Ulster Canal Stores Visitor Centre
Restored canal storehouse in Clones with Ireland’s Clones Lace Museum, a bistro and a gift shop; admission free.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Ulster Canal Stores is a two-storey cut-limestone building from around 1839 on the bank of the Ulster Canal in Clones, County Monaghan. The former canal storehouse has been restored as a visitor centre by the Clones Development Society, a social enterprise.
It houses the Clones Lace Museum, described as the only museum in Ireland dedicated to Clones lace. The display explores the social history of Clones and how lace making became central to community life after the Great Hunger in the 1850s. Clones lace, the local form of Irish crochet lace, received state recognition in 2021 and is on Ireland’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The centre also offers guided heritage tours of the town by prior arrangement, covering monuments such as the Famine graveyard and the round tower, and welcomes school and bus groups.
Highlights
- Clones Lace Museum on the history of Clones lace
- Restored nineteenth-century canal storehouse on the Ulster Canal
- Guided heritage tours of Clones by arrangement
- Bistro, gift shop and free parking
Permanent exhibition
- Clones Lace Museum – Explores the social history of Clones and how lace making became part of the community after the Great Hunger.
- Operated by
- Clones Development Society
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
The museum is free to visit.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- 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
Full disabled access across both floors.
Kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 45 min |
|---|
- Playground / play area
A children’s playpark is next door.
Getting there & parking
By car
Free parking
Free on-site parking.
Amenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
On-site bistro and coffee shop serving all-day breakfast and light lunches, with outdoor seating, a small gift shop and meeting facilities.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided heritage tours and bespoke historical tours of the area, school visits and coach groups can be arranged in advance. Allow 30 minutes to an hour. |
