- • The catchment area of the Mullaghmatt/Cortolvin FRC has an index score of –3.3, compared to the national average index score of 0.2.

#### 3 Population

- • Ireland has experienced a population growth of 30.1% over the past 20 years and the Border Region has grown at a marginally lower rate (27.8%). County Monaghan has grown at 17.9% over the same period. Even since the economic decline, Ireland’s population has continued to grow by 8.2% between 2006 and 2011. Closely resembling the national average growth, Monaghan’s population has grown by 8.0% over the past five years.
- • The fastest growing EDs are Drumgurra (22.6%) and Carrickaslane (20.0%).
- • The population of the immediate Clones FRC catchment area comprises just 1,000 households, though the centre also caters for a wider area.
- • The Mullaghmatt/Cortolvin FRC catchment area counts about 3,800 households.

#### 4 Demographic Characteristics

- • While there has been a continuous decline in the age dependency rate (the proportion of population under 15 years of age or over 64 as part of the total population) throughout Ireland in the period between 1991 and 2006, from 38.1% (1991) to 31.4% (2006), the ratio has again increased to 33.0% in 2011. A marginally larger decline applied to County Monaghan in the period between 1991 and 2006 (41.6% to 33.2%). In 2011 the age dependency rate for Monaghan at 34.6% remains slightly above the national average.
- • Within Monaghan, age dependency rates are lowest in Shanmullagh (29.7%) and Castleblayney Urban District (30.2%) and highest in Crossalare (45.9%) and Killynenagh (43.3%). Overall, age dependency rates are exceeding 40% in five of the 70 EDs in County Monaghan.
- • The proportion of lone parents (as a proportion of all households with dependent children) in Ireland has exactly doubled over the past 20 years, growing from 10.7% in 1991 to 21.6% nationally in 2011. There are marked differences between urban and rural areas, and lone parent rates in the major cities are again up to twice the national average (e.g. Limerick City 37.5%). County Monaghan had a rate of 17.7% in 2011; i.e. slightly below the national average. Reflecting the urban-rural differences, the four urban areas Castleblayney Urban District (36.2%), Monaghan Urban District (32.7%), Clones Urban (28.6%) and Bellanode (26.3%) all have rates considerably higher than the remainder of the county. By contrast, there are no lone parents in Drummully and Donaghmoyne and there are 22 EDs in County Monaghan where the rate is under 10 per cent.
- • The Clones FRC is situated in an area, which has experienced a population growth of 6.0% over the past five years, compared to a population growth of 8.2% nationally. The age dependency ratio of 35.5% is marginally above the national average (33.0%) and the proportion of lone parent families (19.9%) is marginally below the national average (21.6%).
- • The catchment area of the Mullaghmatt/Cortolvin FRC has experienced a population growth (8.6%) similar to the nationally experienced growth rate over the five-year-period. At 33.7% the age dependency ratio closely resembles the national ratio, while lone parent households account for 26.0%, i.e. marginally higher than the national average.

#### 5 Education

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