Guide to County Monaghan in Ireland

County Monaghan

Monaghan is located in the north of the Republic sandwiched between 3 counties located in Northern Ireland and 3 fellow counties of the ROI. It forms a part of the historical province of Ulster along with Cavan, Donegal and the six counties of northern Ireland. The name of Monaghan comes from the Irish language, derived from Muine Cheain meaning the Land of the Little Hills. This name refers to the high occurrence of drumlins in the area, which are small hills formed from glacial action during the previous ice ages.

A curiosity of County Monaghan is the presence of a feature called a pene-enclave jutting into neighbouring County Fermanagh in the west of the county. This is an area of land belonging to Monaghan which cannot be accessed without passing through Fermanagh on either side of it.

Monaghan is the sixth smallest county in Ireland but it has a respectable population count of 56,000 (and growing) demonstrating the area's popularity as a home base. The county's scenic landscape can boast more than its fair share of mountains, forests, rivers and a large number of lakes.

Unsurprisingly the principal town of the county is Monaghan town. Two other strategically important towns are Castleblayney and Carrickmacross. Other locations which could be considered when exploring the county include Bellanode, Ballybay, Clones, Emyvale, Iniskeen, Glaslough, Newbliss, Rockcorry, Scotstown and Smithborough.