County Monaghan
Ireland's largest poultry producer with drumlin landscape mirroring Cavan—Carrickmacross lace tradition persists while peace process normalized cross-border business along Northern Ireland boundary.
County Monaghan's drumlin landscape mirrors neighboring Cavan—small hills, scattered lakes, agricultural economy. Border position with Northern Ireland created historical complexity; peace process enabled cross-border business that partition disrupted.
Poultry processing dominates industrial employment; Monaghan is Ireland's largest producer of chicken and turkey. Manor Farm and other processors serve national and export markets.
Furniture manufacturing tradition persists in Carrickmacross area; lace-making craft heritage provides distinctive identity. These traditions demonstrate how peripheral regions develop specializations that urban areas cannot easily replicate.
Monaghan demonstrates that border counties can prosper through agricultural processing and niche manufacturing. The county's scale limits ambition; population under 65,000 constrains service provision and employment diversity. But sustainable communities maintain through focused specialization.