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Bike touring routes & trails

Ireland

Monaghan

Clones Round Tower – Clones 'Wee' Abbey loop from Clones

Routes

Bike touring routes & trails

Ireland

Monaghan

Clones Round Tower – Clones 'Wee' Abbey loop from Clones

Moderate

5.0

(1)

riders

Clones Round Tower – Clones 'Wee' Abbey loop from Clones

03:13

53.2km

420m

Cycling

Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: June 21, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

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355 m

Clones Round Tower

Highlight • Historical Site

The round tower in Clones was originally built around the 10th century as part of the abbey. Although it would once have stood at 75 feet (23 m), the top part is now missing. Nonetheless, it is still a prominent feature on Clones' skyline. There would once have been four storeys, including a bell storey.

St Tierney's graveyard, which surrounds the tower, is also an interesting place to explore with many 17th and 18th-century gravestones and the tomb shrine of St Tighernach.

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450 m

Clones 'Wee' Abbey

Highlight • Religious Site

Known locally as the "Wee Abbey", Clones Abbey is a ruined monastery dating back to the 12th century. The original abbey was founded by St. Tigernach as early as the 6th century. However, the abbey was destroyed by fire not once, but four times during its history.
In the 16th century, the abbey suffered once again during the suppression of monasteries and Protestant reformation under Henry VIII. Less than a hundred years later, it lay in ruin, although some solitary monks still lived here until the 18th century.
Today, you can visit the crumbling walls and take a look at the interesting graveyard. The abbey is free to visit and you can access it any time.

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21.8 km

Rossmore Forest Park Benches and Viewpoint

Highlight • Viewpoint

23.7 km

Ulster Canal Stores

Highlight • Historical Site

The Ulster Canal Greenway is now a lovely traffic free way to travel about Monaghan, but there are many reminders of its historic past. The Canal Stores are now a sports hall for the St Louis Convent School.

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24.0 km

Monaghan Town Centre

Highlight • Settlement

Monaghan lies in the far north of the Republic of Ireland, close to the border with Northern Ireland. It is the county town of County Monaghan and even though it's home to only about 8,000 people, the city is one of the cultural and economical centers of the area. Surrounded by many little hills, it is also a very nice place to stop and rest when you're out cycling around here.

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