Sights in County Monaghan
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Monaghan County Museum & Gallery
Over 70,000 artefacts from the Stone Age to modern times are housed at this excellent regional museum. Its crowning glory is the 14th-century Cross of Clogher, an oaken altar cross encased in decorative bronze panels. Other impressive finds include the Lisdrumturk and Altartate Cauldrons, medieval crannóg artefacts, and some frightening knuckle-dusters and cudgels relating to the border with the North.
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Rossmore Forest Park
Crumbling remains of the Rossmore family's 19th-century castle, including its entrance stairway, buttresses and the family's pet cemetery, can be seen at Rossmore Forest Park , where rhododendrons and azaleas blaze with colour in early summer. Along with forest walks and pleasant picnic areas, the park contains several giant redwoods, a fine yew avenue and Iron Age tombs. It's 3km southwest of Monaghan on the Newbliss road (R189).
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St Joseph's Catholic Church
Craftsmanship also shines at St Joseph's Catholic Church, with 10 windows designed by Harry Clarke, Ireland's most renowned stained-glass artist.
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Other Sights
In Church Sq, the hefty obelisk the Dawson Monument(1857) commemorates Colonel Dawson's unfortunate demise in the Crimean War. Overlooking it is the Gothic St Patrick's Church and a stately Doric courthouse (1829). Heading west you'll find the Rossmore Memorial (c 1875), an over-the-top Victorian drinking fountain that dominates the Diamond. The town also has a number of buildings with gently rounded corners, an unusual architectural feature in Ireland.
Just out of the centre of town on the Dublin road is another piece of Victorian whimsy, the mock-14th-century St Macartan's Catholic Cathedral (1861), topped by a teetering 77m-high, needle-sharp spire.
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Carrickmacross Lace Gallery
In the town's former cattle yards, a local cooperative runs this tiny but fascinating lace gallery, where you can see lace-making demonstrations and check out exquisite designs. Unlike Clones' crocheted lace, designs here are appliquéd on organza using thick thread and close stitches. Excess organza is cut away and the work is embellished with a variety of point stitches, guipure, pops and the lace's distinctive loop edge. Most famously, Carrickmacross lace graced the sleeves of Princess Diana's wedding dress. Carrickmacross' lace makers can take commissions.
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