- • There has been a continuous improvement in the level of education amongst the adult population over the past 20 years throughout Ireland. In 1991, 36.7% of the adult population had primary education only. This dropped to half that level (18.9%) in 2006 and even further to 16.0% in 2011. Between 2006 and 2011 the adult population with primary education only decreased by 2.9 percentage points. The rate for County Monaghan has fallen in broadly similar terms, albeit from a significantly higher base, from 46.0% in 1991, to 25.1% in 2006 and 21.4% in 2011 and thus remains after Donegal the second highest in the country.
- • Despite the considerable improvement at county level, there remain several rural EDs where still considerable parts of the adult population have primary education only. These are Killynenagh (32.6%), Cormeen (31.7%), Shanmullagh (31.2%), Bragan (31.1%) and Crossalare (30.9%), all of which are characterised by levels of adults with primary education only near or above twice the national average (16.0%).
- • The reverse applies with regard to third-level education, which has more than doubled over the past 20 years. In 1991, 13.0% of the national adult population had completed third-level education. This grew to 30.5% in 2006, but increased by only another 0.1 percentage point to 30.6% in 2011. The proportion of Monaghan’s population with third-level education has grown from 8.3% in 1991, to 21.6% in 2006 and then decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 21.5% in 2011. This 20-year growth is significantly below that which has occurred nationally (13.2 percentage points compared to 17.6 percentage points nationally) and results in Monaghan having in 2011 the lowest share in third-level education amongst all local authority areas.
- • At ED level, and again mirroring the situation with regard to the higher incidences of low levels of education, there are particularly low shares of population with third-level education in Drum (10.2%) and Mullyash (12.0%).
- • Regarding the FRCs, the proportion of adults with primary education only in the Clones FRC catchment area is at 26.0% significantly higher than the national average (16.0%). Complementarily, the proportion of adults with third-level education at 19.1% is also significantly lower than the national average (30.6%).
- • In the Mullaghmatt/Cortolvin FRC catchment area the proportion of adults with primary education only accounts for 19.6%, which is marginally above the national share. Adults with third-level education account for 24.0%, which is slightly below the national average.

#### 6 Social Class Composition

- • The changes in social class composition experienced throughout Ireland over the past 20 years largely parallel those in educational achievement, with a gradual increase in the number of professionals and an even greater decline in the proportion of semi- and unskilled manual workers. At the national level, the proportion of professionals in all classes rose from 25.2% in 1991 to 34.6% in 2011, whilst the proportion of the semi- and unskilled classes declined from 28.2% to 17.5% over the same period.
- • In Monaghan, the proportion in the professional classes (27.9%) and the proportion in the lower skilled professions (22.1%) mark a class composition below the national average. Differences in the social class composition within the county reflect those of educational attainment, with rural Rackwallace having the highest composition (38.6% professionals, 13.5% semi- and unskilled manual classes) and Clones Urban having the lowest (14.7% professionals, 38.2% manual classes).
- • In terms of its social class composition, the Clones FRC catchment area has a significantly lower share of professionals (26.4%) than the national average (34.6%). The share of low-skilled workers accounts for 27.3%, which is nearly ten percentage points higher than the nationally prevailing share (17.5%).
- • Similarly, the Mullaghmatt/Cortolvin FRC catchment area has a significantly lower than average share of professionals (26.4%) and a slightly higher than average share of low-skilled workers (25.8%).

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