Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/870

Rh MONABULLACH. 862 MONAGHAN. MONABULLACH, the highest of the Commeragh range of mountains, co. Waterford, Ireland, 6 miles N.W. of Kilmacthomas. It attains an altitude above 2,500 feet. J1ONA CASTLE, on Douglas Bay, Isle of Man. It was formerly a seat of the dukes of Atholl, the ancient lords of tho island, but after the purchase of their rights by the government, was sold, and is now converted into an hotel. MONACHLOGDDU, a par. in the hund. of Kemess, co. Pembroke, 9 miles N. of Narberth, and 9 from New- port, its post town. It is situated under Precelly Moun- tain, at the river Cleddy's head. The parish is large. The living is a perpet. cur. in the dioc. of St. David's, val. 129. The church is dedicated to St. Dogmael. MONACHTY, a limit, in the par. of Llanegwad, hund. of Elvet, co. Carmarthen, 7 miles E. of Car- marthen. MONADLEADH MOUNTAINS, in' the district of Badenoch, co. Inverness, Scotland. They are situated at the head of the river Findhorn, and consist of a range of rugged heights, rising at the highest point about 3,000 feet above sea-level. The slopes afford pasture to immense flocks of sheep and herds of black cattle, while the higher peaks form extensive and dreary wastes in- habited only by the roe, red-deer, grouse, and ptarmigan. Granite and quartz are tho prevailing strata of these mountains. MONAGAY, a par. in the bar. of Glenquin, co. Limerick, prov. of Munster, Ireland, containing part of the town of Newcastle, its post town. It is 7 miles long by 5 broad. The surface is mountainous and the soil bad. It is crossed by the road from Abbeyfeale to Drumclogher. The living is a rect. in the dioc. of Limerick, val. with Newcastle, 717. Here are a Roman Catholic chapel and several day schools [see also NEW- CASTLE]. Glanduff is the principal residence. MONAGHAN, an inland co. of the prov. of Ulster, Ireland. It lies between 53 63' and 54 25' N. latitude, and between 6 33' and 7 18' W. longitude. It is bounded by co. Tyrone on the N., by Armagh and Louth on the E., by Meath and Cavan on the S., and by Fer- managh on the V. Its length from N. to S. is 37 miles, and its extreme breadth from the opposite points is 28 miles. It comprises an area of 500 square miles, or 319,757 acres, which are disposed thus 285,885 arable, 21,585 uncultivated, 6,816 in plantation, 304 occupied by the sites of towns, roads, &c., and 6,167 covered with water. The surface is mostly hilly, and becomes moun- tainous towards the N.W. and E. The Slievbeagh range, extending from N. to W., sends up a summit 1,254 feet above sea-level. The soil of the lowlands of the S. is mostly good, consisting of a portion of the central limestone-field of Ireland. The soil of the hilly districts, on the other hand, is generally very inferior. The principal rivers of this county are the Blackwater, on the eastern boundary, which joins Lough Neagh, also the Fane, Glyde, Lagan, Fink, and numerous small streams. Tho lakes are numerous, and some of consi- derable extent, as loughs Inny, Emy, Eglish, Mucknoo, Leesborough, Long, Whitelough, Corfin, Bawn, Avag- hon, Ballyhoe, and Ross. Much turf is obtained from the numerous bogs, the surface having anciently been the site of a dense forest. The inhabitants are chiefly occupied in agriculture. The spade is preferred to the plough. The dwellings of the poor are cabins of the lowest description. The fences are mostly stone and clay. Tho principal crops raised are oats, barley, pota- toes, and flax, which last is of considerable importance. The linen trade, which till recently was declining throughout the county, has rallied, and is now steadily increasing. The geological characteristics of the county are the same as other districts in the E. of Ulster, the substratum belonging chiefly to the transition formation ; the prevailing rocks are graywacke and slates of various kinds, with a few varieties of metamorphic rock, where the transition and crystalline formations approach each other. Mountain limestone is also very common in the N.W. and S., the Slievbeagh mountains belonging to the calp series of this formation. There are quarries of slate, marble, and gypsum worked, and coal appears about Carrickmacross, but is not worked. There are also indications of lead, copper, manganese, and anti- mony ; but the mineral productions of this county are more numerous than valuable. This county is divided into five baronies viz. Cremorne, Dartree, Farney, Monaghan, and Trough, which comprise 17 whole pars, and 6 parts of pars. The principal towns are Moriaghan, the county town, Carrickmacross, Castle Blayney, Clones, and New-Bliss. The first four are sessions towns and ' heads of Poor-law Unions, and all are market towns. The smaller towns are Ballybay, Bellanode, Emyvale, Glaslough, Rockeorry, Scotshouse, and Smithborough. It is within the Belfast military district, and the North- Eastern Circuit, and forms part of the dioc. of Clogher, in the united sees of Armagh and Clogher. Monaghan formerly returned four members to the Irish parliament. It now sends two representatives to the Imperial parlia- ment for the county, which had a constituency in 1859 of 5,121. It is governed by a lieutenant and custos rotulorum, vice-lieutenant, sheriff, and 18 deputy-lieu- tenants, assisted by the county magistrates and other officers. The population in 1851 was 141,758, and in 1861, 126,482. This county was formerly tho territory of the MacMahons. In 1177 it was overrun by John de Courcy, to whom Henry II. granted all the lands he had conquered in Ulster ; but its ancient proprietors held considerable sway down to the close of the ICth century. In tho reign of Henry V. it was wasted by frequent and bloody collisions between the landowners, when the MacMahons were brought into the king's peace by Lord Furnival, the lord -lieu tenant. It was constituted a county in 1568. The principal communi- cations of the county are the Ulster canal, the Dundalk and Armagh railway, and the roads from Monaghan to Ballybay, Dundalk, Bellatrain, Bailieboro, Carrickma- cross, Ardagh, Slane, and Dublin, again to Armagh and Belfast, again to Emyvale, Anglenachy, and Omagh, and lastly to Smithborough, Clones, and Enniskillen. The antiquities of most interest in the county are an entrenchment near Scotshouse, known as the Worm Ditch, Druidical remains at Monaghan and Carrickma- cross, round towers at Clones and Inniskeen, ruins of castles at Donaghmoyne, Maghernacligh, and Castle- Blayney. The chief residences of this county are Ross- more Park, that of Lord Rossmore ; Dartree, of Lord Cremorne ; Castleblayney, of Lord Blayney ; and others of private gentry, as Cooldcrry, Poplar Vale, Longfea, Glasslough, Anketell Grove, Thornhill, Castlehane, Glynch, Camla, &c. MONAGHAN, a bar. in co. Monaghan, prov. of Ulster, Ireland. It is bounded by the bars, of Trough, Cremorne, Dartree, and the cos. of Armagh, Fermanagh, and Tyrone. It covers an area of 69,904 acres, and contains the pars, of Drumsnat, Kilmore, Monaghan, Tedavent, and parts of Ballybay, Clones, Tehallen, and Tullycorbet. MONAGHAN, or RACKWALLACE, a par., post, market, and county town, in the bar. of Monaghan, co. Monaghan, prov. of Ulster, Ireland. It is a station <>n the Ulster railway, and at Monaghan Road is a station on the Irish North- Western line y 16 miles S.W. by S. of Armagh, and 76 from Dublin. The par. is 5 miles long, and its greatest breadth is 4J miles. A consider- able proportion of the surface consists of parks and demesne lauds. The roads from Belfast to Enniskillen, and from Dublin to Londonderry, and the Ulster e cross the interior. In the 9th century a monastery was founded here, which' was twice sacked in the same cen- tury, but was restored in 1462 by the MaeMahons. In 1611 the grant of a market and fair was obtained by Sir Edward Blayney, who was seneschal of the county, and had built a small fort in the then village of Rack- wallace, which occupied the site of the present town. In 1613 a charter of incorporation was obtained, and the new borough returned two members to the Irish parlia- ment. It was disfranchised at the Union, and is now governed by a body of commissioners. The town, wbich