Co Monaghan has served as a boundary line throughout its long history, marked by ancient earthworks like the Black Pig’s Dyke, presumed to be the old border leading into Ulster. The county also signified the division between the Pale and the rest of Ireland, and since 1922, it has demarcated the Border separating the Republic of Ireland from Northern Ireland.
Monaghan County Museum, sited in Monaghan town, launched in September 1974, a scant three months following the town’s darkest episode – the Dublin-Monaghan bombings that claimed seven lives. The upcoming weekend sees the commemoration of the museum’s 50th anniversary and the inauguration of its new location within the town’s €22 million Peace Campus.
Home to a collection of 50,000 artefacts, one of its most eye-catching exhibits is an aerial photograph of Culloville Bridge on the river Fane, delineating the Republic’s boundary with Northern Ireland. The contrast in road markings is visibly discernible. As stated by curator Liam Bradley, the theme of Borders recurrently features in the museum. The exhibit – Bordering Realities: Monaghan People and Stories – portrays the narrative of Monaghan as a border county for the past ten decades.
Interestingly, Co Monaghan also boasts the highest population of Protestants within the Republic, and a segment of the exhibit focuses on the narrative of the Ulster-Scots as related to the county. Mr Bradley highlighted how the Protestant community in Monaghan felt alienated by the Border, prompting many to relocate northwards, notably subsequent to the Republic’s declaration in 1949.
Bringing it to the present day, the museum features an exhibition and interviews hosting notable local figures such as Barry McGuigan, Tommy Bowe, Caitríona Balfe, and Ardal O’Hanlon, all of whom have contributed memorabilia to the museum’s collection.
The Decade of Centenaries events have a section dedicated to them and the prize exhibit is the prestigious Victoria Cross, which was awarded to Private Thomas Hughes, a Monaghan native, for his gallantry in the 1916 Battle of the Somme. This distinguished piece is lent to the museum for the forthcoming year.
Division has notably characterised Monaghan, symbolised by Catholic and Protestant children attending separate institutions. The museum seeks to stimulate dialogues on the subject of borders – those that are both tangible and perceived.
Mr Bradley characterises Monaghan as a prototypical Ulster town shaped like a diamond. He elaborates that there is an inimitable narrative here that transcends the Border and extends to all surrounding borders. This concept has occupied his thoughts for an extensive period.