First opened in 1974, it was the first full-time, professionally staffed, and local authority funded Irish local museum.[1] The museum was housed in Monaghan Courthouse in the centre of Monaghan town until a fire in 1981, which gutted the building. After rescuing the collections, the museum was moved for a period to St Macartan's College. In 1990 the museum reopened in the current premises of 1-2 Hill Street, which were originally two town houses dating from the 1860s, that were converted for the museum's use. The museum has won a number of awards over the years, including Council of Europe Museum Prize in 1980, and the Gulbenkian - Norwich Union Award for Best Collections Care in 1993.[2]
The collections of the museum document the history of County Monaghan over the course of human history. The museum also maintains a large collection of archival material, which include early estate records (rentals, maps and wages books) and local authority records.[2] There are a number of notable archaeological objects in the museum, an example being the Lisdrumturk Cauldron, which was discovered in a bog in the county.[3]
Due to the museum's accreditation from the Heritage Council, Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI), it is viewed as one of the most professionally run museums in Ireland.[1][4] The museum is designated by the National Museum of Ireland to collect archaeological finds.[5]
