From a slice of Philadelphia to a Taste of Monaghan

Food is a key ingredient in Monaghan’s story. Speaking ahead of this year’s Taste of Monaghan food festival, Cllr Seán Conlon says the county is “absolutely blessed” with fresh local produce and a “farm to fork” pathway that supports restaurants, retailers, growers and small start-ups.

The Sinn Féin rep gives “a big shout out to the farmers’ market” and sees events such as Taste of Monaghan as useful showcases for local producers and the the county. He also says they feed into a person’s pride of place.

He says it’s important the local authority supports such events that promote the county.

Now 27 years in elected life, and having worn the chain of office on eight occasions, Cllr Conlon frames civic investment in practical terms: “This is your money, your taxpayers’ money being reinvested into your community.”

Cllr Conlon’s bond with Monaghan was strenghtened by distance. After leaving at 18 years, he spent some time in England and then 14 years in the United States before returning from Philadelphia with his wife and two sons in 1994. Being away, he says, gave him “more of a sense of community value and importance”.

Coming home to a rural community, family life and work renewed his appreciation for living, working and enjoying life in his native Monaghan.

A carpenter by trade, Cllr Conlon says he “genuinely had no real interest” in elected politics at first, but became active through Sinn Féin in Monaghan Town and was involved in the historic 1997 Dáil campaign that saw Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin elected.

Cllr Conlon’s years abroad also gave him perspective on how Monaghan has changed. He remembers leaving at a time of “desperately high levels of unemployment” and limited opportunity, when many Monaghan people found themselves abroad.

Today, he speaks of the county with pride: a rural community with strong family ties, active local organisations, improved public spaces and a growing reputation for enterprise, hospitality and quality of life.