Big plans for small villages
A detailed roadmap for the future of Monaghan’s vibrant villages was outlined at the February meeting of the Carrickmacross–Castleblayney Municipal District (MD) with Inniskeen and Oram among the first in the spotlight.
Community Development Officer Carol Lambe presented preparations for Tier 4 spatial strategies and community plans for the period 2026–2030, in line with the County Monaghan Development Plan. Community plans were prepared inhouse and meant no extra cost, whereas Tier 4 plans required outside consultants, Ms Lambe explained.
Tier 4 village plans (or Tier IV settlements) refer to planning frameworks for rural towns and villages that act as local service centres with limited employment functions. These plans, often part of county development strategies, define specific development limits to allow for modest growth, while preserving the character of the village, protecting it from excessive sprawl.
Inniskeen and Oram are the only two 'Tier 4' designated villages within the district. Inniskeen was previously earmarked for 2026. Castleblayney-based Cllr Aidan Campbell (FG) proposed that Oram, incorporating Mullyash, should be the focus in 2027. MD Cathaoirleach Paul Gibbons (SF) seconded.
Ms Lambe proposed that once these two areas are addressed, the MD could devote the remainder of the plan’s lifespan to supporting other villages that fall outside their direct jurisdiction but require assistance in completing their development plans.
Cllr P.J. O’Hanlon (FF) said: “I think everything should be as per MD; my interest is in the area I represent.”
However, he felt that all areas traditionally associated with Carrickmacross and Castleblayney should be within the MD of the same name. He noted that Lisdoonan, Raferagh and some of Corduff are under the umbrella of Ballybay/Clones MD.
Annyalla 'split in three'
Ms Lambe agreed that Annyalla, a village located between Castleblayney and Clontibret, is worthy of attention. Unusually the redrawing of electoral boundaries when MDs came into being saw Annyalla divided among all three MDs in Co Monaghan.
MD Cathaoirleach Gibbons commented: “Annyalla is split in three, I’ve never seen worse!” The Sinn Féin representative had raised this anomaly many times before.
Cllr O’Hanlon expressed support for taking on Annyalla as a third Tier 4 project in 2028, provided the other two MDs were willing to help: “Dealing with Annyalla in three different bits doesn’t make sense. Everywhere should be treated the same.”
The Fianna Fáil rep said that he would consider bringing a motion to revise these of electoral boundaries in order to: “Stop the gerrymandering and put Monaghan back the way it was!”
O’Hanlon criticised the establishment of the Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee in 2012, for drawing divides through natural hinterlands.
Cllr Gibbons added: “These changes left some constituents feeling so disconnected that they no longer saw the point in voting because they no longer knew their local candidate!”
Sinn Féin’s Noel Keelan agreed that Phil Hogan’s restructuring of local government had lasting repercussions. To underline the point made by fellow elected representatives, Fine Gael Cllr Peter Conlon pointed out that Killanny straddles counties Monaghan and Louth. Its football pitch is located in Louth but many Killanny natives play for Monaghan in the leagues.
Leaving the meeting with something to consider, Ms Lambe used Scotshouse as an example of what plans could do for an area.
It came from a base of no investment, to attracting €1.3M in grant aid from various sources, with the help of Monaghan Co Council.
She said that the local authority is no longer involved as the citizens of the village had long advocated for themselves.
Scotshouse, she said, was also the pilot for a national project, involving late Local Link services to allow people to socialise. It was an experiment to tackle rural isolation.