The site of Rossmore Castle, once one of Ireland's best-known country houses and now a much-loved forest park near Monaghan Town, is the focus of the county's first community archaeology project.
Monaghan County Heritage Office, in partnership with Monaghan County Museum, has launched the Rossmore Community Archaeology Project in Rossmore Park, about 3km south-west of Monaghan Town, Northern Sound reported. It will also be the first archaeological excavation ever carried out at the castle site.
What is happening now
Archaeological test trenching is under way to identify the most promising areas for excavation and to decide where community dig sites should go. A larger excavation programme, with members of the public taking part, is planned for summer 2027, and the project is expected to run over several years.
The work is funded through a €20,000 grant from the Heritage Council, announced in May as part of €140,000 in heritage funding secured for the county in 2026. Northern Sound reported at the time that the joint project between the council's Heritage Section and the museum would involve geophysical surveys and test trenching alongside community engagement.
Why it matters
Kara Ward, Monaghan County Heritage Officer, told Northern Sound the key aim is to create greater appreciation and public value in heritage, and that one of the most effective ways to do that is by empowering communities to engage directly with their local monuments and landscapes.
Liam Bradley, Curator of Monaghan County Museum, said: "We believe collaboration is one of the surest paths to sustainable success in our cultural heritage. By empowering communities and creating a positive network of stakeholders, this project will help bring people together from Monaghan and across the border region to explore our shared history."
The story of Rossmore
Rossmore Park's history goes back to the 17th century. The estate passed through several families before becoming the seat of the Westenra family, the Barons of Rossmore. During the 19th century the original fortified house at Cortolvin Hills was transformed into the Tudor-Gothic Rossmore Castle.
The estate became known for its landscaped parkland, ornamental lakes, walled gardens, the historic Yew Walk and its giant redwoods. One of those redwoods is now the tallest tree in County Monaghan.
Economic decline and changes in land ownership in the late 19th and early 20th centuries made the castle increasingly hard to maintain. It was abandoned in the 1940s, stripped of its contents and eventually demolished by the State around 1974. Today Rossmore survives as a public forest park.
More heritage funding for the town
The same Heritage Council package included €80,000 under the Historic Towns Initiative for repair works to the Rossmore Memorial Fountain in Monaghan Town, match-funded by Monaghan Municipal District. Those works are a key action of the Monaghan Town Centre First Plan and the town's Heritage-Led Regeneration Plan. A further €40,000 supports a local heritage grant scheme and Heritage Week events.
The museum has already brought Rossmore into its public programme: a "Rossmore in Minecraft" exploration lab featured at the Peace Campus community day on 10 October. Details on how to take part in future digs are expected from the Heritage Office and the museum.
