Monaghan County Museum
County museum in the Peace Campus in Monaghan town showing the history and cultural diversity of the border county, including the Cross of Clogher.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Monaghan County Museum opened in 1974 and was the first full-time, local-authority-funded museum in the Republic of Ireland. It was first housed in the courthouse in the centre of the town. After a fire in 1981 the collection was rescued and stored in a school, and in 1986 it moved to two converted town houses on Hill Street, where a fully refurbished museum was opened in 1990 by President Patrick Hillery.
In 2024 the museum closed for a year to catalogue and move more than 50,000 objects, and it reopened in June 2024 in its new home in the Peace Campus in Monaghan town. The campus also contains a library and a youth facility.
The main display, Bordering Realities – Monaghan People and Stories, looks at how borders have shaped life in the county. It includes a space on the Ulster Scots story, video interviews with well-known people from Monaghan, a specially made short film about the border region and key objects such as the medieval Cross of Clogher and the restored door of Rossmore Castle. The museum is part of the Local Authority Museums Network.
Highlights
- Cross of Clogher, a medieval altar cross about 500 years old
- Exhibition Bordering Realities – Monaghan People and Stories
- The Story of the Ulster Scots
- Restored door of Rossmore Castle
- Video interviews with well-known people from Monaghan
Permanent exhibition
- Bordering Realities – Monaghan People and Stories – The main exhibition explores how borders and lines have shaped life in County Monaghan, with the Ulster Scots story, interviews with local personalities, a short film and key objects such as the Cross of Clogher.
- Founded
- 1974
- Operated by
- Monaghan County Council
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Admission is free.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The building is fully accessible and a lift runs from the underground car park into the museum. The displays are on Levels 2 and 3.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By car
Paid parking
Pay parking in the underground car park of the Peace Campus; only euro coins are accepted, not cards.
The museum is in the Peace Campus on the edge of the centre of Monaghan town.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | The museum runs educational workshops, events and resources. Visitors with research queries should make an appointment in advance to meet the Exhibitions and Research Officer. |
