County Monaghan

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. The county has existed since 1585, when the Mac Mathghamhna rulers of Airgíalla agreed to join the Kingdom of Ireland. Following the 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 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%
2016	61,273	+1.3%
^[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

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

Inland waterways

County Monaghan is traversed by the derelict Ulster Canal, 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.

Castle Leslie

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, 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, 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.^[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.

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.^[9]
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
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]
Juan Mackenna (1771–1814) - Military hero 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. Born 1957.
Dr Rory O'Hanlon - Politician, former Ceann Comhairle and former Cabinet minister. Born 1934.
David Nelson - recipient of the Victoria Cross

Sport

Dame Mary Bailey (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.

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
Terry Cavanagh - Video game designer, he has created over two dozen games, most notably VVVVVV and Super Hexagon.

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.

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

Notes

↑ "County Monaghan". Central Statistics Office. 2011.
↑ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 186–191.
↑ 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 he 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.
↑ Archived 29 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
↑ "2009 Local Election - Electoral Area details". Retrieved 27 May 2010.
↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 March 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-03. - Election 2011 Cavan–Monaghan
↑ "Life". Patrick Kavanagh 1904 – 1967. Patrick Kavanagh Trust, Trinity College Dublin. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
↑ Cowan, Leslie. "John Robert Gregg: A Biography". Oxford: The Pre-Raphaelite Press, 1984, p. 11.
↑ Joy E. Parnaby (1972). "Duffy, Sir Charles Gavan (1816 - 1903)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
↑ "GEN. EOIN O'DUFFY (1892 -1944)". Cumann na nGaedhael History. Collins 22 Society. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
↑ "Barry McGuigan". BoxRec.com Boxing Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
↑ "Tommy Bowe 2009 British and Irish Lions Squad Profile". Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
↑ "Big Tom". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
↑ Chris True. "Biography: Monaghan Mimic". all music. Retrieved 10 November 2009.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to County Monaghan.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for County Monaghan.

Adjacent places of County Monaghan

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 Drum 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 Region Dublin Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Fingal South Dublin Kildare Kilkenny Laois Longford Louth Meath Offaly Westmeath Wexford Wicklow
Munster	Clare Cork Kerry Limerick Tipperary North Tipperary South Tipperary Waterford
Ulster	Antrim^† Armagh^† Cavan Donegal Down^† Fermanagh^† Derry^† Monaghan Tyrone^†
Italics denote non-administrative counties. Brackets denote non-traditional counties. ^†denotes non-administrative counties of Northern Ireland

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