County Monaghan hosts a variety of recurring annual festivals focused on music, culture, and community. While exact dates for 2026 may vary and should be confirmed closer to the time via official sources, the following are the major established events expected to take place:
- Féile Oriel: A traditional music and culture festival typically held in early May.
- Monaghan Town Country Music Festival: A lively open-air country music and dancing event, usually in July, featuring top Irish acts and jiving competitions.
- Countryfest (Inniskeen): An annual country music festival showcasing leading Irish country performers, generally in summer.
- Muckno Mania: A family-oriented festival at Lough Muckno with music, activities, and watersports, often in summer.
- Harvest Time Blues Festival (Monaghan Town): Ireland’s premier blues festival, attracting international acts and featuring a “Blues Trail” across venues, typically in early September.
- Patrick Kavanagh Weekend (Inniskeen): A literary and cultural celebration honouring the famous poet, with readings, talks, and events, usually in late September or early October.
- Clones Film Festival: An annual showcase of independent films, held in Clones, often in autumn.
- Other recurring events may include local food festivals like Taste of Monaghan street food gatherings, storytelling festivals, and drama festivals such as Castleblayney Drama Festival.
Festivals
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
Monaghan:
Introduction – 1837 – Adventure – Anthem – Archaeology – Attractions – Awards – Birdwatching – Castles – Churches – Contact list – Cycling – Dining – Equestrian – Festivals – Fishing – Folklore – Golf – Graveyards – Happening – Haunted – Highest – Hiking – History – Holy Wells –Hotels – Hotels8 – Instagrammable – Itineraries – Largest town – Luxury – MICE – Movies – Musicians – Name – Novelists – Off the beaten track – Poets – Pubs – Quotes – Random Facts – Restaurant Awards – Saints – Spas – Sports – Sunsets – Sustainable – Things to do – Towns – Video – Villages – Walking – Wanderlist – Weddings – Wild swimming – Writers
Related posts:
FOOTSTEPPING – Saint Ciara of Tipperary: Places associated with the saint and her feast day (January 5)
‘In the BUSH that I love best’ – St Stephen’s day in Ireland and the wren boys
‘Belief in Santa Claus seems to be dying out’ – a letter from the children of Ireland of 1938
A solstice tale: How Newgrange became a rocks star (ahem) of archaeology
