If your only reference point for Monaghan is Patrick Kavanagh's poetry, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the lack of stony grey soil.
In fact, Monaghan is a county of green rolling hills and shimmering lakes, with bustling hedgerows and forests. A perfect escape from the monotony of the city.
With the exception of a night in Castle Leslie lodge many moons ago, this was really our first time to do a stay in County Monaghan… and we are much the better for it!
We stayed for two nights in the family-friendly (and family-run) 4 Seasons Hotel on the outskirts of Monaghan Town. With a family room fitted for five – two adults and three children ranging from 6 to 13, there was giddy excitement as we headed down to enjoy the leisure centre. With a spacious pool for the kids to swim, the adults could partake of either the jacuzzi or a sauna and steam room options.
That evening, we headed into town with its pleasant array of shops and cafes. We were met by a striking octagonal monument in the centre of town. Later we learned it was a commemoration to Henry Cairns Westenra, the 4th Baron of Rossmore, who died in his early 20s in an equestrian accident.
Dinner was had at the Taste of Tuscany, serving hearty fare of Italian inspiration. The manager, Fiona, was a wonderful hostess as well as a mine of information about the surrounding area. My husband was encouraged to try the soup as a starter, a delicious rustic blend of potato, kale, bacon and sausage. It proved the perfect autumnal appetiser followed by a creamy chicken carbonara.
I had local breaded mushrooms to start that were so delicious I had to protect them from being stolen by wandering children’s forks! That was followed by a creamy seafood pasta special, which was full of flavour. The kids enjoyed plump burger and chips, with the eldest successfully wrestling a formidable 6oz burger with pulled pork and deep fried onions.
What really strikes you about Monaghan is the friendliness of the people. At any stage of our visit from waitress to passer-by, locals were ready to give guidance or help and take a genuine interest in where you were from. There was also a ready pride in what they considered rightly to be this hidden gem of a place tucked up the northern end of our little country.
Rossmore Forest Park was a gem within a gem – a huge estate only a few miles from Monaghan town which once was the stately pile of the duly commemorated Baron of Rossmore. The castle is now sadly gone but what Monaghan County Council have done with the estate is a perfect blueprint for these types of amenities.
Aside from a well-kept series of trails through forest and lakes, a fantastic and ample playground, the park also has a series of sculpted giant heads with quirky names like Spike, Big Ross and Banba. This novel feature gave the kids extra impetus to explore the vast park, ticking off each giant head as we went and leaving them, more importantly, tired and ready for lunch.
One tip: give plenty of time for the kids in the playground. There is also a nice addition of a BBQ area with each picnic table making it an ideal summer picnicking spot.
Lunch was the Monaghan Street Food Fair which turned the once quiet Main Street into a bustling affair of competing food trucks and stalls. One in fact, Blasta, a Tex-mex / Irish fusion, competed recently in RTÉ’s Battle of the Food Trucks.
With long queues, we settled for The Duck Truck, a simple selection of roast duck offerings, either burger, tacos (or Quackos, as they’re called), nachos or hot dogs. Although the Monaghan Street Food Festival is an annual event run by the Monaghan Food Network, it’s worth noting that the Monaghan Town Farmers Market runs on Fridays from 10am-2pm.
Suitably sated, we returned to the hotel and utilised the pool to ensure maximum exhaustion for adult and child alike. Dinner in the hotel was a tasty family-friendly affair, with the kids choosing the ubiquitous burgers again while the adults indulged in prawn rice stir fry and a lighter Chicken Caesar salad, made at request.
Desserts were delicious from generous ice cream scoops with jelly to a creamy pavlova. The staff were impeccably polite and conscientious in terms of ensuring that the family were all served quickly and together, noting the flagging kids at our side.
The following morning, we enjoyed the buffet breakfast again – something I find kids enjoy immensely as they busy themselves with multiple trips to the various stalls until they are sufficiently replete. The Irish breakfast meat was excellent quality.
We then made our way through country roads to the town of Glaslough which is the small village beside the Castle Leslie Estate. It is a gorgeously kept 'Tidy Towns winner’ and gives the visitor a glimpse of what life might have been like when the huge Anglo-Irish estates were in their heyday. We stopped off in Glaslough Chocolate shop for some handmade artisan chocolate with freshly-ground coffee. Then we went for a pottery lesson at Brenda McGinn’s Busy Bee Ceramic shop.
Brenda is a superb advocate for the meditative power of pottery and creativity in general. As both a teacher and a professional artist, she quickly had us at our ease. Once we were at the wheel it was easy to understand what she meant. There is something incredibly calming and soothing to the mind to work with clay. The kids enjoyed it immensely and we all got to take home our ceramic creations (some more successful than others in their execution!).
Lunch was at The View Restaurant and Bar at Concra Wood. The restaurant is aptly named as the view is simply stunning, a panorama of lakes and islands, straddled inoffensively by the Concra Wood golf-course.
The food again was delicious and well-proportioned for the time of day, with the menu a mixture of Sunday roast meats and fish as well as a substantial children’s menu. I particularly enjoyed my salmon fillet served with a chili sauce and a broad variety of vegetables.
It was clearly a popular place to go for extended families enjoying Sunday lunch together and that created a lovely atmosphere. The eating and drinking was the perfect complement to the feast for the eyes of the Monaghan landscape that surrounded us through the floor to ceiling glass windows.
Overall, we can highly recommend a trip to Monaghan for any family, especially Dublin based one’s looking for a quick escape. There is something for everyone whether it’s those who prefer busy outdoor pursuits, with plenty of biking (Drumlin Trails), kayaking orsStand-up boarding (SUP) offerings (Castleblayney Outdoor Adventure), or those looking for a more relaxed, meditative getaway there’s also glass blowing (King’s Forge Glass)!
And if you’re feeling lost, just ask any passer by – you’ll be sure to be greeted warmly and no doubt, pointed in the right direction as well as helpful recommendations to boot.
Some things that we didn’t get to do but are saving up for next time are:
- The award-winning Monaghan County Museum
- The Patrick Kavanagh Centre
- Carrickmacross Workhouse
- St. Peter’s Tin Church, Laragh, Co. Monaghan
Places to eat:
- 2 West Street, Castleblayney
- The Neighbourhood, Monaghan
The Details
We travelled for the purpose of review as a guest of Monaghan Tourism. If you need inspiration on where to go and what to do, visit monaghantourism.com.
We stayed in a Family Room at the 4 Seasons Hotel, which start at €155 a night. Meals were covered, as were accommodation and activities.
Other hotels in the area are Hillgrove Hotel & Spa, and Westenra Arms Hotel.
- Written by Suzanne Leyden
