Monaghan

County of the Republic of Ireland, in the province of Ulster; county town Monaghan; area 1,290 sq km/498 sq mi; population (2002) 52,600. The county is low and rolling, with hills in the northwest, the highest point being Slieve Beagh (381 m/1,217 ft). The principal towns are Clones, Carrickmacross, and Castleblayney. Rivers include the Glyde in the south, the Finn in the west, and the Blackwater in the north. Much of the county is fertile. The main form of agriculture is dairy farming, but cattle and pigs are also raised, and cereals and potatoes grown. Industries include leather, linen, knitwear, footwear, furniture, and lacemaking.

Waterways None of Monaghan's rivers is navigable. The Ulster Canal, which unites loughs Neagh and Erne (both in Northern Ireland), traverses the county near Monaghan and Clones, but is now disused.

Monaghan

County town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland; population (2002) 5,700. Monaghan lies in an agricultural area and is a popular fishing centre.

The 19th-century St Macartan's cathedral in Monaghan is in Gothic Revival style. Rossmore Forest Park is adjacent to the town.

Monaghan was the birthplace of the nationalist leader Charles Gavan Duffy (1816–1903), who went on to become prime minister of Victoria, Australia. St Macartan's College, the seminary of the Clogher diocese, is 2 km/1 mi to the north.