County Dossier
Cavan
A county of drumlins, lakes and old frontier lordships.
Cavan lies in the north of the island, where the old kingdom of Breifne gave way to a landscape of drumlins, bogs and innumerable small lakes.
At a glance
Cavan at a glance
A county of drumlins, lakes and old frontier lordships.
- Breifne and the drumlin country
- Lakelands and border hills
- Named from "the hollow"
- Area: 746 sq miles / 1,932 km²
- Population: 73,183
- County top: Cuilcagh 2,182 ft / 665 m
County Geography
Cavan meets Fermanagh to the north, Monaghan to the east, Meath to the south-east, Westmeath to the south, Longford to the south-west, and Leitrim to the west. The county is shaped by its drumlin system, its chain of lakes and riverways, and the slight upland rise toward the north and north-west.
Cavan is read through its drumlins and lakes, with the land lifting toward Breifne in the north and north-west.
Map Reference
View Cavan on the map
Cavan is the county. The map shows its boundary, places, and neighbouring counties.
The county.
The county boundary.
Nearby counties and places.
Places and routes
Cavan, Belturbet, Cootehill, Ballyconnell, and Virginia show the county from its central basin and western lake side to its eastern and southern approaches.
Connections
The county’s routes have long crossed through Cavan town, followed the lake and river corridor toward Belturbet and Ballyconnell, and run east and south toward Cootehill and Virginia. The movement pattern follows the county’s drumlin-and-lake geography.
Names
- Cavan
- County Cavan
- County of Cavan