Things to See and Do Our Monaghan Story
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COUNTY MONAGHAN IS ONE OF IRELAND'S BEST KEPT SECRETS! UNSPOILED LANDSCAPE, WILDLIFE, BEAUTIFUL SCENERY, AND LOTS TO DO FOR BOTH LOCAL AND VISITOR ALIKE. COME AND EXPLORE! THINGS TO SEE AND DO OUR MONAGHAN STORY OFTEN OVERLOOKED, COUNTY MONAGHAN’S VIBRANT LANDSCAPE - FULL OF GENTLE HILLS, GLISTENING LAKES AND SMALL IDYLLIC MARKET TOWNS - PROVIDES A TRUE GLIMPSE INTO IRISH RURAL LIFE. THE COUNTY IS WELL-KNOWN AS THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE POET PATRICK KAVANAGH AND THE IMAGES EVOKED BY HIS POEMS AND PROSE RELATE TO RURAL LIFE, RUN AT A SLOW PACE. THROUGHOUT MONAGHAN THERE ARE NO DRAMATIC VISUAL SHIFTS. NO TOWERING PEAKS, RAGGED CLIFFS OR EXPANSIVE LAKES. THIS IS AN AREA OFF THE WELL-BEATEN TOURIST TRAIL. A QUIET COUNTY WITH A SENSE OF AWAITING DISCOVERY… A PALPABLE FEELING OF GENUINE SURPRISE . HOWEVER, THERE’S A SIDE TO MONAGHAN THAT PACKS A LITTLE MORE PUNCH THAN THAT. HERE YOU WILL FIND A FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE AND ACTIVITIES TO SUIT MOST INTERESTS WITH GLORIOUS GREENS FOR GOLFING , A HOST OF WATERSPORTS AND OUTDOOR PURSUITS AND A WEALTH OF HERITAGE SITES TO WHET YOUR APPETITE FOR ADVENTURE AND DISCOVERY. START BY TAKING A LOOK AT THIS BOOKLET AND GET EXPLORING! EXPLORE COUNTY MONAGHAN TO NORTH DONEGAL/DERRY AWOL Derrygorry / PAINTBALL Favour Royal BUSY BEE Forest Park CERAMICS STUDIO N2 MULLAN CARRICKROE CASTLE LESLIE ESTATE EMY LOUGH CASTLE LESLIE EQUESTRIAN CENTRE EMY LOUGH EMYVALE LOOPED WALK CLONCAW EQUESTRIAN CENTRE Bragan Scenic Area MULLAGHMORE EQUESTRIAN CENTRE GLASLOUGH TO ARMAGH KNOCKATALLON TYDAVNET CASTLE LESLIE TO BELFAST SLIABH BEAGH TOURISM CENTRE Hollywood Park R185 SCOTSTOWN COUNTY MUSEUM TYHOLLAND GARAGE THEATRE LEISURE CENTRE N12 RALLY SCHOOL MARKET HOUSE BALLINODE ARTS CENTRE R186 MONAGHAN VALLEY CLONES PEACE LINK MONAGHAN PITCH & PUTT SPORTS FACILITY MONAGHAN CLONES HERITAGE HERITAGE TRAIL TRAIL R187 5 N2 WILDLIFE ROSSMORE PARK & HERITAGE CLONES ULSTER ROSSMORE GOLF CLUB CANAL STORES AND SMITHBOROUGH CENTRE CARA ST. PLAYGROUND ULSTER CANAL GREENWAY L Rossmore A N CLONES GOLF CLUB ER CA Forest Park LST U Rossmore CLONTIBRET HILTON PARK • Golf Club MONAGHAN WAY L N54 NA WALK A THREEMILEHOUSE C A THREEMILEHOUSE C R E ST UL R188 MUCKNO R189 SWALLOW STUDIOS ADVENTURE R184 ANNYALLA LOUGH MUCKNO CLONES SAM MOORE LEISURE PARK OPEN FARM R162 N2 R181 GR8 Clones Golf Club NEWBLISS R182 WAKEBOARDING HILTON PARK CENTRE N54 BALLYBAY WETLANDS BALLYBAY Lough Muckno IONTAS CENTRE CENTRE Leisure Park CONCRA WOOD R212 GOLF CLUB R183 R183 TO CAVAN ER IV ANNAMAKERRIG ROCKCORRY R SCOTSHOUSE E OR CASTLEBLAYNEY TYRONE GUTHRIE CENTRE OM DR R188 R193 DRUM Dartrey Forest TANAGH R180 Concra Wood CENTRE Golf Club R190 R181 R162 N53 LOUGH EGISH LATTON BREHON BREWHOUSE MOURNE CLAY TO DUNDALK PIGEON SHOOTING INNISKEEN PITCH AND PUTT ACTIVITY SHENANDOAH STABLES Billy Fox BROOMFIELD PATRICK KAVANAGH Memorial Park CENTRE 5 PITCH AND PUTT IRISH COUNTRY QUADS SHANTONAGH Mannan Castle Golf Club MONAGHAN WAY GOLF COURSE R179 LISDOONAN FISHING DONAGHMOYNE R180 INNISKEEN EQUESTRIAN R178 CASTLE CARRICKMACROSS CARRICKMACROSS WORKHOUSE LACE GALLERY WALKING/HIKING CARRICKMACROSS R179 EQUESTRIAN HERITAGE TRAIL Dún a Rí NUREMORE GOLF CLUB FOREST PARK ROLLING DRUMLINS AND Forest Park Golf Club HIDDEN TREASURES CYCLING TO KINGSCOURT TO DUB LIN m AT A GLANCE o c & m s i r u o t HISTORY AND HERITAGE 02 n a h g a VISITOR ATTRACTIONS 04 n o m & ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT 10 w w w GOLFING 12 WALKING AND HIKING TRAILS 16 O D CYCLE TRAILS AND BICYCLE HIRE 20 D N A EQUESTRIAN 22 E E S O T ADVENTURE AND ACTIVITIES 26 S G N FOREST PARKS AND AMENITIES 32 I H T ' COARSE AND GAME ANGLING 34 N A H HEALTH AND WELLNESS 36 G A N GETTING HERE AND GETTING AROUND 40 O M Y TOURIST SERVICES INFORMATION 41 T N U O C R E V O C S I www.monaghantourism.com D County Monaghan takes its name from the Irish ‘Muineacháin’ , meaning ‘little hills. Inhabited from an early era, many relics of the Bronze Age have been unearthed throughout the county over the years. It was later the centre and heartland of the kingdom of Oriel, and an ancient monument at Donaghmoyne is reputed to have been the residence of the Kings of Oriel. The arrival of Christianity saw St Patrick visit several locations in the county, while his ‘right-hand man’ – St. Macartan became patron of the diocese of which County Monaghan forms approximately one half. Tiernach of Clones and Dympna of Tydavnet later became two of Ireland’s best known saints. The Vikings were invaders during the 10-11th centuries and a Viking fort is still visible near Glaslough, while a later Norman motte and bailey stands at Donaghmoyne. Prior to the 17 th century Plantations, County Monaghan was ruled by the McMahons who controlled four- fifths of its area, and the McKennas who controlled the remaining one fifth. When the Elizabethans decided in 1585 to divide Ulster into ’shire-land’, the boundaries of the county were laid out, roughly the same as today’s, but it was not until the first decade of the 17 th century that the county was officially formed and named. From the 15 th to 17 th centuries the McMahons and the McKennas formed part of the armies of the O’Neills and were a constant thorn in the side of the English, whose territory ‘The Pale’, just touched the southern end of the present county. In the Nine Years War (1595 – 1603) the first major battle was fought at Clontibret while the McMahon/McKenna combination also figured in later battles and in the defeat at Kinsale in 1601. Mountjoy’s forces pursued them following that defeat and destroyed many of their fortifications. Elections were always keenly contested in the county, none more so than in 1826 when, on the instigation of Daniel O’Connell, Westenra was elected by the Catholic voters as a pro-Emancipation candidate and again in 1833 when Parnell addressed huge meetings at m o c Castleblayney, Monaghan, Emyvale and Scotstown in support of & m Tim Healy, who then became the first ever nationalist MP for the s i r county. u o t County Monaghan was among the more severely affected counties n a during the Great Famine of the 1840’s, being listed in the half-dozen h g worst hit in all Ireland. In 1921 County Monaghan became a ‘Border a n County’ and suffered a great deal from the imposed division of the o m country. & w The Monaghan of today is a county with strong links to its historical w w past and many towns and villages retain and portray a history and tradition of times long past. ! There are heritage trails in Monaghan, Clones and Carrickmacross (see walking page) and many sites of historical interest including O D Edergole Court Tomb, Mannan Castle Motte and Bailey, Inniskeen D Round Tower and Lisnadarragh Wedge Tomb. N A E E S O T S G N I H T ' N HISTORY AND A H G A HERITAGE N O M “ Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my Y life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with T N Nature herself.” HENRY DAVID THOREAU U O C R E V O C S I D VISITOR ATTRACTIONS Patrick Kavanagh Centre INNISKEEN, CO. MONAGHAN tel: +353 (0) 42 9378560 or +353 (0) 87 1710592 email: [email protected] web: www.patrickkavanaghcountry.com The Patrick Kavanagh Centre houses a permanent exhibition which recounts the life and work of Patrick Kavanagh and there is also a section on local history. The centre operates as: • An education facility for students studying Kavanagh’s poetry • A visitor’s attraction – the centre is open to visitors all year round. The performance tour of Kavanagh Country is a special feature taking in many of the local sites. I t is also a venue for local artists to display their work and it is a very popular venue for concerts and dramas. Swallow Studios Art & Craft Gallery ANNYALLA, CO. MONAGHAN tel: +353 (0) 42 9746614 email: [email protected] f/book: www.facebook.com/LizChristy.SwallowStudios web: www.lizchristy.com blog: www.swallowstudios.wordpress.com Swallow Studios Art & Craft Gallery in Annyalla is workshop to textile artist and hand-weaver Liz Christy. No matter what Liz is working on, she is always delighted to welcome visitors and show them around the workshop. It is also a place where you can find a special hand-crafted gift, made by Liz or one of her artisan friends. Opening hours are 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday, but if you are coming a distance please do phone first. The GPS co-ordinates for your SAT NAV are: N54˚09.922’ & W006˚47.800’ There is parking available and bus tours / large groups are welcome but please pre arrange. Brehon Brewhouse DUNELTY, INNISKEEN, CO. MONAGHAN tel: +353 (0) 86 823 0914 email: [email protected] twitter: https://twitter.com/BrehonBrewhouse web: www.brehonbrewhouse.com The Brewhouse creates distinct hand crafted beers in their small brewery housed on the farm set amongst the rolling drumlins of County Monaghan just a few miles from the birthplace of Patrick Kavanagh in Inniskeen. Tours of the facility are available at a charge, taking in the farm, brewery, old farm house and tasting bar. VISITOR ATTRACTIONS m o c & m s i r u o t n a h g a n o m & w w w # “ Why did you look at the sunset?' Philip answered with his mouth full: “Because I was happy.” W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM THINGS TO DO IN MONAGHAN m o c & m s i r u o t n a h g a n o m & w n g i s w e d 7 w H p n g i s e d 7 H p n o t “ r There is lace in every living thing: the bare branches o N l of winter, the patterns of clouds, the surface of a g r e F water as it ripples in the breeze...