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family · Sunday 19 July 2026 · 2:00pm 
Castleblayney Family Pride Day
At Hope Castle and Lough Muckno Park · Lough Muckno Park, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan
At Hope Castle and Lough Muckno Park · Lough Muckno Park, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan
Castleblayney holds its first ever LGBT+ Pride weekend this July, and the centrepiece is a free Family Pride Day on Sunday, 19 July 2026. From 2pm to 6pm, Hope Castle and the grounds of Lough Muckno Park turn into an afternoon of music, circus performance, food and community, open to all ages and free to attend. The event is organised by Outcomers, a Dundalk based LGBTQ+ support service for the North East, backed by Monaghan County Council and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality.
The Sunday programme is built around family entertainment rather than a parade: expect circus performers working the grounds, live music, food and space for children to play across the Hope Castle estate. It follows two smaller, more adult focused events earlier in the same weekend, a “Meet the T” gathering with members of the local trans community on Friday evening and a ticketed Sip’n’Paint session on Saturday. Bernie Quinn of Outcomers has described the weekend as a chance for LGBT people in the area to be seen and accepted in their own community, and the Sunday event is deliberately pitched at families rather than a nightlife crowd. Monaghan County Council and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality are named supporters, which points to a reasonably resourced first outing rather than a small pop up gathering.
Hope Castle and Lough Muckno Park sit on the edge of Castleblayney town, within walking distance of Main Street. The park has its own car parking, and Castleblayney is served by Bus Éireann routes on the Dublin to Monaghan corridor, so visitors without a car can reach the town centre and walk in from there.
Lough Muckno Park is one of the county’s best known outdoor spaces, with forest walks and water activities alongside the castle grounds, so a Family Pride Day visit pairs easily with an afternoon around the lake. There is more to see in Castleblayney and across Co. Monaghan.
Heading to Hope Castle and Lough Muckno Park in Castleblayney? Monaghan has plenty more to see. Read the Castleblayney area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
In town for Hope Castle and Lough Muckno Park? These Dublin tours book out in summer.