story, Clogherhistory.ie
• Description of County Monaghan (1900)
• Monaghan Architecture
• US protest as map of Monaghan bears an uncanny resemblance to an outline map of Iraq