Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [490]
In the 12th century, the Anglo-Normans tried to get a foothold in Cavan, but the landscape foiled them and the region remained under the control of the Gaelic O’Reilly clan. The O’Reillys ruled until the 16th century, when they joined the other Ulster lords to fight the Nine Years’ War (1594–1603) against the English and were defeated.
As part of the Ulster Plantation, Cavan was divided up among English and Scottish settlers. In the 1640s, taking advantage of England’s troubles, Owen Roe O’Neill led a rebellion against the settlers. O’Neill died in 1649 of suspected poisoning in Clough Oughter Castle near Cavan.
After the War of Independence in 1922, the Ulster counties of Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal were incorporated into the Republic. With the border so close, Republicanism is strong here, but with border points now removed you may not even notice crossing between the two.
Activities
FISHING
Cavan’s exceptional lake fishing reels in anglers from all over Europe to the county’s southern and western borders. It’s primarily coarse fishing, but there’s also some game angling for brown trout in Lough Sheelin. Most lakes are well signposted, and the types of fish available are marked.
For more information, contact Cavan Tourism ( 049-433 1942; www.cavantourism.com) or the Northern Regional Fisheries Board ( 049-433 7174; www.nrfb.ie), both in Cavan town.
You can also pick up a copy of the Angler’s Guide to Cavan from tourist offices.
WALKING
The highlight for many walkers in the region is the Cavan Way, a 26km trail between the hamlets of Blacklion and Dowra through the Cuilcagh Mountains. Heading south from Blacklion, it takes you through an area known locally as the Burren, and its ancient burial site Magh Sleacht, which is dotted with prehistoric monuments – court cairns, ring forts and tombs – and was one of the last strongholds of Druidism. It continues past the Shannon Pot, the source of Ireland’s longest river, then by road to Dowra, passing over the Black Pigs Dyke, an ancient fortification that once divided Ireland in two.
From Blacklion it’s mainly hill walking; from Shannon Pot to Dowra it’s mainly road. The highest point on the walk is Giant’s Grave (260m). You’ll need OS map No 26 and the Cavan Way map guide. Maps are on display in Blacklion and Dowra. Detailed route information (including downloadable PDF maps) is available online at www.cavantourism.com. The route can be boggy, so take spare socks!
At Blacklion you can pick up the Ulster Way and at Dowra you can join the Leitrim Way, which runs between Manorhamilton and Drumshanbo.
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CAVAN TOWN
pop 3934
Cavan’s county town is a solidly workaday place with some handsome Georgian houses and a famous crystal showroom. There’s not much here for the visitor, but it’s a useful place to stock up on essentials or make a transport connection.
The tourist office ( 049-433 1942; www.cavantourism.com; Farnham St; 9.45am-1.30pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri) is above the library. You can check your email at Chapter One ( 049-437 3488; 24 Main St; per hr €5; 8.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat).
All that remains of the 13th-century Franciscan friary the town grew up around is an ancient bell tower, next to the grave of 17th-century rebel leader Owen Roe O’Neill in Abbey St’s cemetery.
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LAKE ESCAPES
Favoured by renegades, rebels and reclusive royals, crannógs (meaning ‘small islands built with young trees’) were the escapists’ homes of choice. These artificial islands, particularly popular in times of political instability, had a surprisingly long life, and were made throughout the 6th to the 17th centuries.
Overgrown now with trees and brambles, it’s sometimes hard to see crannóg remains as the amazingly dogged pieces of engineering that they are. Using the simplest tools, the islands were built from scratch