Overview
Rossmore Forest Park is a Coillte woodland a few kilometres south-west of Monaghan town, with lakes, a playground and a set of waymarked trails through an old estate. Two enormous Sierra redwoods stand near the main entrance on the R189, planted more than 150 years ago; beyond them the wood shifts through oak, ash, beech, spruce and larch, with historic rhododendron and azalea plantings that colour the forest floor purple, pink and red through spring and early summer. If you only do one trail, do the Castle Trail, which carries the history and the yews.
A layered history
The Rossmore estate belonged to the Westenra family, ennobled when the Barony of Rossmore was created in 1769. In 1827 Warner Westenra began building Rossmore Castle in a Tudor-Gothic style, and his son Henry Robert Westenra completed it.
The house didn’t survive the 20th century. The castle was demolished in 1974, but the grounds still hold traces of the estate. The central hill keeps the castle’s footprint, and stone steps climb the terraced lawns toward the old viewpoints. Other traces of the estate remain scattered through the park, including a walled garden, a pet cemetery, a family crypt, and prehistoric monuments including a wedge tomb and a court tomb dating to 3000–1800 BC. A gold lunula unearthed here around 1930 now sits in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. The 4th Lord Rossmore died in a steeplechase fall in 1874, and the family mausoleum in the park marks the era.
Walking and cycling trails
Rossmore has marked routes for different paces. Choose a route from the park map and follow the waymarks, check current notices before setting out, and keep dogs under close control.
- Castle Trail: the historical loop, past the castle site, walled garden and reservoir. Its standout is the avenue of ancient yews running from the walled garden to the crypt.
- Lakes Trail: follows the shoreline of the park’s lakes, with a wooden viewing platform for a quiet sit by the water.
- Nature Trail: a tarmac track from the car park, with interpretive panels on local flora and fauna. Coillte identifies it as suitable for wheelchair users. A tarmac path also leads to a picnic area and a view of Barnhill Lake.
- Priestfield Walk: a longer loop shaded by mature yews, passing the mausoleum and opening onto views across the Monaghan countryside.
- Family Cycle Trail: a gentler route that suits casual cycling and pushchairs.
Play, art and family activities
Check the Coillte page for current family facilities. A small piece of film trivia: the 2007 horror Shrooms was shot here, which the wetter, greyer stretches of the wood will make entirely believable.
Wildlife and nature
The mix of woodland and water supports a good range of species. Otters, badgers and foxes are regular residents, with hedgehogs and pigmy shrews in the undergrowth, and at dusk bats come out over the trees. Wildfowl gather on the lakes in winter and flycatchers arrive in summer. Spring and early summer are rewarding times to come, when the azalea and rhododendron are in full colour and the longer evenings make the bigger loops easier to fit in.
Practical information
- Location: Off the R189, about 3.5 km south-west of Monaghan town.
- Entry and costs: Free admission. Use the Coillte visitor car park and check local signs.
- Getting there: There’s no direct public transport listed. Check the Coillte page and notices on arrival before you go.
- Accessibility: Coillte identifies the tarmac Nature Trail as suitable for wheelchair users. Beyond the tarmac, wear sturdy footwear as some sections can turn uneven after heavy rain.
- Best time to visit: Spring and early summer for the floral displays; autumn for foliage and fewer people.
- Nearby stops: Within easy reach of Dartrey Forest and the heritage sites and independent shops of Monaghan town.
Allow a couple of hours for a trail or two plus the playground or a lakeside bench. Bring a light layer even on a warm day, as the canopy keeps the forest floor noticeably cooler than the fields outside.