County Monaghan

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]

County Monaghan
Contae Mhuineacháin
County
Coat of arms
Nickname: 
The Drumlin County
Motto(s): 
Dúthracht agus Dícheall (Irish)
"Diligence and Best Endeavour"
CountryIreland
ProvinceUlster
Established1585[1]
County townMonaghan
Government
 • TypeCounty Council
 • Dáil constituencyCavan–Monaghan
 • EP constituencyMidlands–North-West
Area
 • Total1,295 km2 (500 sq mi)
 • Rank28th
Highest elevation
(Slieve Beagh)
373 m (1,224 ft)
Population
 (2022)[2]
 • Total64,832
 • Rank28th
 • Density50/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC±0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode routing keys
A75, A81, H18, H23 (primarily)
Telephone area codes047 (primarily)
Vehicle index
mark code		MN
Websitewww.monaghan.ie

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 subdivisions

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

Baronies

  • Cremorne (Irish: Críoch Mhúrn)
  • Dartree (Irish: Dartraighe)
  • Farney (Irish: Fearnaigh)
  • Monaghan (Irish: Muineachán)
  • Truagh (Irish: An Triúcha)

Civil parishes and townlands

Towns and villages

  • Ballinode
  • Ballybay
  • Carrickmacross
  • Castleblayney
  • Clones
  • Clontibret
  • Doohamlet
  • Drum
  • Emyvale
  • Inniskeen
  • Glaslough
  • Killanny
  • Knockatallon
  • Magheracloone
  • Monaghan
  • Newbliss
  • Oram
  • Rockcorry
  • Scotshouse
  • Scotstown
  • Smithborough
  • Threemilehouse
  • Tydavnet
  • Tyholland
  • Truagh

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
Shannahergoa countryside.

Notable mountains include Slieve Beagh (on the Tyrone and Fermanagh borders), Mullyash Mountain and Coolberrin Hill (214 m, 702 ft). Lakes include Lough Avaghon, Dromore Lough, Drumlona Lough, 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 Dromore River (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.

Clones Round Tower

Geology

Lead used to be 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 The Earl of Tyrone 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 by 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 (GNR) 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 Armagh, and all lines between Armagh and County Monaghan. This left the GNR Board with no option but to withdraw passenger services between Armagh 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 

Governance and politics

Local government

County Monaghan is divided into three local electoral areas, each of which also forms a municipal district: Ballybay–Clones, Carrickmacross–Castleblayney, and Monaghan.[8]

2014 Irish Local Elections
Monaghan County Council
PartySeatsChange
Sinn Féin7=
Fine Gael5- 1
Fianna Fáil4- 1
Independent2=

Former districts

The towns of Ballybay, Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, Clones and Monaghan were formerly represented by nine-member town councils which dealt with local matters such as the provision of utilities and housing.[9] These were abolished in 2014 under the Local Government Reform Act 2014.

National politics

For elections to Dáil Éireann, the county is part of the constituency of Cavan–Monaghan which elects five TDs.[10] In the 2011 general election, there was a voter turnout of 72.7%.[11]

For elections to the European Parliament, the county is part of the Midlands–North-West constituency.[12]

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.

Castle Leslie

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.

County 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 Sir 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 County 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 Catholic Church in Carrickmacross; the Gothic-Revival St Patrick's Church of Ireland Church, Monaghan Town, and St Macartan's Catholic Cathedral, Monaghan Town, by J. J. McCarthy (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).[13] The county is the main source of egg supplies in the Republic of Ireland.[14]

Notable Monaghan people

Literature and scholarship
  • Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 – 30 November 1967) - Poet.[15]
  • Patrick McCabe - Novelist and member of Aosdána. Born 1955.[16]
  • Eugene McCabe - Playwright, novelist and screenwriter, also a member of Aosdána. Born 1930, lives in Clones.[17]
  • 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.[18]
  • Sir Tyrone Guthrie (1900–1971) - Writer, theatrical director and founder of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre.[19] 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), a 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.[20]
  • 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.[21]
  • Sir Basil Kelly (1920-2008) - UUP politician and senior-ranking Northern Irish judge. He served as the last Attorney General for Northern Ireland under the old Stormont regime, serving in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Born in County Monaghan but raised and educated in Belfast.
  • Juan Mackenna (1771–1814), veteran 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. Born and raised in Monaghan Town.
  • 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.[22]
  • Tommy Bowe, Rugby Union player, born in Monaghan town, 22 February 1984.[23]
  • 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[24]
  • Oliver Callan, satirist and mimic, born in the county in December 1980.[25]
  • 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.
  • Ellen McKenna (1819–1883), Irish Sisters of Mercy nun, American civil war nurse and teacher.

Twin cities

County Monaghan is twinned with the following places:

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

Notes
  1. Russell, C. W. (21 June 1874). "Calendar of the State Papers, Relating to Ireland, of the Reign of James I.: Preserved in Her Majesty's Public Record Office, and Elsewhere. 1606 - 1608". Longmans, Green, Reader, & Dyer – via Google Books.
  2. "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: County Monaghan". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  3. "Monaghan definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  4. Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 186–191.
  5. for post 1821 figures, 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy 14 March 1865, For a discussion on the accuracy of pre-famine census returns see JJ Lee "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p54, in and also New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850 by Joel Mokyr and Cormac O Grada in The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov., 1984), pp. 473-488. Archived 9 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Percentage population change in Ireland's cities and towns, 2011-2016". Census 2016. CSO. 2016. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  7. Hajducki, S. Maxwell (1974). A Railway Atlas of Ireland. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. map 9. ISBN 0-7153-5167-2.
  8. County of Monaghan Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts Order 2018 (S.I. No. 629 of 2018). Signed on 19 December 2018. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2020, from Irish Statute Book.
  9. Archived 29 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017, Schedule (No. 39 of 2017, Schedule). Signed on 23 December 2017. Act of the Oireachtas. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2021, from Irish Statute Book.
  11. "Cavan-Monaghan - RTÉ News". RTÉ.ie. Archived from the original on 7 March 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2011. - Election 2011 Cavan–Monaghan
  12. European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Act 2019, s. 7: Substitution of Third Schedule to Principal Act (No. 7 of 2019, s. 7). Signed on 12 March 2019. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 21 December 2021, from Irish Statute Book.
  13. "Monaghan Socio Economic Profile" (PDF). Monaghan County Council. April 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  14. Ryan, Órla (28 April 2020). "Egg shortage in some supermarkets amid bird flu outbreak and increased demand". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  15. "Life". Patrick Kavanagh 1904 – 1967. Patrick Kavanagh Trust, Trinity College Dublin. Archived from the original on 7 June 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  16. "Current members. Literature: Patrick McCabe". Aosdána. Archived from the original on 16 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  17. "Current members. Literature: Eugene McCabe". Aosdána. Archived from the original on 16 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  18. Cowan, Leslie. "John Robert Gregg: A Biography". Oxford: The Pre-Raphaelite Press, 1984, p. 11.
  19. "William Tyrone Guthrie". Tyrone Guthrie Centre. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  20. Joy E. Parnaby (1972). Duffy, Sir Charles Gavan (1816 - 1903). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  21. "GEN. EOIN O'DUFFY (1892 -1944)". Cumann na nGaedhael History. Collins 22 Society. Archived from the original on 8 December 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  22. "Barry McGuigan". BoxRec.com Boxing Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  23. "Tommy Bowe 2009 British and Irish Lions Squad Profile". Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  24. "Big Tom". BBC Music. BBC. Archived from the original on 6 April 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  25. Chris True. "Biography: Monaghan Mimic". all music. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
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