Monaghan Plein Air Festival

The Monaghan Plein Air Festival brings outdoor painters to Lough Muckno Park in Castleblayney on Saturday, 8 August 2026, running from 8am to 5pm. Now an established fixture of the Monaghan arts calendar, the festival invites artists of every level, from professionals to first-time outdoor painters, to set up easels around the lake and capture Muckno’s water, woodland and the ruins of Hope Castle in whatever medium they choose, with the day built around the tradition of painting on location rather than from a studio or photograph.

What to expect

Painters spread out across Lough Muckno Park through the day, working in oils, watercolour or pastel wherever the light and the view suit them, from the lakeshore and the old demesne woodland to the town’s own streets and cafe fronts nearby. The festival runs an associated workshop with a guest artist, in 2026 led by painter Kieran Guckian, booked separately through Eventbrite for those who want tuition alongside the open painting day. Visitors are free to walk the park and watch the painters at work, which is much of the appeal for people with no interest in picking up a brush themselves: seeing a familiar stretch of parkland reinterpreted in paint, in real time, by dozens of different hands. The event is run by volunteers under the Monaghan Plein Air name, with Lough Muckno’s mix of water, mature trees and the Hope Castle ruins the main draw for painters.

Getting there

Lough Muckno Park is on the edge of Castleblayney town, off the N2 about 20 minutes from Carrickmacross and 15 minutes from Monaghan town. The park has its own car parks close to the water, and Castleblayney is served by Bus Éireann’s Dublin to Monaghan route.

While you’re in Castleblayney

Castleblayney is built around Lough Muckno itself, with the park’s woodland walks and watersports on the doorstep of the town centre. There is more to see in Castleblayney and across Co. Monaghan, including Iontas arts centre, a short walk from the park.

Good to know

• Date: Saturday, 8 August 2026
• Time: 8:00am to 5:00pm
• Venue: Lough Muckno Park, Castleblayney
• Price: free to attend and watch; painters register via Eventbrite, and the Kieran Guckian workshop is ticketed separately
• Recurrence: annual, every August