Monaghan
Monaghan , county (1991 pop. 51,293), 498 sq mi (1,290 sq km), N Republic of Ireland, bordered on the N by Northern Ireland. The county seat is Monaghan . The northwest portion of the county is a part of the fertile central plain of Ireland; to the south and east are hilly sections. It is primarily an agricultural county. The main enterprise is the raising of beef and dairy cattle. Potatoes, oats, and turnips are the chief crops; pigs, sheep, and poultry, as well as cattle, are raised in large numbers. Other industries are bacon curing and the manufacture of furniture and footwear.
The name Muineachán derives from a diminutive plural form of the Irish word muine meaning "brake" (a thickly overgrown area) or sometimes "hillock". The county council's preferred interpretation is "land of the little hills", a reference to the numerous drumlins in the area. Another translation of the name splits the Irish name into "Muine Acháin" - with "acháin" meaning field. With this separation, and depending on the interpretation of "muine", "Muine Acháin" could be translated to "bushy (over-grown) field" or "hilly field".