News

New Museum At The Peace Campus To Open In Early 2024

Monaghan County Museum will close at its current home on Hill Street on International Museums Day, May 18^th this year.

This will be a last chance to see the exhibits at Hill Street – the Museum’s home for the past 40 years – before the facility moves to a new, purpose-built premises at the Peace Campus in early 2024.

The First Professionally Run Local Authority Museum in Ireland

Monaghan County Museum earned its place in the history books by being the first local authority museum in Ireland to be run by paid, full-time staff when it opened in September 1974.

“It was a bold statement from Monaghan County Council that they were looking to the future and recognised the importance of preserving and exploring the rich culture and history of the county and surrounding region,” said the Museum’s curator, Liam Bradley.

“Despite the backdrop of the troubles and shock of the devastating Monaghan bombing which had taken place just a few months prior, here was a service that was open to all. A safe space where people from all backgrounds could come and discover a shared history,” he added.

The Museum was originally housed in the Courthouse, before a fire in the building prompted a move to the Hill Street location.

Over the decades that followed, the Museum’s collection grew to reflect the cultural diversity and historical richness of the county. Each object tells a story, of a person, a place, a passion, a life lived, and lives lost.

Exciting Times Ahead As Museum At The Peace Campus Opens

The ambitions of the service and the wealth and breadth of the stories which the collection holds needed a bigger and more accessible space to reach an even wider audience. That new space is the Peace Campus building, currently under construction on Plantation Road in Monaghan Town.

It is hoped that the building will be completed by November 2023, and the Museum reopened to the public in early 2024.

“Monaghan County Museum is about you, it is for you. Monaghan County Museum on Hill Street will soon become part of the history of the county, why not come in and be part of that history before we move to the future Monaghan County Museum at the Peace Campus.” Bradley concluded.

As part of National Spring Clean 2023, Tidy Towns Groups around County Monaghan are coming together and are holding litter picks. These litter picks will take place between the 25th of April and 12th of May. This is a great opportunity for people to join in and clean up their areas and our County.

A list of dates and times for litter picks are outlined below and include picks organised by Carrickmacross, Monaghan, Emyvale, Ballybay, Inniskeen and Castleblayney Tidy Towns Groups.

Emyvale Tidy Towns
Saturday the 29th of April at 11am.
Meeting at Parish Field

Monaghan Tidy Towns
Saturday the 29th of April
at 11am.
Meeting at Gavan Duffy Park

Carrickmacross Tidy Towns
Sunday the 30th of April at 10.30 am.
Meeting at the Civic Offices

Castleblayney Tidy Towns
Tuesday 2nd May at 10.30am.
Meeting at Hope Castle.

Inniskeen Tidy Towns
Wednesday the 3rd of May at 6.45 pm.
Meeting at Inniskeen football field.

Ballybay Tidy Towns
Friday the 12th of May
at 10am
Meeting at the Square

 

Individuals and groups are encouraged to join in. Many Tidy Towns groups will be organising ongoing litter picks over the Summer time so make sure and check out their social media links below.

Ballybay Tidy Towns – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1649408565192656/

Castleblayney TidyTowns – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064741924749

Carrickmacross Tidy Towns – https://www.facebook.com/carrickmacrosstidytowns/

Clones Tidy Towns – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064304367210

Emyvale Tidy Towns – https://www.facebook.com/emyvaletidytowns

Glaslough Tidy Towns – https://www.facebook.com/glaslough/

Inniskeen Tidy Towns – https://www.facebook.com/InniskeenTidyTowns/

Monaghan Town Tidy Towns – https://www.facebook.com/people/Monaghan-Tidy-Towns/100064543665844/

Oram Tidy Towns – https://www.facebook.com/oramcommunitydevelopmentandtidyvillage/

Smithborough Tidy Towns – https://www.facebook.com/smithboroughtidytowns/

 

Consultation Process

The Peace team is coordinating a consultation process with the wider community to develop a PEACEPLUS Local Community Action Plan.  Stage 1 of the consultation process is complete with a number of public and online events taking place across the County in February 2023 alongside an online survey.  The events were very successful in terms of the level of engagement and local priorities identified both at MD and county level.

The consultation process is ongoing and there is still time for local communities to get involved and share their views on the development of a PEACEPLUS Local Community Action Plan.   The stage 2 process will bring forward the key priorities identified at stage 1 and explore further potential project ideas/concepts.  Dates and times of the Stage 2 Consultation events are as follows;

Date	Time	Venue
Wednesday 26th April 2023	2.30pm – 4.30pm	Iontas Theatre, Castleblayney
Thursday 27th April 2023	10.30pm – 12.30pm	Peace Link, Clones
Thursday 27th April 2023	2.30pm – 4.30pm	Garage Theatre, Monaghan

Get involved by attending one of the following events:

There is no requirement to register your interest to attend an event.

If you require any further information on the consultation process, please contact Nicola Payne by telephone on 047 30500 or by email at npayne@monaghancoco.ie

The National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland NCFFI, awarded the honour of hosting the 6^th edition of this event by the Fédéracion International de la Pêche Sportive, is pleased to be working with Monaghan County Council and the local community to bring to Lough Muckno its first world class angling event this weekend on Saturday 22^nd April and Sunday 23^rd  April 2023.

The town of Castleblayney will welcome twenty-eight teams representing seventeen nations to the area, providing a welcome boost to the local economy and angling tourism.

On Thursday evening 20^th April  2023 “ The Parade of Nations”  will take place  a colourful affair to welcome the teams in procession as they make their way from The Big Tom Statue along  Main Street to the Íontas Arts, Theatre & Community Centre.

 

Monaghan County Council wish to notify the public of upcoming public information event on the Castleblayney Market House & Market Square regeneration project. The Council has commissioned dhb Architects Ltd to prepare design proposals for the refurbishment of the Market House and public realm enhancements to Market Square. Monaghan County Council and dhb Architects Ltd wishes to provide members of the public with an opportunity to view the design developments for the project at an upcoming public information event. Interested parties are therefore invited to drop in to a public exhibition event that will take place at the Gate Lodge No.1, Market Square, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan, A75 KP73 on the 25^th of April 2023 from 12:00pm to 6:00pm.

 

Notice is hereby given pursuant to the Road Traffic Act 2004 Section 10 (1) of the Council’s intention to put in place Special Speed Limits for Road Works on the roads listed below in the Municipal District of Carrickmacross/Castleblayney. The speed limits are being put in place in the interest of road safety to facilitate roadworks.

Signed: Gareth McMahon,

A/Director of Services, Transport,

Community and Rural Development , 6th April 2023

Notice is hereby given pursuant to the Road Traffic Act 2004 Section 10 (1) of the Council’s intention to put in place Special Speed
Limits for Road Works on the roads listed below in the Municipal District of Ballybay/Clones. The speed limits are being put in place in the interest of road safety to facilitate roadworks.

Signed: Gareth McMahon, A/Director of Services, Transport, Community and Rural Development 6th April 2023

Notice is hereby given pursuant to the Road Traffic Act 2004 Section 10 (1) of the Council’s intention to put in place Special Speed
Limits for Road Works on the roads listed below in the Municipal District of Monaghan. The speed limits are being put in place
in the interest of road safety to facilitate roadworks.

R-185-3: For a distance of 5200m between its junction at Cavanreagh -Tullyree 28/02/2023 30/11/2023 – the N12 at Cavanreagh to the junction of the LS-5232 and LP-1301 at Tullyree

R-186-4: For a distance of 2700m from its junction Cappog- Tydavnet Village 28/02/2023 30/11/2023 – LP-1620 at Connollys Bridge at Cappog to the junction of the LP-1020 in Tydavnet Village

R-162: For a distance of 1600m from its junction with the Killygowan- Tamlat 28/02/2023 30/11/2023 – R188 at Killygowan to its junction with the LP-1500 at Tamla

R188: For a distance of 6000m from its junction with the Killygowan- Stranoodan 28/02/2023 30/11/2023 – R162 at Killygowan to its junction with the LP-2402 at Stranoodan

LP-1210: For a distance of 3300m between its junction Emyvale Village -Aghaboy 28/02/2023 30/11/2023 with the N2 at Emyvale Village and the junction with the LS-5205 at Aghaboy.

LP-1412: For a distance of 567m between its junction with Old Cross Square- Glen Road 28/02/2023 30/11/2023 – the R-937/N54 (Old Cross Square) and its junction with the R162 (Glen Road)

LS-5600: For a distance of 3100m between its junction Drumbear – Knockaturly 28/02/2023 30/11/2023 with the R188 at Drumbear and its junction with LS-5600 & LS-5620 at Knockaturl

LT-56104: For a distance of 1277m between its junction Urbalkirk – Feragh. 28/02/2023 30/11/2023 with the R-162-4 at Urbalkirk to the end of the road at Feragh

LT-16201: For a distance of 1435m, between its junction Tullycroman – Crosses. 28/02/2023 30/11/2023 with the R186-5 at Tullycroman and its junction with LP-1620 at Crosses.

Signed: Gareth McMahon,

A/Director of Services,

Transport, Community and Rural Development 6th April 2023

 

Public consultation events for the Monaghan Local Economic Community Plan (LECP) will take place throughout April 2023 at the following venues:

April 13^th 11.00am till 13.00 Garage Theatre, Monaghan

April 13^th 2.30 till 4.30 Peace Link, Clones

April 19^th 6.00pm – 8.00pm Workhouse, Carrickmacross.

April 18^th 7.00pm – 8.30pm online event*

*To register for the online event please contact npayne@monaghancoco.ie

Monaghan County Council is aware that households in our area may have received a notice of termination from their landlord and may be unsure about what to do.

Anybody who has received a notice of termination and who has no alternative accommodation can contact Monaghan County Council.

Monaghan County Council first response will be to support households to try to prevent homelessness.

Where a person or household is eligible for social housing:
Monaghan County Council will assess the availability of social housing properties or advise the person or household on the level of Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) they may be eligible to receive.

In some cases, Monaghan County Council will assess if the property in which the tenant currently resides is suitable for acquisition if it is being offered for sale and the owner is interested in selling to the local authority. In prioritising properties for acquisition, consideration will be given to aspects such as cost and value, condition of the property, size and suitability for tenants. If there are social housing units available via the local authority or an Approved Housing Body, allocation to these will also be considered.

Where a person or household is not eligible for social housing:
Monaghan County Council can assess and refer households for the Cost Rental Tenant-in-Situ scheme managed by the Housing Agency and provide advice or direct to appropriate services.

The Cost Rental Tenant-in-Situ scheme is available for tenants who are not eligible for social housing and are at risk of homelessness. Local authorities are a first point of contact for this scheme but it is managed by the Housing Agency. Under the scheme the Housing Agency can purchase a property and rent it to the tenant. Local authorities will undertake an initial assessment of the tenant’s circumstances and refer details to the Housing Agency for consideration, where the tenant is at risk of homelessness and the Cost Rental Tenant-in-Situ scheme applies.

Where a tenant wishes to purchase their home, local authorities can advise and support on the Local Authority Home Loan scheme. We are aware that the Government is examining implementing a ‘right of first refusal’ for tenants to purchase their homes, as well as expanding the First Home shared equity scheme. Monaghan County Council will be able to provide more information on these when available.

We would like to assure households that emergency accommodation will be a last resort only, where no other appropriate alternative can be identified. Households in emergency accommodation will be supported to access more permanent accommodation.

Monaghan County Council will continue to deal with notice of termination queries and cases as quickly as possible, while taking account of circulars issued by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Tenants may also wish to contact the Residential Tenancies Board, Threshold or other tenant support services for support and advice on tenant rights.

If you require further information, the  designated contact for Notice of Termination queries is

Ms. Miriam McMahon mmcmahon@monaghancoco.ie  047-30552