Tydavnet
Tigh Damhnata

The Ireland's Ancient East
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Tigh Damhnata · Co. Monaghan

Tydavnet gold discs. Caitriona Balfe connection. Tidy Towns winner.

Tydavnet (officially Tedavnet, Irish: Tigh Damhnata, "house of Damhnait") is a village in northern Monaghan on the N2, about ten kilometres north of Monaghan and eight kilometres south of Aughnacloy. It is on the Dublin–Derry and Letterkenny road — a throughway place that has become more than that.

Bronze Age artifacts define the place. The Tydavnet gold discs, dating from circa 2100 BC, were discovered in the roots of an old tree. The pair of discs are on permanent display in the National Museum of Ireland. They are proof that settlement here is ancient.

Tydavnet was a "Pride of Place Award" winner (750–1500 population category) in 2014. The village also won the Monaghan County Council "Tidy Towns" competition. Caitriona Balfe, the actress known for the Outlander television series, grew up here.

Population

~600

Founded

Medieval

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Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

2100 BC

Tydavnet Gold Discs

The discs were discovered in the roots of an old tree — Atlantic Bronze Age artifacts dating from circa 2100 BC. The pair are on permanent display in the National Museum of Ireland. They are among the oldest known gold objects from the British Isles.

2014

Pride of Place Award

Tydavnet won the Irish Pride of Place Award in the 750–1500 population category in 2014. The village also previously won Monaghan County Council's "Tidy Towns" competition. Community care is visible.

Outlander actress

Caitriona Balfe

Caitriona Balfe, the Irish actress and model known for her role in the Outlander television series, grew up in Tydavnet. She is a connection to international culture rooted in a small Monaghan parish.

Church of Ireland and Catholic parishes

Religious Heritage

Tydavnet has both Church of Ireland and Catholic parish traditions, a balance that reflects the historical divisions and the small-village tolerance that often follows.

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