https://monaghanbrief.ie/ Independent local news for County Monaghan: towns, council and planning, courts, GAA and sport, community and cross-border life. en-ie Tue, 13 Oct 2026 21:39:18 +0100 https://monaghanbrief.ie/assets/logo-512.pnghttps://monaghanbrief.ie/ https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-road-safety-action-plan-phase-two-2026-2027-launched?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-road-safety-action-plan-phase-two-2026-2027-launched Tue, 13 Oct 2026 21:23:46 +0100 Council & Planning Council, Gardaí, fire service and the RSA launched the County Monaghan Road Safety Action Plan for 2026–2027 at Monaghan Fire Station, with lower school-area speed limits and targeted enforcement among the priorities. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/carrickmacross-castleblayney-roads-funding-700km-20-percent-structurally-unsound-oireachtas?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/carrickmacross-castleblayney-roads-funding-700km-20-percent-structurally-unsound-oireachtas Tue, 13 Oct 2026 20:53:50 +0100 Council & Planning Councillors and officials in the Carrickmacross-Castleblayney Municipal District told TDs and senators that over 20% of its 700km of local and regional roads are structurally unsound, with less than 2% being fixed each year. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-peace-campus-circular-economy-conference-17-october-2026?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-peace-campus-circular-economy-conference-17-october-2026 Tue, 13 Oct 2026 20:34:31 +0100 Community & Events Monaghan County Council's free Circular Economy in Action Conference runs Saturday, 17 October, 9:30am to 1pm at the Peace Campus. Registration is essential; speakers include Carrickmacross Toy Library and Genesis Coffee Shop. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-planning-act-2024-commencement-deferred-forms-site-notices?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-planning-act-2024-commencement-deferred-forms-site-notices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 19:56:22 +0100 Council & Planning Monaghan County Council had warned agents that new planning forms and site notices would be needed from 13 October. The Department of Housing has deferred that commencement, so the 2000 Act rules still apply. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/magheracloone-secure-senior-status-cremartin-relegated-sfc-2026?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/magheracloone-secure-senior-status-cremartin-relegated-sfc-2026 Tue, 13 Oct 2026 19:02:30 +0100 GAA & Sport Magheracloone beat Cremartin Shamrocks 3-20 to 1-9 in Sunday's Monaghan SFC relegation final at Aughnamullen. The Mitchells are safe for 2027; Cremartin will play Intermediate next season. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/sliabh-beagh-fly-tipping-emyvale-scotstown-clerkin-awareness-campaign?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/sliabh-beagh-fly-tipping-emyvale-scotstown-clerkin-awareness-campaign Tue, 13 Oct 2026 18:36:08 +0100 Council & Planning Fine Gael councillor Pauric Clerkin says illegal dumping has worsened across Sliabh Beagh and at bring banks in Emyvale and Scotstown. Monaghan County Council told him it is confident those responsible will face action. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-home-heating-oil-prices-rise-castleblayney-duffy-oils-budget-2027-carbon-tax?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-home-heating-oil-prices-rise-castleblayney-duffy-oils-budget-2027-carbon-tax Tue, 13 Oct 2026 18:08:21 +0100 Castleblayney The average price of 500 litres of kerosene in Monaghan climbed from €808 to €839 in the six days after Budget 2027. A Castleblayney oil distributor blames world markets, not the budget, and says local customers are buying smaller amounts. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-county-council-offices-closed-public-sector-strike-wednesday-14-october-2026?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-county-council-offices-closed-public-sector-strike-wednesday-14-october-2026 Tue, 13 Oct 2026 17:33:10 +0100 Council & Planning All Council offices and public buildings in Monaghan will be closed on Wednesday 14 October as hundreds of thousands of public servants stage a 24-hour national strike over pay. Here is what will and will not be open. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/tonniscoffey-house-monaghan-town-hiqa-inspection-fully-compliant-2026?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/tonniscoffey-house-monaghan-town-hiqa-inspection-fully-compliant-2026 Tue, 13 Oct 2026 17:03:07 +0100 Monaghan Town The health watchdog found no non-compliances at the five-resident disability centre at Dunraymond, outside Monaghan Town, after an unannounced visit in June. The report was published on Tuesday. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/sli-lorcain-monaghan-cummins-opens-51-homes-connabury-castleblayney?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/sli-lorcain-monaghan-cummins-opens-51-homes-connabury-castleblayney Tue, 13 Oct 2026 16:13:06 +0100 Monaghan Town Minister of State John Cummins TD officially opened the 51-home Slí Lorcáin scheme on Monday and inspected 26 more social homes under construction at Connabury in Castleblayney. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/john-mcentee-new-monaghan-senior-football-manager?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/john-mcentee-new-monaghan-senior-football-manager Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0100 GAA & Sport The Crossmaglen man and 2002 All-Ireland winner with Armagh was ratified at Monday night's county board meeting, taking over from Gabriel Bannigan; Tony Austin was confirmed as senior hurling manager. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-ifc-final-ballybay-donaghmoyne-jfc-final-drumhowan-aghabog-2026?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-ifc-final-ballybay-donaghmoyne-jfc-final-drumhowan-aghabog-2026 Tue, 13 Oct 2026 02:19:55 +0100 GAA & Sport Ballybay beat Clones 3-19 to 0-12 and Donaghmoyne edged Emyvale 1-17 to 0-16 in the IFC semi-finals, while Aghabog beat Currin to reach the junior final. Both finals are fixed for the weekend of 24-25 October. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/castleblayney-n2-n53-tullyvin-n54-smithborough-road-closures-october-2026?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/castleblayney-n2-n53-tullyvin-n54-smithborough-road-closures-october-2026 Tue, 13 Oct 2026 02:19:55 +0100 Council & Planning Monaghan County Council has published closure notices for pavement and maintenance works on three national roads over the next three weeks, plus two local road closures near Castleblayney and Carrickmacross. Here are the dates, times and diversions. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-fire-safety-week-2026-free-smoke-alarms-five-towns?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-fire-safety-week-2026-free-smoke-alarms-five-towns Mon, 12 Oct 2026 23:13:34 +0100 Community & Events Monaghan Fire & Civil Protection is running Fire Safety Week from 12 to 18 October under the theme 'Know Your Room, Know the Risk, Know the Person'; firefighters will give advice and free alarms on 17 October. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-county-museum-full-accreditation-mspi-peace-campus-2026?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-county-museum-full-accreditation-mspi-peace-campus-2026 Mon, 12 Oct 2026 19:53:40 +0100 Monaghan Town The museum meets all 34 Museum Standards Programme for Ireland benchmarks again, after reapplying following its move into the Peace Campus with the library and youth services. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/ballybay-carrickmacross-bus-link-lough-egish-local-link-gilliland-public-transport?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/ballybay-carrickmacross-bus-link-lough-egish-local-link-gilliland-public-transport Mon, 12 Oct 2026 18:38:43 +0100 Ballybay Cllr Sean Gilliland says Local Link is the only thing keeping Monaghan's public transport from 'third world' standards, but council minutes show Lough Egish has no regular service planned and promised upgrades for Smithboro and Rockcorry hinge on Department of Transport money. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/castleblayney-speeding-gibbons-speed-surveys-traffic-calming-3-of-14-funded?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/castleblayney-speeding-gibbons-speed-surveys-traffic-calming-3-of-14-funded Mon, 12 Oct 2026 18:11:11 +0100 Council & Planning Sinn Féin's Paul Gibbons wants speed cushions, crossings and driver feedback signs around Castleblayney and Oram, but council records show most road safety bids in the municipal district have been turned down. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/first-home-scheme-monaghan-price-ceiling-375000-q3-2026-update?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/first-home-scheme-monaghan-price-ceiling-375000-q3-2026-update Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:36:18 +0100 Council & Planning Monaghan sits in the lowest price band for the shared-equity scheme, below the €395,000 average price paid by scheme users nationally, as new figures show most approvals still going to Dublin and the commuter belt. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-county-council-local-property-tax-2027-stays-15-percent?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-county-council-local-property-tax-2027-stays-15-percent Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0100 Council & Planning The council executive asked for a 25% local adjustment to raise about €369,000 more for its budget. Councillors voted unanimously to keep the 15% rate, citing the cost of living. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/carrickmacross-swimming-pool-leisure-complex-design-team-appointed?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/carrickmacross-swimming-pool-leisure-complex-design-team-appointed Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0100 Carrickmacross Monaghan County Council has signed a contract with an architect-led design team for a proposed 25-metre pool and leisure complex in Carrickmacross, a facility the town has campaigned for over many years. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-senior-football-final-2026-scotstown-truagh-clones-october-18?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-senior-football-final-2026-scotstown-truagh-clones-october-18 Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:43:19 +0100 GAA & Sport Champions Scotstown, chasing a fourth title in a row, beat Inniskeen 1-18 to 3-09 to reach a 14th straight decider. Truagh edged Clontibret 4-16 to 2-19 in a six-goal semi-final. Throw-in is 3.30pm. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/clones-single-wind-turbine-carneys-island-planning-permission-granted?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/clones-single-wind-turbine-carneys-island-planning-permission-granted Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:43:19 +0100 Clones Monaghan County Council has granted conditional 10-year permission to ART Generation Limited for a single 4.8MW turbine near Clones, connecting underground along the R183 to the ESB Clones substation. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/nypd-gaelic-football-garda-clones-project-children-legacy-events?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/nypd-gaelic-football-garda-clones-project-children-legacy-events Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:43:19 +0100 Community & Events Tuesday's free programme at St Tiernach's Park starts with a cross-community children's blitz at noon, followed by the NYPD v Louth-Cavan-Monaghan Garda Division match at 1pm and the launch of a new 600-page book in Monaghan that evening. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/north-south-interconnector-monaghan-councillors-oireachtas-undergrounding-ministers?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/north-south-interconnector-monaghan-councillors-oireachtas-undergrounding-ministers Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:43:19 +0100 Cross-Border At a special meeting after the October council meeting, councillors and Oireachtas members agreed the overhead line should not go ahead in its current form. They want it put underground and are calling on ministers north and south to come to Monaghan. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/castleblayney-pop-up-shop-iontas-climate-action-week-monaghan-2026?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/castleblayney-pop-up-shop-iontas-climate-action-week-monaghan-2026 Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:43:19 +0100 Castleblayney Blayney Blades and Monaghan County Council host a pre-loved clothing pop-up at Iontas on Monday evening, 6pm to 9pm. It is one of more than 40 events across the county from 12 to 18 October. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/ballybay-households-no-waste-collection-reverse-register-monaghan-council?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/ballybay-households-no-waste-collection-reverse-register-monaghan-council Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:43:19 +0100 Ballybay Monaghan County Council has spent a year building a 'reverse register' of Eircodes with no apparent waste collection. Letters go first to the Ballybay urban area. Here is what to do if you get one. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-district-court-car-scraping-jail-vishing-smishing-bail-refused?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/monaghan-district-court-car-scraping-jail-vishing-smishing-bail-refused Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0100 Courts A 20-year-old was jailed over damage to five cars at Monaghan Shopping Centre car park in June. Separately, a 57-year-old charged over about €16,700 allegedly obtained through 'vishing' and 'smishing' scams was refused bail and sent forward for trial. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/rossmore-castle-community-archaeology-project-monaghan-town?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/rossmore-castle-community-archaeology-project-monaghan-town Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:43:19 +0100 Monaghan Town Test trenches are being opened at the site of the demolished Tudor-Gothic castle in Rossmore Park, 3km from Monaghan Town, ahead of a larger community excavation planned for summer 2027. https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/margaret-conlon-co-opted-monaghan-county-council-ballybay-clones-seamus-coyle?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://monaghanbrief.ie/articles/margaret-conlon-co-opted-monaghan-county-council-ballybay-clones-seamus-coyle Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:43:19 +0100 Council & Planning The former Fianna Fáil TD for Cavan-Monaghan takes the Ballybay-Clones seat left vacant by the sudden death in August of Cllr Seamus Coyle, who served on the council for more than two decades.