The contribution of the iconic Town of Monaghan Co-Op to the town will be celebrated on Wednesday, November 4.

The event will take place at the Four Seasons Hotel on November 4, with the doors opening at 7:30p.m.

"The co-op was the most iconic business in Monaghan and supplied products nationally," according to organiser and author, Joe Leonard.

The co-op, which closed its doors in April 2025, was founded in 1901.

"It's also a chance for milk suppliers [to] one more time to meet the staff who processed their milk and to recall memories with their fellow milk suppliers," said Leonard, who was the manager of the co-op for 14 years (2004-2018), and has also written a number of books.

According to Leonard, his father, former TD Jimmy Leonard, also worked in the Town of Monaghan Co-Op for 30 years, before entering politics.

The headquarters of the Town of Monaghan Co-Op was located on the site in Coolshannagh where it closed in 2025, for 70 years, while it was located in Dawson street for the 53 years prior to that.

"Every family in the Monaghan area had someone working in the co-op, [or] supplying the milk, ... butter, cream or yogurt on their kitchen tables daily," Leonard said.

Two of the most well-known names in Irish sporting history, Barry McGuigan and Jack Charlton, also acted as brand ambassadors for the co-op for more than two decades, he said.

"Instead of the co-op just fading away, I believe it should go out with a bang, on a positive note," Leonard added.

For this reason, Leonard has also been featuring old photographs and posts about the co-op on a Facebook page titled 'Monaghan Co-Op - Heritage Destruction'', over the past year.

This is a free, non-profit event, aimed at providing a positive reflective experience for the farming community in Monaghan, Leonard said.

"Former employees, milk suppliers, retailers and consumers are all welcome, [and] a donation box will be at the door for local charities."