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DeutschMonaghan is the county town of County Monaghan. It's at the northern edge of the Republic of Ireland, close to the border with Northern Ireland. It's a quiet relaxing place: in 2022 the population was 7900. The name derives from Irish Muineachán, a "brake" or overgrown hillock, probably referring to the local drumlins.
Monaghan Tourism posts visitor information online.
Monaghan Town Council website has info on local services.
Get in
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By road from Dublin follow M2 / N2 north past Drogheda and Carrickmacross, maybe an hour. From Belfast follow M1 then A3 through Armagh to the border.
Expressway Bus 32 runs from Dublin Busáras and Airport via Ardee, Carrickmacross and Castleblayney, taking 2 hours to Monaghan. It takes a 15 min break then continues north to Omagh, Strabane, Lifford and Letterkenny. It's every 2 hours daily.
Expressway X3 Bus runs twice a day from Dublin Busáras and Airport via Ardee to Monaghan, Omagh, Strabane and Derry. Don't take X4, which runs to Derry via Armagh.
Bus Éireann 182 runs from Drogheda via Collon, Ardee, Carrickmacross and Castleblayney, taking 1 hr 50 min to Monaghan. It's every 2 hours daily: M-Sa it starts hourly from Drogheda but alternate buses turn back at Ardee.
Bus 175 / 175A runs from Cavan via Cootehill and Rockcorry, taking 1 hr 15 min. M-F it's every 2 hours, with only 4 Sa Su.
Local Link Bus 176 runs from Cavan via Scotshouse, Clones and Threemilehouse, taking 90 min, with 6 M-Sa.
Goldliner Express 270 / 271 runs twice M-Sa from Belfast Grand Central via Lurgan, Portadown and Armagh, taking 1 hr 40 min; one continues to Clones and Cavan. On Sunday there's just one bus terminating at Monaghan.
Ulsterbus 70 plies between Armagh and Monaghan with 5 M-F and 2 Sa, taking 40 min.
1 Monaghan bus station is on North Rd, at the north end of the town's one-way loop.
Get around
[edit | edit source]Monaghan town is easy to walk around and Rossmore Forest Park is within hiking distance, but you need wheels to get around the wider district.
Three Local Link buses connect nearby villages and make a circuit of town centre:
- MN1 to the northwest, from Knockatallon, Tydavnet, Scotstown and Ballinode, with 6 M-Sa and 5 Su.
- MN2 to the south, from Castleblayney, Doohamlet, Ballybay and Tullycorbet, with 5 daily.
- MN3 to the northeast, from Mullan, Emyvale, Glaslough and Tyholland, with 4 daily.
Taxi firms are RR (+353 89 424 9977) and Call a Taxi (+353 85 807 2201).
See
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- Town centre is The Diamond. Nearby note the ornate Rossmore Monument, the Dawson Monument and St Patrick's Church. Patena Lake is north side of the centre.
- 1 Monaghan County Museum, Monaghan Peace Campus, North Road H18 RP20, ☏ +353 47 82928. Mon-Fri 11AM-5PM, Sat noon-5PM. Excellent local museum with large collection, including the War of Independence in Monaghan. Free, pay to park.
- 2 St Macartan's Cathedral, 20 Old Armagh Rd, ☏ +353 47 81220. Mon-Fri 8AM-4PM. Neo-Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral built 1861-92 in local limestone, with an 81 m spire. Free.
- Ulster Canal closed in 1931. There's a greenway along its town section, the rest is an overgrown gully: see County Monaghan#See for the project to restore a navigable waterway.
- 3 Rossmore Forest Park, Skeagarvey. 24 hours. This was the estate of Rossmore Castle, a sprawling Gothic mock-castle built from 1827, abandoned around 1950 and demolished in 1975. It's now a pleasant area for walking and cycling. Free.
Further out
[edit | edit source]- 4 Castleshane Demesne. 24 hours. Countryside estate around a castle that burnt down in 1920. Contains a variety of walking paths and a waterfall. Free.
- 5 Glaslough is a pretty village, 11 km northeast of town on R185. Castle Leslie (see Sleep) is in the village.
- 6 Sliabh Beagh is a mountain west of town on the border with Northern Ireland. It's the highest point in County Monaghan at 373 m, though its summit is on the other side of the border.
Do
[edit | edit source]| Nothing to lose but their chains In the revolutionary fervour following the Bolshevik coup in Russia, several places elsewhere set up "soviets" — communist governing committees of "workers and peasants". Ireland's soviets were against the backdrop of the war for independence from Britain, and the first, in Feb 1919, was in Monaghan Lunatic Asylum. It was more like a staff lock-in, and they won a reduction of their working week from 93 to 56 hours, a pay rise, and the right to go home when their shift ended. |
- What's on? Listen to Northern Sound on 96.8 FM or read The Northern Standard published Thursday.
- 1 Market House, Market Square, ☏ +353 47 38162. Elegant building of 1792, now a theatre and arts centre.
- 2 Coral Leisure Centre, Clones Road H18 A384, ☏ +353 47 81734. This has a gym, pool, fitness classes and tennis courts.
- Cinema: Omniplex is on the retail park 2 km west of town along N54 Clones Rd, see below.
- 3 Garage Theatre, Monaghan Education Campus, Armagh Rd, ☏ +353 47 39777. Box Office Mon-Fri 10AM-2PM. Modern theatre on the outskirts of town.
- 4 Rossmore Golf Club, Cootehill Rd, ☏ +353 47 81316. 18 hole golf course. Blue tees are 5962 yards, par 71.
- Harvest Blues is an R&B music festival in September.
Buy
[edit | edit source]- Monaghan Shopping Centre is central on Dawson St, open M-Sa 8AM-8PM, Su 10AM-6PM.
- Aldi is opposite on Dawson St, open M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 9AM-9PM.
- Monaghan Retail Park is 2 km west of town centre on Clones Rd, with Omniplex Cinema.
Eat
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- Taste of Tuscany is on Church Square, open Th-Su 4-9PM.
- Andy's Bar, 12 Market St H18 N772, ☏ +353 47 82277. Tue, Thu-Sat 4-9PM, Sun 1:30-7:30PM. Charmingly decorated bar, the restaurant serves modern Irish / continental cuisine.
- Eastern Balti is at 31 Market St H18 XN23, open W-M 4-10PM.
- The Squealing Pig, The Diamond H18 CA38, ☏ +353 47 884562. Wed-Fri 4-11:30PM, Sat Sun 3-11:30PM. Lively place for trad food.
- The Batch Loaf is at 1 North Rd, open W Th 5-9PM, F Sa 5-10PM, Su 3-8PM.
- Jimmy's is at 7 Mill St H18 A597, open daily.
- Tony's Pizzeria is at 58 Dublin St H18 HY63, open daily 4-11PM.
- Monaghan Spice is at 16 Dublin St H18 WR61, open daily 5-10:30PM.
- Ind Curry Palace is on Old Cross Square H18 FK46, open daily 4-10:30PM.
Drink
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- An Poc Fada is a pub and entertainment venue at 1 North Rd, open W-Th 4-11:30PM, F-Sa noon-midnight, Su 2-11PM.
- Tir na nÓg at 6 Park St H18 X710 is open daily 10:30AM-11:30PM.
- Terry's at 6 Market St H18 WR53 is open M-F 4-11:30PM, Sa Su noon-midnight.
- McKenna's at 62 Dublin St H18 HD92 is open W-Su 7PM-midnight.
- Mickey Mick's at 24 Dublin St H18 N727 is open daily 10:30AM-11:30PM.
- Shambles Bar at 32 Dublin St H18 Y978 is open 24 hours.
Sleep
[edit | edit source]- Ashleigh House, 37 Dublin St, Monaghan H18 NY72, ☏ +353 47 81227. Friendly guesthouse in town centre, clean and comfy with all rooms en suite. Free street parking 200 m away. B&B double €120.
- Hillside is a B&B at 5 Hill St.
- Westenra Arms Hotel, The Diamond, Monaghan H18 XA97, ☏ +353 47 74400. Trad mid-range hotel in a Georgian building in town centre. B&B double €150.
- The Meadows is a guesthouse at 5 Tirkeenan H18 RD29.
- 1 Hillgrove Hotel, Old Armagh Rd, Monaghan H18 RK15, ☏ +353 47 81288. Reliable mid-range hotel with spa. B&B double €150.
- Grove Lodge is a B&B 100 m west of Hillgrove Hotel on Old Armagh Road.
- 2 Four Seasons Hotel, Coolshannagh, Monaghan H18 Y220, ☏ +353 47 81888. Smart modern hotel with good dining and leisure club and pool. B&B double €150.
- 3 Castle Leslie, Glaslough H18 FY04, ☏ +353 47 88100. Grand luxurious Victorian pile 1 km from border with Armagh, as if Gormenghast did fine decor and cuisine. B&B double €350.
Connect
[edit | edit source]As of July 2026, Monaghan and its approach roads have 4G from Eir, and 5G from Three and Vodafone.
Go next
[edit | edit source]- Cavan is at the heart of the drumlin belt, with lakes studded with islats.
- Dundalk on the coast is industrial but has good beaches and medieval ruins within a few km.
- Armagh across the border has long been the ecclesiastical centre of Ireland.
| Routes through Monaghan |
Derry ← Omagh ← continues as  .svg){kind=small} ← | NW  S | → Carrickmacross → Dublin |
| END ← | SW  NE | → continues as  → Armagh → Belfast |