Group gathers at Monaghan County Museum for walking tour

Day two of the 22nd annual William Carleton international summer school was devoted to a walking tour of Monaghan town. Around fifty people took part and were guided around some of the important buildings in the town by Grace Moloney of the Clogher Historical Society, based in Monaghan.  She has researched, written and lectured extensively about local history in the Clogher Diocese. Her main interest is the history of County Monaghan, especially maps, place-names, archaeology, natural history (forests and bogs), social history and the history of women.

Group at the Market House, Monaghan

She was assisted by Theresa Loftus of Monaghan County Museum, where she has been working since 2004. Initially she worked in registration, moved to education and outreach and became Exhibition / Research Officer in 2007. She studied Local History in NUI Maynooth and Museum Practice and Management at the University of Ulster.

Group at Aviemore, Hill Street Monaghan

The tour took began at the Museum at Hill St beside Park St (site of town gate, the Market House, Aviemore – home of land agent Dacre Hamilton, reputedly the inspiration for Carleton’s Valentine McClutchy – site of 1602 building – tunnel). It then went via Mill St (the town’s first mill) to North Road (possible site of holy well, beheading of friars c1540, Orange Hall) and St Peter’s Lake (associations with ‘Honest’ Peter McPhillips a class-mate of Carleton at Fr John Keenan’s classical school), legend about two lakes.

Group at Hill Street, Monaghan

The group then walked along Glaslough St (early bowling green, RIC barracks, Masonic hall)  to The Diamond (Bleckley’s school & past pupils, Westenra Hotel and memorial and mausoleum) and along Dublin St (birthplace of Charles Gavan Duffy who featured in yesterday’s conference, Baird’s pub, Orange Hall, site of town gate) and on to Old Cross Square (Presbyterian Meeting House, Market Cross, Shambles, canal, Monaghan abbey) then to the rear of the Courthouse (Plantation castle and main entrance into the Diamond, fishponds, oldest buildings in the town) and into Church Square (Courthouse, coat of arms, bomb memorial, jail (Johnny Short’s hotel), St Patrick’s Church of Ireland, Bram Stoker, Westenra family, Dawson memorial, Hive of Knowledge).

Group at Peter’s Lake, Monaghan

Lunch was served afterwards at the Poc Fada pub where a group of traditional musicians entertained the group.

Group at Orange Hall, North Road Monaghan

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Sunday 4th August: Tomorrow in Monaghan town republicans from all over Ireland will gather for the national hunger strike commemoration, the story of which is on display at an exhibition organised by Sinn Féin in Dublin Street.