County Cavan

County Cavan (/ˈkævən/ KAV-ən; Irish: Contae an Chabháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the historic Gaelic territory of East Breffny (Bréifne). Cavan County Council is the local authority for the county, which had a population of 81,704 at the 2022 census.

Cavan borders six counties: Leitrim to the west, Fermanagh to the north, Monaghan to the north-east, Meath to the south-east, Longford to the south-west and Westmeath to the south. Cavan shares a 70 km (43 mi) border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. Cavan is the 19th largest of the 32 counties in area and the 25th largest by population.

The county is part of the Northern and Western Region, a NUTS II area, and in that region, is part of the Border strategic planning area, a NUTS III entity.

The county is characterised by drumlin countryside dotted with many lakes and hills. The north-western area of the county is sparsely populated and mountainous. The Cuilcagh mountain range contain the highest point, Cuilcagh, at 665 metres (2,182 feet).

Cavan is the source of many rivers. Shannon Pot on the slopes of Cuilcagh is the source of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland at 386 km (240 mi). The River Erne is a major river which rises from Beaghy Lough, two miles (3 km) south of Stradone in Cavan and flows for 120 km (75 mi) to Lough Erne. Other rivers in the county include the Blackwater River, which rises near Bailieborough and flows through Lough Ramor, joining the River Boyne at Navan; the Dee which springs near Bailieborough; the River Annalee which flows from Lough Sillan and joins the Erne; and the Cladagh river which rises from Cuilcagh and flows into Fermanagh. The Glyde and the Owenroe also source in Cavan.

Cavan is known as 'The Lakeland County' and is reputed to contain 365 lakes. At 18.8 km² (7.3 sq mi), Lough Sheelin is the county's largest lake; it is situated in the south of the county and forms a three way border on its waters between counties Meath, Westmeath and Cavan. A large complex of lakes form in the north and west of Cavan into designated Specially Protected Areas (SPA); an example is Lough Oughter. Other important wildlife protected lakes such as Lough Gowna and Lough Ramor are in the south and east of the county. Cavan has a mainly hilly (drumlin) landscape and contains just under 7,000 hectares (17,000 acres) of forested area, 3.6% of Cavan's total land area. The county contains forests such as Bellamont Forest near Cootehill, Killykeen Forest Park at Lough Oughter (a Coillte state forest concern), Dún na Rí Forest Park and the Burren Forest.

Met Éireann records the climate data for Cavan from their station at Ballyhaise. Under Köppen climate classification, Cavan experiences a maritime temperate oceanic climate with cold winters, mild humid summers, and a lack of temperature extremes. The average maximum January temperature is 8.2 °C (47 °F), while the average maximum July temperature is 19.8 °C (68 °F). On average, the sunniest months are May and June, while the wettest month is October with 104.4 mm (4 in) of rain, and the driest months are May and June with 67.8 mm (3 in) and 67.9 mm (3 in) respectively. Humidity is high year round and rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year, with the annual precipitation at Ballyhaise being 1,006 mm (40 in)

On average, snow showers occur between November and March. In the winter of 2010–11, record low temperatures for November, December and January were recorded in Cavan. In late December, the temperature at the station fell to −15.4 °C (4 °F), its lowest ever. On 21 December 2010, a daily maximum of −9.4 °C (15 °F) was recorded at Ballyhaise, the lowest daily maximum ever recorded in Ireland. Summer daytime temperatures range between 15 °C (59 °F) and 22 °C (72 °F), with temperatures rarely going beyond 25 °C (77 °F). The average annual sunshine hours range between 1,300 hours in the north to 1,500 hours in the south.