A new home for the Hive of Knowledge

A new home in Monaghan Town has finally been agreed for the Hive of Knowledge sculpture that was once a feature of the Church Square area.

The art piece is to be installed in the forecourt of the Monaghan Peace Campus facing Glaslough Street, it was revealed at Monday’s meeting of the Monaghan Municipal District.

Created as a collaborative legacy work to mark the hosting by the town in 2011 of the International Forge-In Festival, which celebrated the craft of blacksmithing, the wrought iron sculpture on the theme of knowledge and learning was ousted from its customary place on the Monaghan Courthouse forecourt during an extensive streetscape redesign in 2024.

Since then it has remained in storage with several suggested new locations failing to win unanimous approval, and generating some tension between the elected members of the Monaghan MD.

At Monday’s MD meeting, Cllr Seán Conlon noted the earlier agreement during an in-committee session of a prominent Peace Campus location for the Hive. He also harked back to a previous majority decision by the MD to place the sculpture to the rear of the Peace Campus where it would have “vanished out of public view”, which he said was opposed by the SF councillors.

Cllr Conlon expressed regret that local people had been denied access to the sculpture for so long but welcomed its new home near the location of the Monaghan Town Library and County Museum, facilities with which the work’s theme is interlinked.

Cllr Pauric Clerkin (FG) congratulated Cllr Conlon on his “wonderful piece of spin”, reminding him that SF had proposed that the sculpture be relocated in front of a drapery premises in the town, and it had been himself and party colleague Cllr Alan Johnston, and Cllrs Raymond Aughey (FF) and Seamus Treanor (Ind) who had supported the Peace Campus location.

“Yes, behind the Peace Campus,” Cllr Bronagh McAree (SF) pointed out.

“That was the only option then,” responded Cllr Johnston.

“It is important the facts are out there to be seen,” Cllr Clerkin stated.

“This morning was the first time we saw options that were more acceptable than any of the previous suggested locations,” said Cllr Conlon, adding that he had been “absolutely taken” with the site facing Glaslough Street providing there is sufficient space for people to walk around the sculpture and experience it.

Cllr Aughey complimented Cllr Clerkin on the “due diligence” he had shown on this issue, stating that he had spoken widely with stakeholders and local people and sought the views of County Museum Curator Liam Bradley.

“Pauric was the only one of us who went out and asked people their views and I compliment him on doing this spadework,” Cllr Aughey added. “The Hive will now be where it should be – the Peace Campus was the correct decision in the first place, although the initial location was maybe wrong.”

Cllr Aughey said the Peace Campus is itself “a hive of knowledge” as it houses a library and museum.