The inland county of Cavan is quite small, its area only 730 square miles (1,898 square km). Its name comes from the Irish word cabhán, meaning “a hollow,” which is appropriate, as it is set between highlands in the east and the Erne Valley and a mountainous region on the west.
The county is said to have 365 lakes, one for each day of the year, and the largest of them are Lough Gowna, Lough Oughter, Lough Sheelin, and Lough Ramor. Cavan’s rivers, streams and tree-lined lakes also provide great opportunities for fishing, cruising and swimming. Its main rivers are the Shannon , Erne, Blackwater and Annalee.
The Shannon-Erne Waterway links these two rivers, which spring from the barren Cuilcagh Mountains in the county’s northwest. The source of the Shannon , the longest river in Ireland , is known as the “Shannon Pot” and is just a few miles north of Dowra, on the southwest side of Cuilcagh Mountains.
Even if you’re not interested in history, you can’t fail to notice the number of ancient monuments and ruins wherever you go. The landscape is dotted with megalithic tombs – 59 of them. The most interesting are the double court tomb dating from 3000-2500 BC at Cohaw and the Duffcastle Dolmen.
The county capital is also called Cavan, and the main towns are Cootehill, Baileboro, Kingscourt, Belturbet and Virginia.
Cavan Town
The county town is a pleasant place to visit. Many years ago it was the stronghold of the O’Reillys whose castle, Clough Oughter, now in ruins, can be seen standing on an island in Lough Oughter, a mile outside town.
Its name, meaning “hollow,” suits the town as much as it does the county, as it is surrounded by hills. A local landlord family, the Farnhams, improved Cavan in the early 19th century, by building a new wide street that still bears the family name. This street was lined with comfortable townhouses and public buildings such as churches and the Courthouse, built in 1825. In the late 19th century, Cavan became an important rail junction between the midland and western lines and those of the Northern Railways.
Today it’s a busy town. Attractions include Cavan Crystal, the second-oldest lead crystal factory (after Waterford ) in Ireland , where visitors can watch the process of glass-blowing; and the Lifeforce Mill, where part of the visit is spent making a loaf of bread.
Crannógs
There are at least 100 crannógs (from crann, meaning timber, tree, wood) in the county as well. They are habitations made of mud, stones and wood and surrounded by palisades, which were erected on small natural or man-made islands. They include defensible corrals so the cattle could be driven over and protected during dangerous times. Crannógs are small and would have been refuges for just one extended family and its cattle. They were used from prehistoric times right up to the late medieval period. In other parts of the country you see replicas of them in folk parks; here they’re authentic.
Lough Oughter
Lough Oughter is renowned for coarse angling, with bream, roach, perch and pike the main species. A pegged stretch, where international competitions are held, is located within the Killykeen Forest Park. There are many fine game angling river stretches and wild brown trout lake fisheries; the county also has a great reputation for its coarse and pike fishing. A number of different river systems and their associated lakes make up the fisheries. Among them are the River Erne and its main tributaries; the Shannon-Erne Waterway and the Dromore/Annalee system, which dominates the middle of the county. To the east, there’s the Upper River Boyne system, and to the south and northwest, parts of the Shannon system.
