Monaghan is a Northern County in Ireland (some do ask!) :-) And no, it is not in Northern Ireland (politically) but is geographically. It sits on the border with the North. A small town - great for nights out and food! County Monaghan is part of the Border Region and is in the province of Ulster and it is named after its county town Monaghan. After the 20th century Irish War of Independence and the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, Monaghan was one of the three Ulster counties to join the Irish Free state rather than Northern Ireland - which is the reason why it is not considered in Northern Ireland politically but will be always seen as part of it from the geographical side. County Monaghan is not huge, it is considered the smallest of Ulster's nine counties by both size and population, but still it is considered a good place to head for and have some good time with friends, eat some good food, and even visit some attractions along the way - just the same way we did in our trip. Being in Monaghan and having some time to do several things, there are those places which we would recommend for our fans and followers. Monaghan County Museum is one of the attractions to visit in Monaghan which will tell you more about the history of the place, you could also pass by the Celtic High Cross and St. Tiernach's Grave, the Busy Bee Ceramics where you could make your own pot or decorate your set of ware, visiting St. Louise Convent Heritage Centre, going to St. Joseph's church, and there are those other places which you could still check but according to which town you will be visiting and staying at; for example, there is Inniskeen and Patrick Kavanagh Centre which are located in Inniskeen. Even though the main purpose of our trip was to meet up with some friends at Hillgrove Hotel, we also managed to pass by Castle Leslie - which was the first time for us to do so - and enjoy a walk around it, and we could say that it was truly a good experience to get to see something for the first time although you should have passed by it years before. Castle Leslie is home to an Irish branch of Clan Leslie which is both the name of a historic Country House and 1,000 acre Estate adjacent to the village of Glaslough, north-east of Monaghan town in County Monaghan. This castle is different because it is fashioned in the Scottish Baronial style and was designed by the firm of Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon in 1870 for Sir John Leslie. The country house present a rather dour and austere facade and is sited in such a way so as to mask the gardens to an approaching visitor and there is also a Renaissance style cloister that links the main house to a single storey wing containing the library and the billiard room. We have passed by this Leslie Castle and felt ashamed of never being there before although I have been working a long time ago in the Hillgrove Hotel which I was heading to, but eventually things come our way and it was good to experience this castle and get the chance to know more about what it is and how it looks like. One important and good thing about this trip for us was the timing we have chosen - which might be a coincidence - but still, we managed to head to the Hillgrove Hotel to meet our friends when Christmas was just around the corner and this gave us the chance to enjoy the lighting of the place and get the festive feeling of Christmas, not just that, but it was also different to hear the Christmas songs at the petrol station while fueling the car =) The large towns in County Monaghan include Monaghan, Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, Clones (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPBTE41X6WM), Ballybay and that's in addition to the other county towns which are found there and which include Ballinode, Doohamlet, Drum, Emyvale, Inniskeen, Glaslough, Killanny, Knockatallon, Magheracloone, Newbliss, Oram, Rockcorry, Scotshouse, Scotstown, Smithborough, Threemilehouse, Tydavnet, Truagh, and Latton. Ireland and Northern Ireland are filled with lots and lots of places, restaurants and bars which one could visit to check the history of the country and the attractions it carries and at the same time enjoy nice traditional food and drinks which might not be found anywhere else (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1OekTvb1Nw). It is always important to make your trip to any country different and filled with different experiences and that is the reason why we are trying to bring you all the places we go to visit and all the experiences we pass by in order for you to write them down, plan your trip to Northern Ireland or Ireland, and directly head for them when you are eventually here. Share with us your experience with County Monaghan and tell us the things you liked most about the place and those which you might not recommend for other people coming in the future to visit it. Some of the best locations around Ireland / Northern Ireland and further afield. A travel blog/vlog of the hidden treasures that are on our doorstep.

• published: 13 Nov 2017
• views: 4794