Stitched Together: The Community Story Shawl Exhibition

“Stitched Together: The Community Story Shawl Exhibition” runs throughout August 2026 at Monaghan County Museum and Monaghan Town Library, both on the Peace Campus in Monaghan town. The exhibition is Monaghan’s contribution to August Craft Month, the nationwide programme now in its fifth year that brings craft processes out of the workshop and into public view, and it presents a shawl built up from community contributions as a piece of shared textile storytelling rather than the work of a single maker.

What to expect

The exhibition splits across two Peace Campus venues: pieces are on show in the museum’s galleries and in the adjoining town library, so a visit can take in both without leaving the building. August Craft Month itself is presented by the Design & Crafts Council Ireland and Craft NI, and in its 2026 edition runs to around 450 events and more than 2,500 makers across the island, spanning textiles, ceramics, woodwork and other traditional and contemporary crafts. The Monaghan strand focuses specifically on a community-made “story shawl,” a collaborative textile piece where individual contributors’ work is joined into a single object, turning a personal craft into a shared record of who took part. Because it runs inside the museum and library rather than as a ticketed one-off event, visitors can call in during normal opening hours at either building rather than booking a slot in advance.

Getting there

Both venues sit inside the Peace Campus on Plantation Road in Monaghan town, a short walk from the bus station. Bus Éireann connects Monaghan to Dublin, Belfast, Cavan and Dundalk, and the campus has its own visitor parking. The museum opens Monday to Friday 11am to 5pm and Saturday 12pm to 5pm; the library keeps separate hours worth checking ahead.

While you’re in Monaghan

The Peace Campus is also home to the Project Children archive and the museum’s own permanent galleries and gift shop, both worth combining with a stop at the shawl exhibition. There is more to see in Monaghan and across Co. Monaghan.

Good to know

• Dates: throughout August 2026, as part of national August Craft Month
• Venue: Monaghan County Museum and Monaghan Town Library, the Peace Campus, Monaghan
• Price: free
• Booking: none needed, call in during opening hours
• Note: source confirms only “throughout August 2026”; check ahead if visiting close to month-end