News

Carrickmacross Tennis Club Public Meeting

Carrickmacross Tennis Club is being established and we are holding a Public Meeting at the The Shirley Arms Hotel on Tuesday 5th March at 8pm.
The objective is to explain our plan to establish a new tennis club and to establish the level of interest in the community. The CEO of Tennis Ireland, Richard Fahey will address the meeting.
The club will have four floodlit tennis courts and a pavilion to be located on the grounds of Mannan Castle Golf Club. The club will be primarily focussed on family and community activities and will also have a competitive aspect associated with leagues both internally and with other clubs. Carrickmacross Tennis Club will be a separate entity to Mannan Castle Golf Club.

Coaching will be available for children, adults and seniors and special needs groups will be very much welcomed and catered for. The project has already gained considerable interest in the community but will rely on the support from within the town and environs, so please come out and support us. Tennis is a growing sport in the country and this new venture will enhance the availability of diverse sporting opportunities within the area.

Check out the website at www.carrickmacrosstennis.com, Carrickmacross Tennis on Facebook and @Cmxtennis on Twitter.

In July 2018 the Municipal District of Carrickmacross & Castleblayney sanctioned funding to explore the development of a Greenway between Carrickmacross and Dundalk via Inniskeen.

A Greenway is an offroad walking and cycling track, and the popularity of Greenways is growing throughout the country, with huge success reported on the Great Western Greenway between Achill and Westport, and on the Waterford Greenway. In Monaghan Town the 4km Ulster Canal Greenway sees over 100,000 trips annually, and in Co. Louth the Carlingford Lough Greenway between Carlingford and Omeath has been a huge success. Both the Ulster Canal Greenway and the Carlingford Lough Greenways have secured INTERREG VA funding to extend over the coming years.

Wherever they are developed, Greenways have been welcomed by local people as attractive places to spend time on, local businesses and entrepreneurs recognise their economic benefits in bringing visitors to an area, and more and more Greenways are being used as safe and sustainable commuter routes for people travelling to and from work and school.

Monaghan County Council has appointed consultants for this feasibility study, and they will be commencing work in December 2018. Wherever possible, the study will consider the use of the Great Northern Railway Corridor as the route for the Greenway, however many sections of the railway route have been built on and developed, and where this is the case alternative route options will be considered by the Consultant.

The Consultants undertaking this Feasibility and Scoping Study – Clandillon Civil Consulting Ltd and Fehily Timoney & Co – will consider geometric, environmental, geotechnical and structural constraints and will be conducting walkover surveys in the area early in February 2019. The consultants will be responsible for their own health and safety and will have their own insurance. They may contact individual landowners during the course of their works but they will carry identification and have a letter issued by Monaghan County Council confirming their identity.

This feasibility and scoping study is one of the early stages of the development of a route. If the report shows it may be feasible to deliver a Greenway between Carrickmacross and Dundalk, further detailed studies and design would be required, including public consultation and planning approval.

Any queries about this project, whether in County Louth or in County Monaghan, can be made to the Municipal District of Carrickmacross &Castleblayney on 042 966 1240.

Upcoming courses available in the Castleblayney Enterprise Centre.

For a full list of courses, click here to see their facebook page information.

St. Patrick’s Day is coming upon us once again and we are now taking names of any organisations, businesses, bands etc. that wish to take part in this year’s fun!! After the success of last year’s parade, with over 60 organisations, along with a number of local and non-local bands taking part, we are anxious to recreate this success and make this year’s parade even bigger and better!

If you wish to take part, please contact the Carrickmacross - Castleblayney Municipal District Council on 042 9661236 or alternatively email us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as soon as possible as the line up for the parade is growing rapidly and booking is essential!

There will be lots fun and giveaways on the day, including best band and best float!!!!

€100 Prize Money for Best Dressed Window!!

So don’t delay, join up today!!

Very best of luck to St. Louis U-19 in the All-Ireland league Final on Tuesday 22nd January.

The U-19s were back on court today in the All - Ireland play offs. The girls once again were successful and have booked themselves a place in the All-Ireland league Final!! 

Keep up to date with them on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/stlouiscarrick/

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service Mobile Unit will be located in the

Nuremore Hotel, Carrickmacross on the following days:

Tuesday 15th January, 2019

Wednesday 16th January, 2019

From 4:30pm to 8:00pm

Please Note Venue

Help Ensure Essential Blood Supplies Are Always Available By Giving Blood Regularly.

New and lapsed donors always needed.

If you are fit and healthy, aged 18 to 65 (between 65 and 70 years if you have donated in the last 10 years),

over 7st.12 lbs (50kg) and have not donated in the last 90 days, please make a special effort to come along.

Help ensure that essential blood supplies are always available.

Remember YOU can make a difference. For further details, please contact our lo-call Donor Information Line 1850 – 73 11 37

or Finbar Gethins, Area Organiser at our Ardee Regional Office, 041 – 685 9994 or www.giveblood.ie

Brexit event organised by Grant Thornton, in partnership with Monaghan County Council. The event will take place on 16th January 2019 at 8 a.m in the Nuremore Hotel

This is a great opportunity for Monaghan Businesses to gain an insight into Brexit; the potential outcomes, the effects these outcomes might have on business and how to manage these effects.

As the Cathaoirleach of the Carrickmacross - Castleblayney Municipal District, I would like to take this opportunity to wish the Carrickmacross and south Monaghan area a Happy Christmas and Prosperous 2019.

I am always proud to come from Carrickmacross, we are a town full of community spirit with organizations, charities and committees who continue to do exceptional things. We, as a local authority, will continue to work with these groups in order to continue the betterment of the area.

2018 has seen many developments in the town - the opening of the Lace Gallery and Craft shop was the culmination of years of hard work. It will be a base in the town for tourists and locals alike to congregate and take pride in the local craft which has put us on the map. In terms of housing, a number of social housing units were allocated and private development continues to provide much needed homes in the area. Over the next 12 months we will see further developments come to fruition. A contentious issue I have been raising since joining the council, the unfinished estate on the old Ardee road, Drummond Ross, will be brought to completion over the next couple of years which will benefit the entire area.

The year ahead sees a number of plans and projects that will come to fruition. The Tidy Towns, who continue to make this town a great place to live, continue their quest to win the overall title. With the help of the Council, the businesses and the community, that goal is within reach. Plans are currently underway to introduce a water feature for the town which will draw visitors from near and far and will benefit the whole community; the Municipal district council have already committed our support for this and will continue to work closely with the Tidy Towns committee to bring it to a reality.

The Group Home for Persons with Physical and Sensory Difficulties, which has been completed now for almost 2 years and has, unfortunately been left unused, has been added to the 2019 HSE budget so it is expected to be opened in the first half of the year. Newbaze, a Chinese based baby-formula company, hope to begin production this year also in the former Bose factory.

An exciting plan to rejuvenate the town has been commissioned by the council and will be out for public consultation in the coming months. This plan includes the development of strategic zones in the town that will cater for markets, outdoor eating, cultural areas and off street parking. An application has been made to the new Rural Regeneration Scheme for funding and we will continue to push for its delivery.

It has been a difficult year for many and I want to take this opportunity to pass on my deepest sympathies to those who have suffered a loss.

It has also been a difficult time for the people of Magheracloone; the mine collapse in recent months has resulted in displacement of people from their homes, of a loss of revenue to businesses in the area and the lack of facilities for the GAA club and Community Centre. I, along with my council colleagues, will continue to keep this issue on the agenda and will continue to seek answers to those questions that have yet to be answered.

Finally, I want to remind you that the Council and the local representatives are available to the community so if you need our help please do not hesitate to make contact.

Cllr. Colm Carthy (Cathaoirleach of the Carrickmacross-Castleblayney Municipal District Council) 0876837180

The Offices of Monaghan County Council including the offices of the Municipal District of Carrickmacross-Castleblayney, Municipal District of Ballybay-Clones, Municipal District of Monaghan will be closed on Friday 21st December, 2018 at 4:00 p.m. and will re-open on Monday 31st December, 2018 at 9:15 a.m.
The Offices will close again on Tuesday, 1st January, 2019 and re-open on Wednesday
2nd January, 2019 at 9:15 a.m.

The Motor Taxation Office at Market Street, Monaghan will close to the public on Friday 21st December, 2018 at 3.00 pm and will re-open to the public on Monday 31st December, 2018, closing at 1:00 p.m.
The Office will close again on Tuesday, 1st January, 2019 and re-open on Wednesday
2nd January, 2019.

In emergency cases only, the following numbers may be contacted.

Fire Service Telephone Number 999/112

The 2018 Carrickmacross GOAL MILE will take place on St Stephens Morning (Wednesday  26th Dec) at 11am at the Carrick Aces Running Track (Oriel Road). The GOAL MILE involves running or walking 4 laps with an opportunity to make a donation to GOAL’s work in the developing world.  Everyone is very welcome to this fun run/walk. Further information can be found on www.goalglobal.org