- Cavan
Infobox Irish Place
name = Cavan
gaeilge = An Cabhán
crest
motto =
map
pin coords = left: 89px; top: 69px
north coord = 53.991019
west coord = 7.360067
irish grid = H419041
area =
elevation = 113 m (379 ft)
province =Ulster
county =County Cavan
town pop = 3,954
rural pop = 4,796
census yr = 2006
web = www.cavancoco.ieCavan (pronEng|ˈkævən; Irish place name|An Cabhán|The Hollow) is the county seat of
County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in the northeast of the island, along the border withNorthern Ireland . TheN3 road connects the town toDublin .History
The O'Reilly family (still a very common surname in the area) established a castle in the town in the late 13th century. A
Franciscan monastery was also established at around the same time. In the 15th century the local ruler, "Bearded Owen" O'Reilly, set up a market which attracted merchants fromDublin andDrogheda . KingJames I of England granted the town a charter in 1610. In the early 19th century, the Maxwells, Lords Farnham of Cromwellian origin, built a new wide street that still bears the name "Farnham Street". This was lined with comfortable town houses, public buildings (such as the courthouse which dates from 1825, and churches. The term "life of Reilly" was credited to the Reilly clans due to their great wealth and power, having issued their own currency during the1600s .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 was built in 1909. In 1938, work began on the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saints Patrick and Felim. Three miles west of Cavan town is the
Church of Ireland Kilmore Cathedral, which contains a Romanesque doorway dating from the 12th century. Farnham House, to the northwest of Cavan, is one of the largest houses in the county. It is believed to have been built for the Maxwell family in 1810, and designed by Francis Johnston, a Dublin architect. It was recently sold by the widowed Lady Farnham to a local entrepreneur, and the house and estate has now been converted to a luxury hotel and leisure complex under theRadisson SAS international hotel group.Cavan has been twinned with
Jaunay Clan , in theVienne "département" ofFrance .Transport
Road
There are about 30,000 people living within a 16 km radius of the town, so infrastructure is very important. The town is located on the junction of two national routes, the N3 to
Dublin and N55 toAthlone . The National Development Plan, 2000-2006, provides for a major upgrading of the N3 route with a motorway from Kells toDublin (under construction) and type 2 dual carriageway from Kells to Cavan, which will also eventually bypass Virginia. The N3 and N55 eastern bypass around Cavan town was fully completed in March 2006, eliminating the need for heavy traffic to enter the congested town.Rail
Cavan used to have two railway stations (GNR and CIÉ) on the end-on junction of the Belfast-Cavan and the Cavan-Dublin, via the Inny Junction and
Mullingar lines. A branch of the Cavan-Leitrim Railway was also indirectly linked to Cavan town viaBelturbet (the C&L terminus) and Ballyhaise on the GNR line. When the Stormont Government 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-Leitrim Railway) were closed by 1960. The Virginia Road Station also once serviced the route between Kells and Oldcastle. Cooperation between the Cavan and Westmeath county councils are striving to integrate this into the national and regional development plan. Cavan railway station opened on8 July 1856, closed for passenger services on14 October 1957, and finally closed altogether on1 January 1960. [cite web | title=Cavan station | work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-09-16]Future infrastructure
Ongoing infrastructural evolution continues in order to meet a programme deadline of
2020 for embracing road, rail and telecommunication infrastructures, according to the National Development Plan. These will permit a better integration with the neighbouringDublin andMidlands Gateway s, also, theMonaghan ,Sligo , andUlster hubs, and thus allowing the promotion of business and tourism within the region.Education
Vocational Education in County Cavan is coordinated by the Cavan Vocational Educational Committee, [ [http://www.cavanvec.ie/ Cavan Vocational Educational Committee] ] while voluntary secondary schools are coordinated by the Department of Education and Science. The town has four second level schools, Saint Bricins Vocational School, Saint Patrick's College, [ [http://www.stpatscavan.com Saint Patrick's College] ] Loreto College, Breifne College, and the Royal School. [ [http://www.royalschoolcavan.ie The Royal School] ] The town is served by a third level college,
Cavan Institute (formerly Cavan College of Further Studies), which has been located in Cavan since 1985 and is the largest provider of FETAC courses in the northeast region.References
ee also
* List of abbeys and priories in County Cavan.
* List of towns in Ireland.External links
* [http://www.cavanudc.ie/ Cavan Town Council]
* [http://www.cavantourism.com/html/towns_villages/cavan.asp Cavan Tourism]
* [http://www.myguideireland.com/cavan About Cavan Town]
* [http://www.cceb.ie/ Cavan Enterprise]
* [http://www.meathontrack.com Kingscourt railway photo survey]
* [http://www.anglocelt.ie Anglo-Celt newspaper]
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