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
Motto: Dúthracht agus Dícheall  (Irish) "Diligence and Best Endeavour"
Country	Ireland
Province	Ulster
Dáil Éireann	Cavan–Monaghan
EU Parliament	Midlands–North-West
County town	Monaghan
Government
• Type	County Council
Area
• Total	1,295 km2 (500 sq mi)
Area rank	28th
Population (2011)[1]	60,483
• Rank	29th
Vehicle index mark code	MN
Website	www.monaghan.ie

County Monaghan (/ˈmʌnəhən/ MUN-ə-hən; 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 is 60,483 according to the 2011 census.

Geography and political subdivisions

Monaghan is the fifth smallest of the Republic's 26 counties in area and fourth smallest by population.^[2] It is the smallest of Ulster's nine counties in size and also the smallest in terms of population.

Baronies

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

Civil parishes and townlands

Towns and villages

Historical population
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%
[3]

Largest Towns in County Monaghan (2011 Census)

1. Monaghan = 7,452
2. Carrickmacross = 4,925
3. Castleblayney = 3,634
4. Clones = 1,761
5. Ballybay = 1,461

Geography

Notable mountains include Mullyash Mountain, Slieve Beagh (on the border with Tyrone and Fermanagh) and Coolberrin Hill (214 m, 702 ft). Lakes include Lough Egish, Lough Fea, Muckno Lough, Lough Avaghon, Inner Lough (in Dartrey Forest), Drumlona Lough, White Lough and Emy Lough. Rivers in Monaghan include the River Fane (along the Louth border), the River Glyde (along the Louth and Meath borders), the Ulster Blackwater (along the border with County Tyrone) and the Dromore river (along the border of County Cavan, linking Cootehill to Ballybay).

Monaghan has a number of forests, including Rossmore Forest, Dartrey Forest and Dún na Rí Forest Park. 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 between County Monaghan and County Fermanagh. It is close to Scotshouse.

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 each of the McMahon chiefs. A commission was established to accomplish this and County Monaghan came into being. The county was subdivided into five baronies: Farney, Cremorne, Dartrey, Monaghan and Truagh, which was left under the control of the McKenna chieftains.

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 plantation of the county took place with Scottish and English families.

Inland waterways

County Monaghan is traversed by the Ulster Canal but is not fully open to navigation, however Waterways Ireland are embarking on a scheme to reopen the canal from Lough Erne into Clones.

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^[4] 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.^[5] In the 2011 general election, there was a voter turnout of 72.7%.^[6]

For elections to the European Parliament, the county is part of the North–West constituency (formerly Connacht–Ulster).

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 British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, 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, which houses a set of stained glass windows by the Irish artist Harry Clarke (1889–1931); the Gothic-Revival St. Patrick's Church of Ireland, Monaghan town; and the impressive St. Macartan's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Monaghan town, by J. J. McCarthy (1817–1882).

Notable Monaghan people

Literature and scholarship

• Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 – 30 November 1967) - Poet.^[7]
• Patrick McCabe - Novelist and member of Aosdána. Born 1955.
• Eugene McCabe - Playwright, novelist and screenwriter. Born 1930, lives in Clones.
• Sir Shane Leslie (1885–1971) - Writer and political activist, 3rd Baronet of Glaslough. 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.^[8]
• Sir Tyrone Guthrie (1900–1971) - Writer, theatrical director and founder of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre. Born in Royal Tunbridge Wells, his maternal grandmother was from Newbliss. He settled at Annaghmakerrig House in Co. Monaghan late in his life.
• Evelyn Conlon - Writer and member of Aosdána. Born 1952.

Politics and military

• Lieutenant General The 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.
• The Rt. Hon. Sir Charles Gavan Duffy (12 April 1816 – 9 February 1903) - Irish Nationalist and Australian politician. Born in Monaghan town.^[9]
• Brigadier General Joseph Finegan- (November 17, 1814 – October 29, 1885) Confederate General and victor at the Battle of Olustee
• Private Francis Fitzpatrick, V.C. (1859-1933) - recipient of the Victoria Cross
• General Eoin O'Duffy (20 October 1892 – 30 November 1944) - by turns Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army, Commissioner of An 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.^[10]
• Brigadier Juan MacKenna (1771–1814) - Military hero of the Chilean War of Independence and Co-Liberator of Chile.
• The Most Rev. 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.
• Prof. Sir William Whitla (1851–1933) - Physician and politician.
• Thomas Taggart (1856–1929) - United States Senator and Mayor of Indianapolis.
• Rear Admiral Charles Davis Lucas, V.C., R.N. (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.
• Corporal Thomas Hughes, V.C. (1885–1942) - Soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross.
• Patricia McKenna - former MEP. Born 1957.
• Dr. Rory O'Hanlon - Politician, former Ceann Comhairle and former Cabinet minister. Born 1934.
• Major David Nelson, V.C. - recipient of the Victoria Cross

Sport

• The Hon. Dame Mary Bailey, D.B.E. (1890-1960) - Famous 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.^[11]
• Tommy Bowe - Rugby Union player, born in Monaghan town, 22 February 1984.^[12]
• 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. Born in Clones.
• Kevin McBride - Olympic Boxer. Born in Clones 1973.
• John McKenna (1855–1936), the first manager of Liverpool Football Club along with W.E. Barclay.
• John Cummins, born 1948, Ballybay. Family moved to Northampton in England when he was eight. Moved to America when he was twenty three and became well known in auto racing circles. Winning five regional championships he also was co host of a radio show in Washington, D.C. as well as being a speaker at assorted events around the USA. He is currently involved in performance car preparation and motorsport safety operations.

Jonathan Douglas- former Leeds United and Swindon player. Now plays for Brentford in west London. Jonathan Douglas is from Clones.

Music and entertainment

• "Big Tom" McBride: - Country Singer. Born at Moy near Castleblayney 18 September 1936.^[13]
• Oliver Callan - Satirist and mimic, born in the county in December 1980.^[14]
• The Flaws - Indie Rock Band from Carrickmacross.
• Ryan Sheridan - Singer and guitarist
• Gráinne Duffy Gráinne Duffy Band. Musician - Blues/Rock Guitarist & singer/songwriter from Castleblaney.

Acting

• Caitriona Balfe - Fashion model and actress, born in 1979. She currently stars in Outlander.
• Ardal O'Hanlon - Actor and comedian. Born 1965.
• Charlene McKenna - Actress. Born 1984.
• Aoibhinn Mc Ginnity - Actress. Born 1986.

Art

• Alexander Williams, R.H.A. (1846-1930) - Artist, born in Monaghan town.
• George Collie (1904–1975) - Artist, born in Carrickmacross.^[15]

Religion

• The Rt. Rev. Dr. John Richard Darley (1799–1884) - Anglican 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

		County Tyrone	County Armagh
	County Fermanagh		County Louth
	County Monaghan
	County Cavan	County Meath

Places in County Monaghan County town: Monaghan Towns Ballybay Carrickmacross Castleblayney Clones Monaghan Villages and townlands Annyalla Ballinode Castleshane Clontibret Corblonog Corlat Derryarrit Emyvale Glaslough Inniskeen Killycarnan Killymarron Knockacullion Knockatallon Newbliss Rockcorry Scotshouse Scotstown Sheskin Skeatry Smithborough Tirnaneill Tydavnet Tyholland Landforms Black Pig's Dyke Dartrey Forest Dún na Rí Forest Park Lough Egish Rossmore Forest Park Sliabh Beagh List of townlands in County Monaghan Category:Mountains and hills of County Monaghan Category:Geography of County Monaghan

Counties of Ireland The counties are listed per province  Connacht Galway Leitrim Mayo Roscommon Sligo  Leinster Carlow Dublin Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Fingal South Dublin Kildare Kilkenny Laois Longford Louth Meath Offaly Westmeath Wexford Wicklow  Munster Clare Cork Kerry Limerick Tipperary Waterford  Ulster Antrim† Armagh† Cavan Donegal Down† Fermanagh† Londonderry† Monaghan Tyrone† Italics denote non-administrative counties. Brackets denote non-traditional counties. †denotes non-administrative counties of Northern Ireland