Elegant Gems Presents “The Story of Cavan”
County
Cavan has been inhabited for over 5,000 years has a rich and celebrated
history. Missionaries converted County Cavan to Christianity in the 6th
Century. 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 under the control of
Irish chieftains. The Anglo-Normans had settled to the West and South as they
tried to conquer Cavan but were driven back. They built a castle at Lough
Oughter and a motte-and-bailey at Belturbet.
In 1579
County Cavan took on her present boundaries. In the early 17th century, Cavan
was settled by planters from England and Scotland who laid the foundations for
many towns and villages such as Belturbet, Killeshandra and Virginia. Cavan's history
as a holiday destination dates from this time, when visitors from all over
Ireland flocked to the mineral spas at Swanlinbar in West Cavan.
There
are many heritage sites in County Cavan where visitors can experience the
rich culture and heritage of County Cavan.
The Franciscan Friary in Cavan, better known
locally as St.Mary’s Abbey was founded in the 1300’s by Giolla Iosa Rua
O’Reilly, the king of Breifne but nothing remains of the medieval foundation
apart from the old bell tower.
The 1593 Map of Cavan shows the Franciscan
Friary Church and the bell tower. It showed the church with an east west
orientation and with an external tower. The tower is approximately 40 feet high
with open rounded arches in east and west walls, one large window facing east
on the first floor and windows with rounded tops on the top storey.
The friary and lands attached to it remained
under the ownership of the Franciscans for nearly three hundred years until the
introduction of the reformation when the monks were expelled.
The Friary was burned on many occasions, in 1429
and 1468 by the English, in 1452 by a monk using a candle and in 1575 by one of
the O’Reillys.
As Cavan town was burned several times, the last
time in 1690, the old bell tower attached to the Friary is possibly the oldest
building remaining.
Tradition states that Owen Roe O’Neill who died
on November 6th 1649 at Lough Oughter Castle was buried in the Franciscan
Friary but his grave was not marked.
In the early 1590’s when the church passed out
of the ownership of the Franciscans it was used as a court and then later
rebuilt by the Church of Ireland and used as a parish church until the present
church was opened in 1815 with the last service being held on Christmas Day
1815.
The Friary became a ruin in the early 1820’s and
the stones used to built houses on Bridge Street. Milling in the Lifeforce Mill
that is situated along the Kinnypottle River can be traced back to the 14th
century when there was a flour mill on the site as part of the Franciscian
Friary. The current mill, which was formerly known as Greene’s Mill was erected
in 1846 and throughout 100 years of almost daily use it served as a focal point
in the life of Cavan town before it closed in the 1950’s. The mill was fully
restored in the 1990’s and all the original machinery, including what is
believed to be the only McAdam Water Turbine has been restored and returned to
use.