Monaghan councillor says up to 20 vape shops operate in the county

A Sinn Féin councillor in Co Monaghan, Noel Keelan, says he understands that up to 20 vape shops are operating across the county, and he is calling on the Government to strengthen enforcement of the sector.

He said more oversight is needed and that the issue should be addressed sooner rather than later. He described himself as concerned and worried about the situation, and said many people share that concern.

The remarks were carried by Northern Sound on 9 November 2026. The report gives no list of shops, no address-level count, no timeline and no response from a department, the HSE or any retailer.

Monaghan is the second front in a party push on shop numbers

Keelan’s call follows earlier Sinn Féin pressure on the same subject in the same constituency. In November 2025, Cavan–Monaghan TD Matt Carthy said Revenue had confirmed to him that the vape and mobile phone repair sectors had featured in its shadow economy compliance activity during 2024 and 2025.

According to Carthy’s account, Revenue reported a significant increase in appraisal and compliance contacts over the previous year, along with targeted visits to such outlets and on-site interviews with people in the premises.

Carthy had written to Revenue about what he called the proliferation of these shops in towns in Monaghan and across the state. He linked his concern to compliance rather than to nicotine policy: he argued that shops trading legitimately need a level playing field.

Both elected representatives frame the issue around the number of outlets and how they are policed, not around product standards. Neither source states a legal limit on the number of vape shops that may open in a county.

Two different numbers and two different enforcers in the same county

The two accounts differ in what they measure and who acts. Keelan gives an estimate of shop numbers and asks the Government to enforce more; Carthy sought and received confirmation of Revenue compliance activity covering 2024 and 2025.

Keelan’s figure is described as his understanding, not a register total. No official count appears in either source, so the estimate cannot be checked against state data.

Retailers in Monaghan face scrutiny of shop numbers, not product rules

For vape retailers and their suppliers, the practical change described here is scrutiny of how many outlets operate and whether they meet tax and compliance obligations. Neither source announces a new licensing condition, a cap on shop numbers or a change to product rules.

Revenue’s compliance programme, as Carthy describes it, covered visits and interviews at premises, which puts record-keeping and tax registration at the centre of any local review. That is VapeBrief’s analysis of what the two accounts together imply for stores in the county, not a statement from either source.

Distributors serving Monaghan shops have no new deadline from these statements. The relevant timeline is the one Revenue operates on, which neither source dates beyond the 2024–2025 activity period.

What happens next rests with the department and Revenue

Keelan has asked the Government to do more on enforcement, and no response from a minister or department appears in the material available. Carthy, for his part, encouraged Revenue to continue and expand its compliance operations.

A dated step would come from either a ministerial reply or a further Revenue statement on compliance results. Until then, the 20-shop figure remains a councillor’s estimate.

Questions readers ask

Is there a limit on how many vape shops can open in Co Monaghan?

Neither source describes a cap or licensing limit on the number of vape shops in the county. Keelan's request concerns enforcement, and Carthy's correspondence concerned tax and shadow economy compliance checks.

Has the Government responded to the calls for more enforcement?

No ministerial or departmental response appears in the material available. Keelan called on the Government to act, and no reply is reported.