Historic county of Ireland
Cavan
County of Cavan
Province: Ulster
Drumlins, lakes and rivers beginning their journeys across Ireland.
Cavan is a landscape of repetition: rounded drumlin hills, small valleys and water appearing almost everywhere between them. Lakes fill hollows across the central and southern county, while the ground rises towards the Breifne Mountains and Cuilcagh in the north-west.
Unlike counties dominated by one great river valley, Cavan is organised by accumulated pattern. Hill follows hollow; lake follows hill; winding roads adapt to the glacial landscape rather than cutting cleanly across it. That combination makes Cavan immediately recognisable.
- 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
The Lakeland County
Cavan’s familiar description as the Lakeland County reflects the extraordinary concentration of loughs scattered between its drumlins.
The traditional claim of “365 lakes” is best understood as memorable shorthand rather than a precise geographical count.
Where great rivers begin
The higher north-western country forms an important watershed.
Shannon Pot on the slopes of Cuilcagh is traditionally regarded as the source of the Shannon, while the Erne also rises within Cavan before flowing towards Fermanagh. Waters beginning in this apparently enclosed landscape therefore connect with river systems extending across Ireland.
County questions
Questions about Cavan
Does the Shannon really begin in Cavan?
Yes. Shannon Pot in north-western Cavan is recognised as the source of the River Shannon.
Why are there so many small hills and lakes?
Much of Cavan is classic drumlin country shaped by glacial deposition. The rounded hills leave numerous hollows between them, contributing to the county’s dense pattern of lakes and wetlands.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County Cavan
- Province
- Ulster
- Alternative name
- County of Cavan
- Foundation
- 1585
Cavan is one of the nine geographic counties of Ulster. Its drumlins, lakes and watershed country give it an identity quite distinct from the neighbouring mountain and plain landscapes around it.