Who We Are

• Armed with this survey and its recommendations at the time MTT embarked on a path where biodiversity became a central plank of our successive development plans. This policy paid dividends for our progress in the National Tidy Towns competition with adjudicators praising our approach and stating that our development plan was “the first of its kind, anywhere”. Monaghan Town progressed from having one of the lowest marks in the county to bronze and then silver medal status and a regular county award behind Glaslough and Carrickmacross, both of which have been high achievers in Tidy Towns for decades. 

• Our approach also led to awards in National Tidy Towns special categories with three national awards in 2016 including the first National Pollinator Award. Our focus on biodiversity has been good for us and and prompted us to go further by declaring our intention to make Monaghan Ireland's first 'Biodiversity Town' back in 2018. The decision taken by Monaghan County Council to subsequently sign up to the National Pollinator Plan was very welcome. 

• We saw the need to educate and inform people at all levels of the community in order to change perceptions from decades, even centuries of sterile lifeless lawns and parks to biodiverse and pollinator friendly gardens and public areas, to help people see the beauty in the wild and understand the need to change practices to protect the environment and the climate. 

• We seek methods to promote the biodiversity message across all of the community in Monaghan Town through training volunteers appropriately and using multiple forms of promotion to reach as many sections and age groups in the community as possible. 

• Our members include professionals, local resident’s committee members, retirees, and families. Many of our volunteers are also involved in other local community groups. We meet fortnightly during the summer months and monthly for the rest of the year.