The Ulster Canal Stores Visitor Centre in County Monaghan is operated by the Clones Development Society. This social enterprise houses the charming Clones Lace Museum and is free to visit. The local form of Irish crochet lace was awarded state recognition in 2021 and is included on Ireland's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The two storey stone building has full disabled access, a restaurant and gift shop. It is open all year round excluding bank holidays and Christmas, offering guided heritage tours by prior arrangement, through a host of ancient monuments including the Famine Graveyard and Round Tower.
The restaurant offers all day breakfast and light lunches, and outdoor seating is also available. Free onsite parking is available and a children’s playpark is next door. The Ulster Canal Stores Visitor Centre is happy to cater for groups by prior arrangement.
A warm welcome is guaranteed in this hidden jewel of Ireland's Ancient East.
- Visit a beautifully renovated canal storehouse along the banks of the Ulster Canal.
- Explore the social history of Clones, and how the craft of Clones Lace became an integral part of the community following the Great Hunger in the 1850s.
- Take a guided heritage tour through ancient monuments including, the Famine Graveyard and Round Tower.
Visit the well preserved 10th century High Cross. The sandstone cross, standing on the Diamond in Clones, is a combination of two separate crosses consisting of the head of one cross and the shaft of another.
