Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 7,894 people, lies in Co. Monaghan. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records 187 buildings here.
Prices are modest for what you get: it takes 5.1 years of the median household income to buy the median home, at €227,000. Taken together, its subjects give Monaghan an A− overall, better than three quarters of Irish towns. That places it #80 of 320 Irish towns. Add health to its strengths (B+). The catch is safety (C+): 6.5 violent crimes and 6 burglaries and acts of criminal damage recorded per 1,000 residents a year. It is hard to get around without a car (C+). nearly a fifth of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the typical Irish town: 23%).
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · health and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025.
The 3 things Monaghan does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Monaghan with Irish towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
18 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
5% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Monaghan Township, Pennsylvania, is named after Monaghan.
USUS editionMonaghan Township, Pennsylvania, settled in 1888, takes its name from this town.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Monaghan.
The nearest secondary, Beech Hill College, is 0.2 km away. Families in Monaghan have 11 schools within 3 km to choose from: 6 primary schools and 5 secondary schools. Pupil numbers changed +8% since 2019/20, higher than Irish towns (+4%).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaelscoil Ultain GaelscoilLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 373 | Catholic |
| Beech Hill College DEISLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 897 | Multi-denominational |
| Coláiste Oiriall GaelcholáisteTeaches through IrishPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 402 | Multi-denominational |
| St Marys BNS DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 229 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Monaghan | Co. Monaghan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 18% | – | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +8% | – | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Results by school aren’t published in Ireland, so the cards carry none.
Private tenants account for 32% of households. The typical sale price in Monaghan reached €245K in 2025, up 56% from €158K in 2010. Just over half of households own their home, lower than Irish towns (61%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €325,000 | 48 |
| Second-hand homes | €202,000 | 273 |
| The last 12 months | €240,000 | 101 |
| Housing | Monaghan | Co. Monaghan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,011 | – | €1,606 |
| Median sale price | €227K | – | €350K |
| Households renting privately | 32% | – | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 51% | – | 61% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
By estimate, fewer than one home in a hundred in Monaghan has radon above the reference level. On high landslide susceptibility: under 0.1% of homes, in line with Irish towns (0%).
| Share of homes | Monaghan | Co. Monaghan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | under 0.1% | – | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 1.2% | – | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
4.3% of residents give unpaid care to a relative or friend, below Irish towns (5.4%). A disability affects 21% of people in Monaghan. Asked at the census, 87% of residents of Monaghan said they were in good or very good health.
| Census 2022 | Monaghan | Co. Monaghan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 4.3% | – | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 87% | – | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.4% | – | 2% |
| With a disability | 21% | – | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
The graded crime recorded most in Monaghan was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). Thefts came to 8.3 per 1,000 a year (not part of the grade), lower than Irish towns (15.3). Recorded crime of every kind runs at 62.1 per 1,000 residents a year.
Not in the gradeTheft, public order and offences found by Garda checks (drugs, road traffic, dangerous acts) are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence, burglary and damage.
| Per 1,000 a year | Monaghan | Co. Monaghan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theft | 8.3 | – | 15.3 |
| All recorded crime | 62.1 | – | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
The warmest afternoons come in July, at around 19.4°C in Monaghan. The year’s mean temperature is 9.5°C, lower than Irish towns (10.3°C). December is the wettest month in the town, with 105 mm of rain on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Monaghan | Co. Monaghan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature over the year | 9.5°C | – | 10.3°C |
| January low | 1.8°C | – | 2.9°C |
| July high | 19.4°C | – | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 992 mm | – | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
86% of homes are within 400 m of green space, below Irish towns (92%). 4 parks, 11 ha of green space: that is the measure of Monaghan’s parkland. Green space in Monaghan works out at 1.4 ha per 1,000 people.
| Outdoors | Monaghan | Co. Monaghan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 8.7% | – | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 86% | – | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 1.3 km per km² | – | 2.1 km per km² |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 0% | – | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Thursday should be the warmest of the days ahead, at 10°C, and the coolest reaches only 6°C. In a typical November, days climb to about 10°C and nights sink to 4°C, the yardstick for Monaghan’s forecast. A dry day with a stiff breeze lies ahead today: wind building to 20 km/h, then a low of 5°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 280 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 4°C | 206 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 10°C | 237 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 6°C | 269 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Degrees are held by 25% of adults, lower than Irish towns (36%). 16% of residents are 65 or over. Children under 15 count for 19% of the people here.
51.5% of Monaghan’s residents are women
4,067 women and 3,827 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Monaghan | Co. Monaghan | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | – | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | – | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | – | 29% |
| 45–64 | 25% | – | 24% |
| 65+ | 16% | – | 14% |
| Primary or none | 14% | – | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 16% | – | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 40% | – | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.8% | – | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 25% | – | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Monaghan and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
52% voted at the last local elections. Monaghan answers to one council, Monaghan County Council; Ireland has no town tier. Sinn Féin lead Monaghan County Council with 8 of 18 seats, but no party has a majority: 10 are needed.
| Turnout | Monaghan | Co. Monaghan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 64% | – | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 52% | – | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Archaeologists have recorded 18 sites here. Homes from before 1919 make up 4.6% of the total, higher than Irish towns (3.4%). Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 187 buildings in Monaghan, 4 of national or international importance.
| Heritage | Monaghan | Co. Monaghan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 237 | – | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 18 | – | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
At the census, 19% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, lower than Irish towns (23%). Workers spend 22.1 min getting to work, on average. Unemployment runs at 11%.
| Census 2022 | Monaghan | Co. Monaghan | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 47% | – | 31% |
| Average trip | 22.1 min | – | 27.6 min |
| Median household income | €44,888 | – | €57,760 |
| Unemployment rate | 11% | – | 9.2% |
CSO, Census 2022 travel to work, work and education · CSO Geographical Profiles of Income 2022 · Live Register · Census day was 3 April 2022, with working from home still common; shares are of those who travelled.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Monaghan. Best known first.
CathedralSt Macartan's Cathedral, Monaghanin town
Art galleryMarket House, Monaghanin town
MuseumMonaghan County Museumin townArt galleryArt galleryThe Market House, Venue and Galleryin townHistoric siteHistoric siteThe Barn700 m outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 187 buildings in Monaghan, 4 of national or international importance. The national record lists 18 archaeological sites in and around the town.
24 notable people were born in Monaghan.
Charles Gavan Duffy: not stated, Public domain · Jonathan Douglas: currybet, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mary Lee: State Library of South Australia, CC BY 2.0 · Seán Gallagher: Shaneod7, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Aaron McCarey: Mattythewhite, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bernadette Ní Ghallchóir: PBS, Public domain
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
Monaghan had 7,894 people at the 2022 census, up from 7,834 in 2016: 0.8% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Monaghan is 39.8, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Monaghan
7,894 people live in Monaghan, in the area of Monaghan County Council. TownRatings uses the CSO’s 2022 Urban Areas as Ireland’s towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a county or a council area, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from Tailte Éireann’s boundaries and the CSO’s Census 2022 (CC BY 4.0)
Sources: CSO, Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics (CC BY 4.0) · Tailte Éireann, Urban Areas and Electoral Divisions 2022 (CC BY 4.0) · TownRatings grades, run #544 (Irish towns only). Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).