County Cavan
Like Donegal and neighbouring Monaghan, Cavan belongs to the province of Ulster, yet has been part of the Irish Republic since Partition in 1921. The imprint of early dwellers has remained in the form of 'Court Cairn Tombs' and several other archaeological sites, particularly rich in the west of the county. 'Crannógs' are another tradition whose remains have left their mark. Built as early as the Stone Age, Crannógs were artificial islands typically developed as secure settlements. However, now melted back into the general landscape, the Crannógs are barely discernable from natural islands.
Christianity arrived in Cavan in the sixth century when Missionaries took it upon themselves to convert the area. One of these missionaries, St Feidhlim founded a church at Kilmore, while St Mogue set up an abbey at Drumlane. In the Later Middle Ages (1200-1600), Cavan was a border area and remained under the control of Irish chieftains. The Anglo-Normans had settled to the west and south and despite efforts to conquer Cavan were driven back.
In the early seventeenth century Cavan was settled by planters from England and Scotland. The Jacobite plantation crushed ancient Gaelic ways and the county was divided up between the new settlers. Every parish had a protestant church and all decent land was commandeered by the newcomers. Left with what remained, the Irish were faced with little more than poverty and religious oppression.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Cavan's countryside prospered with the growth of the linen industry. Flax plants were turned into linen locally and the cloth was then sold in Cootehill. With this, Cavan's population grew dramatically, and in 1841 it had reached almost a quarter of a million people. However, with many relying heavily on potatoes alone for food, the consequences of the Famine were severe. Large-scale emigration, starvation and hardship and ensued, with may travelling to America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. After the Famine Co. Cavan became a very rural area, with several lively market towns, but few industries to speak of.
Today, thanks to the redevelopment of the old Ballinamore-Ballyconnell Canal, together with some fine fishing, Cavan has come in to its own, enjoying a great deal more prosperity and tourist attention.
