Cavan City
The name Cavan is derived from the Irish word Cabhan’ means a hollow, because the town is surrounded by hills. In the late thirteenth century Rulers of eastern Breifne called The O’Reilly family established a castle here. But nothing of this castle survives today. Also at the same time a monastery for Franciscan monks was also established at Cavan. All that survives today of the abbey is a bell-tower only. Cavan has always been a bustling place. It attracts visitors from near and far. The local ruler, ‘Bearded Owen’ O’Reilly, set up a market which attracted merchants from Dublin and Drogheda in the fifteenth century. The English king James I granted the town a charter in 1610. From Dublin to Enniskillen and Donegal, it was a popular stopping off point for travelers. The Lords Farnham, a local landlord family improved the towns appearance in the early 19th century. They new, wide street built by them still bears their name. This was lined with comfortable town houses, public buildings which includes the Court house of 1825 and churches including Cavan parish church of 1807-25. In the late 19th century Cavan became an important rail junction between the midland and western lines and those of the Northern Railways. The Town Hall which built in 1909, where the first movies were shown, and the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saints Patrick and Felim is amongst its fine public buildings. Work began on the building in 1938, but was held up by the Second World War. It is marvellously decorated on the inside with various colours of marble. There are also stained-glass windows by Harry Clarke (1889-1931), one of the leading Irish artists in this medium.
Mountnugent near to the shores of Lough Sheelin. The lake was a border between the Anglo-Normans and the O’Reilly family in the Middle Ages. The remains of Crover Castle date back to this time. The village lay on an old coach road between Cavan and Granard. It was originally known as Daly’s Bridge. To honor the local landlord it was named Mountnugent.