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County Monaghan - bordered by Armagh, Tyrone and Fermanagh - is the smallest of Ulster's nine counties.

During the war, its county town was a refuge for a small group of Belgians fleeing the German invasion of their country.

Fifteen Belgian refugees arrived here in October 1914 after being invited by Leonie Leslie, from the Castle Leslie estate.

Among them were the de Neves, who had escaped with their three young daughters and a cousin.

Once in Monaghan, the girls visited local farms and taught the women how to embroider. Their skills proved so popular they went on to set up the Belbroid lingerie factory in the town, together with the local postmaster.

Belbroid undergarments sold at home and abroad. There was even a Belbroid salon in Dublin, and the factory continued to operate until the 1940s.

Adrienne Czerwin-Abbott is the granddaughter of Sylvie de Neve. She takes up the story at Belgian Square, outside the house where the family lived during the war years.

Location: Belgian Square, Monaghan, County Monaghan. Latitude: 54.254954 Longitude: - 6.966204
Image of members of the Belgian refugee community in Monaghan town
Image courtesy of Castle Leslie Estate

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