County Monaghan

Birding County Monaghan

County Monaghan is a county in Ireland. It is one of three counties situated in the province of Ulster which are in the Republic of Ireland. The name comes from the Irish, derived from Muine Cheain meaning the Land of the little hills. This name refers to the density of drumlins in the area, those small hills formed from glacial action (during a previous ice age). The county borders County Tyrone (Northern Ireland) to the north, County Armagh (NI) to the east, County Louth (Republic of Ireland) to the southeast, County Meath (ROI) to the south, County Cavan (ROI) to the southwest and County Fermanagh (NI) to the west. There is a pene-enclave jutting into Fermanagh in the western area of the county. Monaghan is the principal town. Other major towns include Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, and Clones.

There are several mountains in the county: Mullyash Mountain, Slieve Beagh (on the border with Tyrone and Fermanagh) and Coolberrin Hill (214 m).There are also a large number of lakes, including Lough Egish, Lough Fea, Muckno Lough, Lough Avaghon, Inner Lough (in Dartrey Forest), Drumlona Lough, White Lough and Emy Lough.Rivers in Monaghan include the river Fane (in the southeast of the county and along the border with Louth), river Glyde (along the Louth and Meath borders), the river Blackwater (along the border with Tyrone, Northern Ireland) and Dromore river (along the border of Cavan, linking Cootehill to Ballybay).Monaghan also has a number of forests, including Rossmore Forest, Dartrey Forest and Dún na Rí Forest Park. Managed by Coillte since 1988, the majority of trees are conifers. Due to a long history of intensive farming practices and recent intensive forestry practices only small pockets of native woodland remain.