Essential Ireland > County Monaghan
County Monaghan is one of Ireland’s best kept secrets, a landscape of rugged mountains, gently hills, lakes and rivers, county farmhouses and tranquil market towns.
The mountains of Coolberrin Hill and Mullyash and Slieve Beagh on the border with Tyrone and Fermanagh dominate the landscape, providing some of the most magnificent vistas anywhere in Ireland. The rugged grandeur of the mountains is tempered somewhat by County Monaghan’s network of rivers and loughs, providing a beautiful and tranquil contrast and making it one of Ireland’s premier locations for outdoor activities. The mountains are popular with both climbers and hikers, while the rivers Fane, Glyde, Blackwater, and Dromore attract many anglers and water sports fans.
County Monaghan ’s beauty even gave inspiration to Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh, a native of Inniskeen, who immortalised many of the county’s most prominent sites and landscapes in his celebrated works.
County Monaghan boasts more than sublime landscapes and opportunities for outdoor pursuits. It is a county of great historical, cultural and artistic significance, with a host of megalithic sites and pre-historic remains, such as the Tullyrain Ring Fort near Shantonagh.
The major towns of Monaghan and Clones are home to a number of important sites and are most definitely worth visiting during a trip to County Monaghan. Monaghan’s cathedral and courthouse are both impressive structures, while Clones features an 11th century high cross and a round tower. However, it is the natural beauty of County Monaghan and its undulating landscapes of mountains, lakes, forests and rivers that represent its greatest appeal, attracting growing numbers of visitors every year.
The mountains of Coolberrin Hill and Mullyash and Slieve Beagh on the border with Tyrone and Fermanagh dominate the landscape, providing some of the most magnificent vistas anywhere in Ireland. The rugged grandeur of the mountains is tempered somewhat by County Monaghan’s network of rivers and loughs, providing a beautiful and tranquil contrast and making it one of Ireland’s premier locations for outdoor activities. The mountains are popular with both climbers and hikers, while the rivers Fane, Glyde, Blackwater, and Dromore attract many anglers and water sports fans.
County Monaghan ’s beauty even gave inspiration to Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh, a native of Inniskeen, who immortalised many of the county’s most prominent sites and landscapes in his celebrated works.
County Monaghan boasts more than sublime landscapes and opportunities for outdoor pursuits. It is a county of great historical, cultural and artistic significance, with a host of megalithic sites and pre-historic remains, such as the Tullyrain Ring Fort near Shantonagh.
The major towns of Monaghan and Clones are home to a number of important sites and are most definitely worth visiting during a trip to County Monaghan. Monaghan’s cathedral and courthouse are both impressive structures, while Clones features an 11th century high cross and a round tower. However, it is the natural beauty of County Monaghan and its undulating landscapes of mountains, lakes, forests and rivers that represent its greatest appeal, attracting growing numbers of visitors every year.