Cavan and Monaghan sit side by side as if one were a physical imprint of the other - Monaghan all small hills, Cavan all small lakes. County Monaghan is renowned for being drumlin country - rashes of rounded hills that diminish as you head west into Cavan where the land breaks up into a crazy pattern of tiny lakes. Both landscapes have their charms, both their practical difficulties. If you're walking or cycling in either county, a compass can be very useful; although the terrain isn't inaccessible or dangerous, you should be aware that there's such a network of winding, crisscrossed roads - the minor ones often riddled with potholes - that you can very easily get lost. In Monaghan, the drumlin hills all look similar, while the myriad lakes of Cavan enforce constant twists and turns. The lakes, however, now offer a more leisurely means of travel; since the reopening in 1994 of an old canal system, you can sail through Cavan along the Shannon-Erne Waterway.

Like County Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan share the peculiar identity of being historically part of Ulster yet included in the Republic since Partition in 1921. Not surprisingly, Cavan and Monaghan people (Protestant and Catholic) still share a strong affinity with their northern neighbours. As border counties, they have also sheltered Republican activity during "the Troubles", and, despite the peace process, the communities are still largely polarized along staunchly held political lines.

Although the border has sharpened political and social definitions, there is a sense in which it has also sheltered both of these counties. You'll probably be struck by the old-fashioned feel of the countryside: while slow, rural ways are as prevalent in other Irish counties, the sharp contrast with the industrialization and development over the border makes them more striking here. Uncertainty about the future has left an unhurried rural ordinariness that constitutes much of these counties' appeal. They are not gaily painted for tourists, nor visibly quaint, and there's a dour Scottish severity in many of the villages, particularly in Monaghan - clear evidence of the Ulster planters. But as you explore, you'll find both counties have an understated and quiet charm

Travel details

Buses
Bus Éireann

Cavan town to: Belfast (1-4 daily; 2hr 55min); Dublin (4-8 daily; 1hr 40min-2hr).

Monaghan town to: Belfast (2-3 daily; 2hr 45min); Dublin (6-10 daily; 2hr).

Wharton's Buses
Cavan town to: Dublin (1 daily; 1hr 50min).

McConnon's Buses
Monaghan town to: Dublin (1-2 daily; 2hr).

Google maps

Google maps

Ireland
guide

Monaghan Town
Transportation,
restaurants, tourist
     office
Brief History

County Clare
Shannon Int'l
     Airport
East Clare Way
The Burren
Culture
Transportation
Sports
Kilkenny
Laois

Ennis Town
Around Ennis
Lahinch
Lough Derg
Killaloe
Scarriff
Southwest Clare: Scattery Island
Kilkee

County Cork
Buses, trains, ferries

Exploring County Cork
Baltimore and the Irlands
Bantry
Beara Peninsula