County Monaghan

Coordinates: 54°14′37″N 7°02′22″W / 54.243563°N 7.039490°W / 54.243563; -7.039490

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	East
County seat	Monaghan
Government
– Type	County Council
Area
– Total	1,294 km2 (499.6 sq mi)
Area rank	27th
Population (2011)	60,495
– Rank	29th
Car plates	MN
Website	monaghan.ie

County Monaghan ( /ˈmɒnəhən/; Irish: Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. Monaghan County Council is the local authority responsible for the county. It is located in the province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It was named after the town of Monaghan. The population of the county is 60,495 according to the 2011 census.

Geography and political subdivisions

Monaghan is the fourth smallest of the Republic's 26 counties in area and fourth smallest by population.^[1] It is the second smallest of Ulster’s 9 counties in size and smallest in terms of population.

Baronies

Main article: Baronies of Ireland

• Cremorne (Críoch Mhúrn)
• Dartree (Dartraí or Dartraighe)
• Farney (Fearnaigh)
• Monaghan (Muineachán)
• Trough (an Triúcha

Civil parishes and townlands

Main article: List of civil parishes in County Monaghan

Main article: List of townlands in County Monaghan

Towns and villages

Historical populations
Year	Pop.	±%
1659	9,734	—
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	60,495	+8.0%
[2]

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

Geography

Shannahergoa is typical of Monaghan's green countryside.

There are several mountains in the county: 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 River Blackwater along the border with County Tyrone, and 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.

Clones Round Tower.

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 the five baronies that exist today: 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.

Government

2009 Irish Local Elections^[3]
Monaghan County Council

Party	Seats	Change
Sinn Féin	7	=
Fine Gael	6	- 1
Fianna Fáil	5	=
Independent	2	+1

Main article: Monaghan County Council

Monaghan is governed locally by the twenty-member Monaghan County Council which consists of four wards: Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, Clones and Monaghan. The county forms part of the five seat Cavan-Monaghan Constituency in Dáil Éireann. ^[4] The towns of Ballybay, Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, Clones and Monaghan are represented by nine-member town councils ^[5] which deal with local matters such as the provision of utilities and housing.

Politically the county is considered a stronghold for Sinn Féin (left wing), who are 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 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.^[6]
• 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.^[7]
• Tyrone Guthrie (1900–1971) - Writer, theatrical director and founder of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre.
• Evelyn Conlon - Writer and member of Aosdána. Born 1952.

Politics and Military

• The Rt. Hon. Sir Charles Gavan Duffy (12 April 1816 – 9 February 1903) - Irish Nationalist and Australian politician. Born in Monaghan town.^[8]
• 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, Commander Irish brigade Spanish Civil war. Born near Castleblayney.^[9]
• Juan MacKenna (1771–1814) - Military hero of the Chilean War of Independence and Co-Liberator of Chile.
• Sir William Whitla (1851–1933) - Physician and politician.
• Thomas Taggart (1856–1929) - United States Senator and Mayor of Indianapolis.
• Charles Davis Lucas (1834-1914) - Rear-Admiral and first ever recipient of the Victoria Cross. Resided at Castleshane.
• Fergal O'Hanlon (1936–1957) - IRA volunteer, killed during the Border Campaign.
• Thomas Hughes (VC) (1885–1942) - Soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross.
• Patricia McKenna - Former MEP. Born 1957.
• Rory O'Hanlon - Politician, Former Ceann Comhairle and Cabinet Minister. Born 1934.

Sport

• Barry McGuigan - World Boxing Champion 1985. Born in Clones 28 February 1960.^[10]
• Tommy Bowe - Rugby Union player, born in Monaghan town, 22 February 1984.^[11]
• 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 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.^[12]
• Oliver Callan - Satirist and mimic, born in the county in December 1980.^[13]
• The Flaws - Indie Rock Band from Carrickmacross.
• Ryan Sheridan - Singer and guitarist

Acting

• Ardal O'Hanlon - Actor and comedian. Born 1965.
• Charlene McKenna - Actress. Born 1984.

Art

• Alexander Williams RHA (1846-1930) - Artist, born in Monaghan town.
• George Collie, (1904–1975) - Artist, born in Carrickmacross.^[14]

Religion

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

Twinning

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland

County Monaghan is twinned with the following places:

• 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

1. ^ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 186–191. 
2. ^ for post 1821 figures, 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy March 14, 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.
3. ^ [1]. Retrieved: 2011-02-13.
4. ^ "2009 Local Election - Electoral Area details". http://www.electionsireland.org/results/local/council.cfm?election=2009L&area=265. Retrieved 27 May 2010. 
5. ^ http://www.monaghan.ie/websitev2/TownCouncils/default.html
6. ^ "Life". Patrick Kavanagh 1904 – 1967. Patrick Kavanagh Trust, Trinity College Dublin. http://www.tcd.ie/English/patrickkavanagh/life.html. Retrieved 10 November 2009. 
7. ^ Cowan, Leslie. "John Robert Gregg: A Biography". Oxford: The Pre-Raphaelite Press, 1984, p. 11.
8. ^ Joy E. Parnaby (1972). "Duffy, Sir Charles Gavan (1816 - 1903)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A040109b.htm. Retrieved 10 November 2009. 
9. ^ "GEN. EOIN O'DUFFY (1892 -1944)". Cumann na nGaedhael History. Collins 22 Society. http://generalmichaelcollins.com/Fine_Gael/Eoin_O_Duffy.html. Retrieved 10 November 2009. 
10. ^ "Barry McGuigan". BoxRec.com Boxing Encyclopedia. http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=012746&cat=boxer. Retrieved 10 November 2009. 
11. ^ "Tommy Bowe 2009 British and Irish Lions Squad Profile". http://www.lions-tour.com/the_lions/profile.asp?id=62. Retrieved 10 November 2009. 
12. ^ "Big Tom". BBC Music. BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/3ead0fc5-d162-4a3b-87d6-cbaca9d1d853. Retrieved 10 November 2009. 
13. ^ Chris True. "Biography: Monaghan Mimic". all music. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p1008787/biography. Retrieved 10 November 2009. 
14. ^ Snoddy, Theo. "Dictionary of Irish Artists, 20th Century". Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 1996.

External links

• 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