Cavan An Cabhán | |
|---|---|
Town | |
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  Cavan Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:53°59′28″N7°21′36″W / 53.9910°N 7.3601°W /53.9910; -7.3601 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Ulster |
| County | County Cavan |
| Barony | Loughtee Upper |
| Elevation | 113 m (371 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 11,741 |
| Time zone | UTC±0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (IST) |
| Eircode routing key | H12 |
| Telephone area code | +353(0)49 |
| Irish Grid Reference | H419041 |
| Website | thisiscavan |
Cavan (/ˈkævən/KAV-ən;Irish:An Cabhán, meaning 'the hollow'[2]) is thecounty town ofCounty Cavan inIreland. The town lies inUlster, near the border withCounty Fermanagh inNorthern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the mainN3 road that linksDublin (to the south) withEnniskillen,Ballyshannon andDonegal Town (to the north).
Cavan was founded by theIrish clan chief and Lord ofEast Breifne, Giolla Íosa Ruadh O’Reilly, between 1300 and his death in 1330. During his lordship, afriary run by theDominican Order was established close to the O’Reilly stronghold at Tullymongan and was at the centre of the settlement close to a crossing over the river and to the town's marketplace. It is recorded that the (Cavan) Dominicans were expelled in 1393, replaced by an Order of ConventualFranciscan friars. The friary's location is marked by an eighteenth-century tower in the graveyard at Abbey Street which appears to incorporate remains of the original medieval friary tower. The imprint of the medieval town can be followed in the area of Abbey Street, Bridge Street and Main Street (townlands of Tullymongan Upper and Lower).
Clan O'Reilly later built a new castle in the late fourteenth century on Tullymongan Hill, overlooking the town centre. In the 15th century, the local ruler, Bearded Owen O'Reilly, expanded the town marketplace which attracted merchants fromDublin andDrogheda. The phrase "life of Reilly" is believed to derive from the great wealth and power of the Chief of Clan O'Reilly, some of which came from the market. The Chiefs also allowed, however, counterfeit English and Scottish coins to be minted in their territory at this time.[3]
During theElizabethan era religious persecution of the Catholic Church in Ireland, ArchbishopDermot O'Hurley, who would be one of the most celebrated of the 24Irish Catholic Martyrs, was covertly sheltered byThomas Fleming, 10th Baron Slane atSlane Castle,[4] where the Archbishop was allegedly concealed inside apriest hole,[5][6] but from whence O'Hurley covertly travelled to and from Cavan to visit with some fellow priests whom he had known while living inCatholic Europe.[6]
King James I granted the town a charter in 1611. This also entitled Cavan town tosend two members to the Irish parliament.[7] In February 1690, during theGlorious Revolution, theBattle of Cavan took place after Williamite Inniskillinger forces led by Colonel William Wolseley attacked the strategic fort overlooking Cavan town at Tullamongan which was held then by the Duke of Berwick Jacobite army. During the battle much of the town was burned by Colonel Wolseley's soldiers and Jacobite generalWilliam Nugent was killed.[8] Later, during the 18th century, local administrative influence and power passed to the Maxwell family, descendants ofRobert Maxwell,Church of IrelandBishop of Kilmore (1643–1672), a family who later entered thepeerage asBaron Farnham.[9]
Farnham House, located at Farnham, a small rural district to the north-west of Cavan, is one of the largestcountry houses in the county. It was built forBarry Maxwell, 3rd Lord Farnham (later created, by the second creation,Earl of Farnham), head of the Maxwell dynasty, around 1780. The house was designed byJames Wyatt. It was extended in 1810 to the design ofFrancis Johnston, aCounty Armagh-born, but Dublin-based, architect. It was sold by Diana, Lady Farnham (widow ofBarry Maxwell, 12th Lord Farnham), to a local entrepreneur in 2001, and the house and estate has per 2006 been converted into a luxury hotel and leisure complex under theRadisson SAS international hotel group.[10][11]
Developments in Cavan during the early 19th century saw the building of a new wide street that still bears the name 'Farnham Street'. This was lined with comfortable town houses, public buildings (such asCavan Courthouse which dates from 1824) and churches. From the mid-19th century, Cavan became an important rail junction for theMidland Great Western Railway (MGWR) and those of theGreat Northern Railway (GNR).Cavan Town Hall was built between 1908 and 1910.[12]
The area saw little violence during the1920-22 troubles in Ulster.[13]
In 1938, work began on theCathedral of Saints Patrick and Felim; the original Kilmore cathedral was built c.1455, as the main church of theCatholicDiocese of Kilmore located around five kilometres (3 mi) south-west of Cavan Town, on theR198. During thePlantation of Ulster in the seventeenth century, this church became the mainChurch of Ireland Kilmore Diocese church known as St. Feidhlimidh Cathedral. A newKilmore Cathedral church was built in 1860 and dedicated to the memory of BishopWilliam Bedell who died and was buried here in 1642. Bedell was also famously noted for his translation of the old testament Bible into the Irish language. The present Cathedral contains a HibernoRomanesque doorway dating from c. 1170, in the twelfth century, conjectured locally(but unlikely) originally to have come from Holy Trinity priory located a short distance away upon Trinity Island inLough Oughter. Holy Trinity priory was built mid-thirteenth century. A short distance from the Kilmore Cathedral is theSee House, a lateGeorgian-style house constructed in the 1830s. This house, designed byWilliam Farrell, was formerly the official residence (or "Bishop's Palace") of theChurch of IrelandBishops of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh.
On 23 February 1943, afire at St Joseph's Orphanage in the town claimed the lives of 35 children and an elderly woman. Apublic inquiry found no culpability on the part of the nuns who ran the orphanage, but the circumstances surrounding the high death toll in the fire remain controversial to this day.[14] The secretary of the Commission of Enquiry, Brian O'Nolan, is better known to posterity as the writerFlann O'Brien.[15]
The former Cavan TownRoyal Irish Constabulary Barracks was demolished in 1968. Its successor stood on the corner of Farnham Street (also known as Casement Street, named afterSir Roger Casement) and Abbey Street. The currentGarda Station is further along Farnham Street, just across from the Courthouse.
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In the 1990s and 2000s Cavan town expanded rapidly with extensive urban regeneration and suburban expansion. It is one of the main economic hubs of the north central part of Ireland and has an extensive range of financial services, legal, medical, industrial and retail enterprises.
Adjacent to the Courthouse is the Cavan Central Library building constructed in 2006. The entrance is dominated by an aquarium, with commissionedbog oak sculptures by local artist Joey Burns that portray Cavan history. An arts feature based onGulliver's Travels enriches the interior space, and two large paintings by award-winning author PJ Lynch were commissioned by Cavan Library Service, in a lasting tribute toJonathan Swift and to Cavan whereGulliver's Travels was written.
The town is located on the junction of two national routes, theN3 toDublin andN55 toAthlone. The National Development Plan provides for a major upgrading of the route with an M3 motorway fromKells toDublin (completed and officially opened on 4 June 2010) andtype 2 dual carriageway from Whitegate on the Meath border to Cavan, which will eventually bypass Virginia too. The N3 and N55 easternbypass around Cavan town was fully completed in March 2006, eliminating the need for heavy traffic to pass through an already congested town.
Although Cavan has no railway links today, there were once two railway stations on separate lines, linking theGreat Northern Railway (GNR) andMidland Great Western Railway, then an end junction of the Belfast-Cavan route linkingClones[16] with a branch line to Crossdoney andKilleshandra. With the Cavan-Dublin route, via Inny Junction,Longford andMullingar on theDublin-Sligo railway line. There is an old railway line running throughKingscourt on the border of County Meath; this line is now overgrown.
A branch of theCavan and Leitrim Railway was also indirectly linked to Cavan town viaBelturbet (the C&L terminus) andBallyhaise on the GNR line. When theGovernment of Northern Ireland closed the section of the Belfast line fromPortadown toGlaslough in 1957, it was found to be uneconomical to keep running the rump section from Monaghan to Cavan. All these lines (including the Cavan and Leitrim Railway) were closed by 1960. The (GNR) Virginia Road Station, from 1863 to 1958 serviced the Drogheda and Navan extension route to Kells and Oldcastle. Cooperation between the Cavan and Westmeath county councils is striving to integrate this into the national and regional development plan.Cavan railway station opened on 8 July 1856, closed for passenger services on 14 October 1957, and finally closed altogether on 1 January 1960.[17]
Cavan's bus station is owned and operated by[18]Bus Éireann and is located onFarnham Street. It is a single-storey accessible building with a ticket office, waiting room, public 'phone, restaurant and toilets. The station is served by theDonegal Town –Enniskillen –Dublin Airport –Busáras Expressway route 30 which generally operates every two hours in each direction. Route 165 operates less frequently toAthlone andBelfast. The station is the terminus of several local routes, including route 109 toDublin, which operates hourly each way. Other local routes are the 111 toBallinagh,Granard,Castlepollard andAthboy, the 166 toDundalk, the 175 toMonaghan viaCootehill, the 175A toMonaghan viaCloverhill andClones and the Tuesdays-only 465 toCarrigallen.
Leydons Coaches operate route930 toEnniskillen viaBelturbet,Ballyconnell,Bawnboy andSwanlinbar.[19]
Whartons Travel operate a route toLongford railway station viaCrossdoney,Arvagh,Drumlish andLongford.[20][21]
There are also a number ofTFI Local Link routes serving Cavan:
Cavan town has four secondary level schools:Saint Patrick's College,[27] Loreto College,[28] Breifne College, and the oldest,Royal School Cavan, founded in the early 17th century.[29]
Breifne College is a co-educational Vocational Education School administered by the County Cavan Education and Training Board.[30]
Saint Patrick's College and Loreto College are respectively all boys and all girls Catholic voluntary schools, with The Royal School being a co-educational school with a Protestant ethos. These schools are administered by their respective patrons in conjunction with the Department of Education and Science.
The town has a third level college,Cavan Institute (formerly Cavan College of Further Studies), which was founded in 1985 and is the largest provider of FETAC courses in the northeast region. The college offers Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) across its five schools; Business & Humanities, Healthcare, Sport & Education, Beauty Therapy & Hairdressing, Computing, Engineering & Science Design, Performing Arts & Services. Graduates are entitled to exemptions within most third level colleges and usually transfer to study a degree further completing their course by in their chosen field. The majority of students are Cavan locals, with a large proportion of its other students coming from nearby counties such as Leitrim, Roscommon, Monaghan, Meath and Westmeath. The college's main campus is located on Cathedral Road with other sites in the town centre and at the former Army Barracks on the Dublin Road.
In 2010, 2011 and 2012, Cavan Town hosted theFleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.[31]The 2010 Fleadh was held from 16 to 22 August. The Fleadh is the premier annual Irish traditional music, song and dance festival and series of competitions, which is run byComhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ). Fleadh 2010 was the 50th annualFleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, and the first to becarbon neutral. That year it returned to Cavan for the first time since 1954.[32] Up to 250,000 visitors attend the annualFleadhann, and about 10,000 musicians compete. It is also estimated that the annual All-Ireland Fleadh generates €20-€25 million for the local economy of its host town.[33]
In the County Heritage Plan 2006–2011, published by Cavan County Council, a guiding principle was stated as: "The unique and diverse heritage of County Cavan is conserved, sustained and, above all, cherished and celebrated by the people of the County". Located in Ireland's lakelands, thewildlife andwetlands environment of County Cavan's loughs reputedly offers opportunities forsustainable tourism development.[34]Lough Oughter and Killykeen, located a few kilometres from Cavan town has some infrastructure forecotourism development.[35]
Cavan has beentwinned with the following places:
Jaunay-Clan,Vienne, France
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