The drumlin-dotted landscape and rolling hills that inspired the poems of Patrick Kavanagh seeks FDI
Nestled within County Monaghan lies Castle Leslie Estate, one of Ireland’s finest luxury five-star castle hotels. Despite being home to such a gorgeous estate, the county is often an overlooked gem. Nevertheless, County Monaghan is famous for its drumlin landscape studded with lakes and captivates visitors with its art, culture, and heritage trails at Carrickmacross, Clones, Castleblayney, Glaslough, and Kavanagh. Beyond the county’s stunning landscape and unique tourism offerings, the county also offers unique attractions as a business destination.
The national broadband plan has been rolled out across Monaghan, with urban areas equipped with fast broadband. Ireland’s National Development Plan is expanding the region’s transport infrastructure. In addition, areas such as Monaghan Town have transformative plans in progress, including linking new public spaces and better integrating nearby brownfield sites.
Paul Clifford, Head of Enterprise at Monaghan County Council, stated, “We are an enterprising county with a low-cost base, and in a strategic location based just over an hour away from both Dublin and Belfast. International companies such as pharmaceutical giant, Abbott, are actively expanding their Monaghan operations, and we are home to several indigenous success stores such as Combilift and Monaghan Mushrooms.”
Monaghan Mushrooms is one of the largest mushroom producers in the world. The vertically integrated agribusiness continues to invest and contribute groundbreaking innovation and research to the global mushroom niche.
Monaghan’s rural economy revolves around engineering and agri-food. The region hosts 15 out of the top 100 food processors in Ireland, and 70% of Ireland’s poultry is raised in Monaghan.
Another Monaghan success story, Combilift, is an Irish forklift manufacturer that is revolutionizing how global warehouses handle long materials with their innovative multi-directional ‘C-series’ that can safely operate in narrow 72-inch aisles while carrying materials of considerable length. Their ‘Aisle Master’ forklift brings added efficiency to e-commerce warehouses. Martin McVicar, CEO of Combilift, highlighted, “The local workforce in the region has been an invaluable asset to the continued success of Combilift’s operations.”
Clifford expanded on the county’s efforts to foster the economy through ongoing investments stating, “As a Council, we aim to facilitate and foster clusters in leading next-gen areas such as edge computing and biotechnology. We will do this in collaboration with private sector stakeholders. For example, we are collaboratively developing a 1,300 square meter BioConnect Innovation Center to drive groundbreaking food research locally that can derive new processes and products in the food industry and bio-economy. We also recently established the Northeast Data Value Hub. This digital innovation facility helps local enterprises advance through technologies including utilizing artificial intelligence, edge computing, and autonomous things. Another noteworthy development is IDA’s 1,500 square meter Advanced Technology Building, which will host high-tech manufacturing space and offer quality office space, and once completed will be ready for occupation.”
Clifford concluded, “Monaghan is an excellent destination for tourism and FDI. One of our greatest assets is the region’s sense of community – we are all warm and welcoming. Against a backdrop of a rich rural heritage, we are able to attract visitors and investors alike.”