The head of this list sits in one corner of the county. Shannon Pot, the dark pool in the townland of Derrylahan where Ireland’s longest river rises, is a few minutes’ walk from a free car park on the Cavan Way, with Cavan Burren Park next door and the village of Dowra a short run away at the headwaters. Lough MacNean continues the same stretch to the north, split into two basins on the border with Fermanagh and Leitrim, with Blacklion and Belcoo on the neck of land between them and a free amenity area at the water’s edge.
The rest is fishing water spread through the drumlins. Annagh Lake at Butlersbridge, five kilometres north of Cavan town, is among the easiest to reach: free parking, a picnic area and a 6 km loop walk, with club boats out from May to September. Brackley Lake near Bawnboy runs to 400 acres of free coarse fishing at the end of a narrow lane, Garty Lough starts at the end of Arvagh’s main street and is known for big pike, and Lough Gowna on the Longford border is where the Erne begins.
Distances are short but the roads are small, so count on driving between them. Shannon Pot is modest in a dry spell and reads best after rain.
A still, dark pool barely 16 metres across in the karst below Cuilcagh Mountain, where Ireland's longest river rises; a free stop on the Cavan Way.
A small village on the River Annalee five kilometres north of Cavan town, with trout fishing at Annagh Lake and canoeing on the Erne nearby.
The quiet townland that holds the Shannon Pot, a few minutes' walk from a free car park, with a Discovery Centre still under construction on site.
A crossroads village at the Shannon headwaters where Cavan meets Leitrim, and the usual launchpad for the Cavan Way and the Black Pig's Dyke.
Two basins of border water at the heart of the Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark, ringed by a 40-mile sculpture trail, island crannogs and a free amenity area.
21 of 21 shown — tap a pin for the place.
Derrylahan, cavan
Ireland's longest river rises from a still, dark pool barely 16 metres across, in the karst country below Cuilcagh Mountain. Legend says the river takes its name from Síonnan, who drowned here chasing forbidden wisdom. It's a short, free stop on the Cavan Way – modest in a dry spell, and best combined with Cavan Burren Park next door.
Butlersbridge, cavan
Butlersbridge is a small Cavan village on the River Annalee, five kilometres north of Cavan town and quietly bypassed by the N3 since 1999. Its landmark is William Hague's two-tone limestone St Aidan's Church; nearby are trout fishing at Annagh Lake, canoeing on the Erne, and the well-known Derragarra Inn.
Derrylahan, cavan
Derrylahan is a quiet Cavan townland with one famous feature: the Shannon Pot, the traditional source of Ireland's longest river. It's a 16-metre-wide dark pool fed from underground, a few minutes' walk from a free car park on the Cavan Way. A long-planned Discovery Centre is being built at the site but has not yet opened.
Dowra, cavan
Dowra sits at the headwaters of Ireland’s longest river, offering a quiet crossroads where County Cavan meets Leitrim. The village is a launchpad for the Cavan Way, the source of the Shannon, and the remnants of the ancient Black Pig’s Dyke.
Border of County Fermanagh (Northern Ireland) and Counties Cavan & Leitrim (Republic of Ireland), fermanagh
Lough MacNean lies in two basins on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, with the villages of Belcoo and Blacklion on the neck of land between them. It’s the heart of the Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark, ringed by a 40-mile sculpture trail, island crannogs and a free amenity area with fishing, boats and a playground.
Cavan, cavan
The River Erne runs 120 km from the Cavan hills through Upper and Lower Lough Erne to the Atlantic at Ballyshannon, spreading into a maze of more than 150 islands rather than a single channel. Monastic ruins, crannogs and Enniskillen Castle line the water, and since 1994 the Shannon–Erne Waterway has linked it to the Shannon for boats.
Butlersbridge, cavan
Ballyconnell, cavan
Near Bawnboy, cavan
Killeshandra, cavan
Cavan/Monaghan border, cavan
Arvagh, cavan
Kells, cavan
Longford, longford
Ballyconnell, cavan
Shercock, cavan
Bailieborough, cavan
cavan
cavan
Shercock, cavan
Ballyconnell, cavan
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