| County Cavan Contae an Chabháin |
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| Motto: Feardhacht is Fírinne (Irish) "Manliness and Truth" |
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| Location | ||
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Ulster | |
| County seat: | Cavan | |
| Code: | CN | |
| Area: | 1,931 km² | |
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Population (2006) |
63,961 | |
| Website: www.cavancoco.ie | ||
County Cavan (Irish: Contae an Chabháin) is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Ulster. It was named after the town of Cavan (Irish: an Cabhán). It is one of three counties situated in the province of Ulster without being part of Northern Ireland. The county is bordered by County Monaghan, County Leitrim, County Longford, County Meath, County Westmeath and County Fermanagh. Area: 1,931 km² (746 square miles). Population (census 2006): 63,961. The county town is Cavan. The county is often referred to as the Breffni County.
Cavan is the 19th largest of Ireland's 32 counties in area and 26th largest in terms of population[1]. It is the sixth largest of Ulster’s 9 counties in size and seventh largest in terms of population.
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History
In medieval times, Cavan was known as East Brefnie, or Brefnie O'Reilly after its ruling Gaelic family since it was a major part of the 11th century Irish Kingdom of Breifne, A high degree of defense was achieved by using the natural landscape of sharp hills and loughs. This, and poorly drained soils contributed to the obstacle against invasion.
Historically, Cavan was part of the western province of Connaught, but it officially became a part of Ulster in 1584 when Brefnie was shired and became the county of Cavan. In the south, the Lough Sheelin area was part of Leinster until the late 1300s.
Cavan was hard hit by the Great Famine in the mid-nineteenth century. In the winter of 1847, the local landlord in Mountnugent parish decided to evict over 200 people. The famous ballad "By Lough Sheelin Side" is based on this event witnessed by the local Catholic priest.
Geography
The chief rivers are the Woodford, the Shannon (rising on the south slopes of Cuilcagh mountain; 667 m/2,188 ft), and the Erne, which divides Cavan into two parts: a narrow, mostly low-lying stretch of ground, 30 km/19 mi long, between Leitrim and Fermanagh; and an eastern section of wild and bare hill country.
Much of the county is covered in bog and forest. The soil is generally poor and the climate moist and cold.
The chief lakes, noted for their scenery and coarse fishing, include the tortuously shaped Lough Oughter, and Loughs Ramor, Sheelin, Sillan, and Brackley. In total, there is 365 lakes in County Cavan.
Demographics
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | %± |
| 1659 | 14,703 | — |
| 1821 | 195,076 | 1226.8% |
| 1831 | 227,933 | 16.8% |
| 1841 | 243,158 | 6.7% |
| 1851 | 174,071 | −28.4% |
| 1861 | 153,906 | −11.6% |
| 1871 | 140,735 | −8.6% |
| 1881 | 129,476 | −8.0% |
| 1891 | 111,917 | −13.6% |
| 1901 | 97,541 | −12.8% |
| 1911 | 91,173 | −6.5% |
| 1926 | 82,452 | −9.6% |
| 1936 | 76,670 | −7.0% |
| 1946 | 70,355 | −8.2% |
| 1951 | 66,377 | −5.7% |
| 1956 | 61,740 | −7.0% |
| 1961 | 56,594 | −8.3% |
| 1966 | 54,022 | −4.5% |
| 1971 | 52,618 | −2.6% |
| 1979 | 53,720 | 2.1% |
| 1981 | 53,855 | 0.3% |
| 1986 | 53,965 | 0.2% |
| 1991 | 52,796 | −2.2% |
| 1996 | 52,944 | 0.3% |
| 2002 | 56,546 | 6.8% |
| 2006 | 64,003 | 13.2% |
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The county has a population of 63,961 (2006 preliminary census data),[3] and covers an area of 1,931 km².
The average density of population is 29.9 persons per km².
Cavan is predominantly a rural county, with only 16% of its population living in towns with a population of 1,500 or more.
Towns and villages in County Cavan
- Arvagh
- Bailieborough, Ballinagh, Ballyconnell, Ballyhaise, Ballyjamesduff, Bawnboy, Belturbet, Blacklion, Butlersbridge
- Cavan, Cootehill, Crossdoney
- Dowra
- Glangevlin
- Kilcogy, Killeshandra, Kilnaleck, Kingscourt
- Lough Gowna
- Mullagh, Mountnugent
- Redhills
- Shercock, Stradone, Swanlinbar
- Virginia
Economy
Agriculture is the chief industry; mushrooms and oats are major crops; dairying and pig- and beef-farming are also important.
Politics
Cavan is divided into Four County Electoral Areas: Bailieborough, Ballyjamesduff, Belturbet and Cavan. There are three Town Councils: Cavan Town, Belturbet and Cootehill.[4]
Famous places
References
- ^ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 186-191.
- ^ [http://www.cso.ie/census for post 1821 figures, 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy March 14 1865, For a discussion on he accuracy of pre-famine census returns see JJ Lee “On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p54, in and also New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850 by Joel Mokyr and Cormac O Grada in The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov., 1984), pp. 473-488.
- ^ "Census 2006 Preliminary report" (pdf). Stationery Office, Dublin, Ireland. http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/2006PreliminaryReport.pdf.
- ^ "Cavan County Council website". http://www.cavancoco.ie.
See also
External links
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