Cavan
The town grew up around a Franciscan abbey and an O'Reilly castle, and the lakes start a short drive west at Lough Oughter. Cavan is the county town, in the lakelands of the north midlands.
County Cavan
Lakes at every turn of the road: a drumlin county of small hills, islands and water, with Lough Oughter and its island castle at the centre.
County Cavan facts
- Province: Ulster
- County town: Cavan
- Setting: Inland
- Touring region: Ireland's Ancient East
- Best for: hiking, family, history, scenic drives
- Places in the planner: 3
They call it the Lakeland County, and local tradition counts a lake for every day of the year. Its drumlin landscape, small rounded hills left by the Ice Age, creates an intricate patchwork of water, woodland and farmland, with Lough Oughter and its island castle at its heart.
The Shannon rises in the northwest of the county at the Shannon Pot, beneath the Cuilcagh Mountains on the Fermanagh border. Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark country, forest parks and quiet country roads make Cavan a county for slow travel, fishing and walking rather than rushing through. Anglers have long prized its waters, and today kayaking, cruising on the Shannon-Erne Waterway and gentle lakeside cycling draw visitors too. The county's appeal is cumulative rather than spectacular: small places, big skies and water at almost every turn of the road.
Top sights in Cavan
Cloughoughter Castle
A ruined island castle on Lough Oughter, reachable by boat or kayak.
Cuilcagh and the Stairway to Heaven
A boardwalk trail climbing Cuilcagh Mountain on the Fermanagh border, with views across both counties.
The Shannon Pot
The traditional source of the River Shannon, a pool in the Cuilcagh foothills.
Killykeen Forest Park
Lakeside forest park on Lough Oughter with walking and cycling trails.
Cavan Burren Park
A prehistoric landscape of tombs, glacial erratics and limestone pavement.
Towns & cities in Cavan
Virginia
Town on Lough Ramor, popular for fishing and lakeside stays.
Belturbet
Historic town on the River Erne and the Shannon-Erne Waterway.
Bailieborough
Market town in the east of the county among drumlin lakes.
Best time to visit
Late spring to early autumn is best for lakes, boating and the Cuilcagh boardwalk. Winter is quiet, with short days suited to cosy town breaks.
Getting there
Cavan town is roughly ninety minutes northwest of Dublin by road. The nearest airports are Dublin and Belfast, both reached by main roads.
Places for your trip
- Cavan: The town grew up around a Franciscan abbey and an O'Reilly castle, and the lakes start a short drive west at Lough Oughter. Cavan is the county town, in the lakelands of the north midlands.
- Cavan Burren Park: Cavan Burren Park near Blacklion contains megalithic tombs, glacial features and marked walking trails.
- Killykeen Forest Park: Woodland trails run along the shores of Lough Oughter, a short drive from Cavan town. Killykeen is the lakelands in miniature: trees, water and quiet paths.
What's on
No anchor festival is based here, but the Irish year is full: next up nationally is TradFest (20–24 Jan 2027, Temple Bar, Dublin). See the full events calendar
Nearby counties
County Monaghan
Patrick Kavanagh's drumlin country: small hills, lakes and market towns, with Carrickmacross lace and Lough Muckno's shore for slow days.
County Longford
A low-key midlands county of bogs, lakes and the Royal Canal, with an Iron Age bog road at Corlea as its remarkable sight. Goldsmith and Edgeworth give it literary roots.
County Fermanagh
Water is the county: Upper and Lower Lough Erne, more than a hundred islands and an island county town at Enniskillen. Hire a boat and the place makes sense.
Part of Ireland's Ancient East.