Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [493]
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For food head to Le Rendezvous ( 049-952 4089; Main St; mains €16-25; 5.30-9.30pm daily & 12.30-2.30pm Sun), a deceptively simple-looking French restaurant that serves classic dishes such as boeuf bourguignon and braised lamb shank. For something simpler the atmospheric bar at the Seven Horseshoes ( 049-952 2166; Main St; bar food €6-14; 1-3pm & 5-9pm) has old-world charm and a decent menu of hearty steaks and grills.
Bus Éireann ( 049-433 1353) services run through Belturbet, stopping outside the post office six times per day Monday to Saturday (four Sunday). The main towns on this route are Dublin (€15.50, two hours), Cavan (€5, 15 minutes) and Donegal (€17, 2¼ hours).
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SOUTHERN CAVAN
Ballyjamesduff
pop 1690
A sleepy market town, Ballyjamesduff was the one-time home of the Earl of Fife, James Duff, an early Plantation landlord. His descendant, Sir James Duff, commanded English troops during the suppression of the 1798 Rebellion.
These days the town is best known as the home of the Cavan County Museum ( 049-854 4070; www.cavanmuseum.ie; Virginia Rd; adult/child €3/1.50; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat year-round & 2-6pm Sun Jun-Sep), located inside a former convent. Highlights of the impressive collection include a huge array of 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century costumes and folk items and relics from the Stone, Bronze, Iron and Middle Ages, including the Celtic Killycluggin stone and the three-faced Corleck Head, as well as a 1000-year-old boat excavated from Lough Errill. There’s also a large feature on Irish sports.
The area’s other main attraction is Lough Sheelin, which is famous for its trout fishing. May and June are the best months for anglers, but it’s a scenic place for horse riding, walking or boating year round.
You can relax in the tranquil surrounds of Ross House ( 049-854 0218; www.ross-house.com; Mountnugent; d €90, apt €200; ), a refined period farmhouse on the lakeshore. Rooms here are tastefully decorated, some with their own fireplaces and/or conservatories. You can also go horse riding (from €18 per hour) and hire boats (from €25 per day).
There are no buses to Ballyjamesduff; the closest bus stop is in Virginia and from there it costs around €12 by taxi.
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EASTERN CAVAN
Many settlements in the county’s east, such as the handsome town of Virginia, were laid out as 17th-century Plantation estates. While in the area, it’s worth stopping at Kingscourt to visit St Mary’s Catholic Church, with its superb 1940s stained-glass windows made by artist Evie Hone.
Just northeast of Kingscourt is the 225-hectare Dún an Rí Forest Park ( 042-966 7320; www.coillteoutdoors.ie; car/pedestrian €5/free). There are colour-coded forest walks (all under 4km long), with picnic places and a wishing well. Along the river, look out for mink and otters. Bordering the forest, the 19th-century Cabra Castle ( 042-966 7030; www.manorhousehotels.com; s/d from €110/160; ) is now a deluxe hotel decked out in plush period furnishings. The hotel is 3km out of Kingscourt on the Carrickmacross road.
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NORTHWESTERN CAVAN
Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Cuilcagh Mountains, the remote northwestern edges of Cavan are some of its most scenic. There’s little in the way of public transport in the area but the express Donegal–Dublin buses pass through Ballyconnell and Bawnboy four times daily. The Westport–Belfast bus stops in Blacklion five times Monday to Saturday (twice Sunday). Contact Bus Éireann ( 049-433 1353) in Cavan for schedules.
Ballyconnell
pop 747
The pretty canal-side village of Ballyconnell is a popular angling centre and a bustling place in summer with visitors making their way along the Shannon–Erne Waterway, which wends its way through town.
You can stay at the simple but cheerful Sandville House ( 049-952 6297; http://homepage.eircom.net/~sandville; dm from €15, d from €40; ), Cavan’s only hostel. Set in a converted farmhouse, rooms have two to 10 beds and there’s a meditation room as well as a self-catering kitchen.