Coordinates: 54°14′37″N 7°02′22″W / 54.243563°N 7.039490°W
| County Monaghan Contae Mhuineacháin |
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| Motto: Dúthracht agus Dícheall (Irish) "Diligence and Best Endeavour" |
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| Location | ||
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Ulster | |
| County seat: | Monaghan | |
| Code: | MN | |
| Area: | 1,294 km² | |
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Population (2006[1]) |
55,816 | |
| Website: www.monaghan.ie | ||
County Monaghan (pronounced /ˈmɒnəhən/ – Irish: Contae Mhuineacháin) is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Ulster and is part of the Republic of Ireland. It was named after the town of Monaghan (Irish: Muineachán).
Monaghan is the sixth smallest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and fourth smallest in terms of population[2]. It is the second smallest of Ulster’s 9 counties in size and smallest in terms of population.
The county borders County Tyrone (NI) to the north, County Armagh (NI) to the east, County Louth to the southeast, County Meath to the south, County Cavan to the southwest and County Fermanagh (NI) to the west. There is a pene-enclave jutting into Fermanagh in the western area of the county.
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History
In 1585, Sir John Perrot, the natural son of King Henry VIII, visited the area and met with 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.
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, and following their defeat there was some plantation of the county with Scottish and English families.
Twinning
County Monaghan is twinned with the Province of Prince Edward Island in Canada. At least 20% of the population of Prince Edward Island can trace ancestry to Co Monaghan as a result of migration from Monaghan to that part of Canada during the years 1820-1840. Co Monaghan is also twinned with the City of Miramichi in New Brunswick and also with the City of Peterborough in Ontario and with the township of Cavan-Millbrook-North Monaghan in Ontario.
It also has links with Gheel in Belgium, as a result of the martyrdom there in the 5th century of St Dymphna, a local Monaghan saint who is regarded as Patroness of those with mental illness.
| 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% |
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The following places are twinned with Co. Monaghan:
Prince Edward Island, Canada.- Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada.
- City of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
Geography
There are several mountains in the county: Mullyash Mountain, Slieve Beagh (on the border with Tyrone and Fermanagh) and Coolberrin Hill (214 m).
There are also a large number of lakes, including 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 (in the southeast of the county and along the border with Louth), river Glyde (along the Louth and Meath borders), the river Blackwater (along the border with Tyrone, Northern Ireland) and Dromore river (along the border of Cavan, linking Cootehill to Ballybay).
Monaghan also 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 practices and recent intensive forestry practices only small pockets of native woodland remain.
The Finn Bridge is a border crossing point across the River Finn between County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland close to Scotshouse.
Culture & arts
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. The county was also home to the writer of the much-loved Irish ballad Danny Boy, whose lyrics, written to the tune of the Derry Air, mark the poignant departure of his son for war from the historic town of Clones in the west of the county.
Notable residents
- Tommy Bowe - Rugby Union player, born Monaghan Town, 22 February 1984.[4]
- Oliver Callan - Satirist and mimic, born in the county in December 1980.[5]
- Sir Charles Gavan Duffy (12 April 1816 – 9 February 1903) - Irish Nationalist and Australian politician. Born in Monagahan Town.[6]
- Barry McGuigan - World Boxing Champion 1985. Born in Clones 28 February 1960.[7]
- Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 – 30 November 1967) - Poet.[8]
- "Big Tom" McBride: - Country Singer. Born at Moy near Castleblayney 18 September 1936.[9]
- 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. Born near Castleblayney.[10]
- Ardal O'Hanlon - Actor and Comedian.
- Fergal O'Hanlon - IRA member.
- Patricia McKenna - Former MEP.
- E.P. Shirley - Writer and antiquarian.
Towns and villages
Monaghan is the principal town. Other major towns include Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, and Clones. Towns with legally defined boundaries are shown in italics.
- Ballinode, Ballybay
- Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, Clones
- Doohamlet
- Emyvale
- Inniskeen
- Glaslough
- Killanny, Knockatallon
- Magheracloone, Monaghan
- Newbliss
- Rockcorry
- Scotshouse, Scotstown, Smithborough (or Smithboro)
- Threemilehouse, Tydavnet, Tyholland
Notes
- ^ From Census 2006 Preliminary Report - Table 1
- ^ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 186-191.
- ^ [http://www.cso.ie/census 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.
- ^ "Tommy Bowe 2009 British and Irish Lions Squad Profile". http://www.lions-tour.com/the_lions/profile.asp?id=62. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ^ Chris True. "Biography: Monaghan Mimic". all music. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0ifixzu5ldde~T1. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Barry McGuigan". BoxRec.com Boxing Encyclopedia. http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=012746&cat=boxer. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ^ "Life". Patrick Kavanagh 1904 – 1967. Patrick Kavanagh Trust, Trinity College Dublin. http://www.tcd.ie/English/patrickkavanagh/life.html. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ^ "Big Tom". BBC Music. BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/3ead0fc5-d162-4a3b-87d6-cbaca9d1d853. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ^ "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.
See also
External links
- Monaghan County Council
- Monaghan Tourism Map
- 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
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