Overview
Legavreagra (Irish: Lag na bhFreagra, “the hollow of the echoes”) is a quiet townland perched on the north-western slope of Slieve Rushen, where the borders of County Cavan and County Fermanagh meet. Covering 472 acres, it sits within the civil parish of Kinawley, and its two caves are the reason the occasional visitor comes: Pollnagollum (Poll na gColmán, ‘the hole of the pigeons’), which drops about 70 feet to its floor, and Tory Hole (‘the cave of the outlaws’), long tied to Lughnasadh gatherings. Both are for potholers, not day-trippers. If you’re not caving, come for a quiet walk and the folklore, and know that nearby Cavan Burren Park does the accessible-limestone experience far better.
Landscape & Natural Heritage
The area forms part of the Slieve Rushen Bog Natural Heritage Area, a protected mix of blanket bog, dry heath and karst limestone. Slieve Rushen itself rises to 404 metres (1,325 feet) on the Cavan–Fermanagh border: grey limestone under a cap of sandstone and shale, its surface mostly peat, conifer plantation and grazing. A wind farm now runs along the ridge, and people have lived on these slopes since at least 3000 BC.
The bog and limestone support wildflowers, mosses and ground-nesting birds, so keep to established paths through the breeding season and to protect the peat.
Walking & Exploration
Legavreagra is best experienced on foot. A network of informal tracks and old forestry roads leads from the minor public lanes up toward the Slieve Rushen ridge. Walkers can trace routes that follow stream valleys, cross open moorland, and loop back through woodland edges. The terrain is moderate but demands preparation: the ground is often wet, uneven, and covered in tussocks or loose stone, so sturdy hiking boots are essential.
Those caves are the real hazard here. Pollnagollum and Tory Hole are undeveloped swallow-holes with no railings, signs or steps, and Pollnagollum’s 70-foot drop is exactly the sort of thing you don’t want to stumble into in poor light. Leave them to properly equipped potholers and take in the karst outcrops from the surface. Dogs are welcome but keep them on a lead near the livestock grazing the adjacent fields.
History & Local Character
Legavreagra sat in the Tullyhaw barony, a patch of smallholdings and common grazing. Nineteenth-century leases held in Cavan Library record the land passing between families like the Taylors, Netterfields, Magees and Howdens between 1827 and 1834. One of them gave a small lake here its name and its darkest story: Taylor’s Lough, called after a bailiff whom tenants murdered and threw into the water, according to the 1938 Dúchas folklore collection. The everyday marks of rural life are still on the ground too – lime-kilns, old stone bridges over seasonal streams, field walls of quarried limestone.
The townland’s isolation kept it slow and largely untouched by industry. There are no shops, cafés or visitor facilities inside its boundaries, which is the whole appeal.
Practical Information
Access to Legavreagra is via minor public roads that branch off the regional routes near Kinawley and Blacklion. Signage is minimal, and mobile reception can be patchy on the slopes, so it is advisable to download an offline map or note GPS coordinates before setting out. Parking is available at roadside lay-bys, and there is no entry fee or opening-hour restriction.
Weather on Slieve Rushen can shift quickly, with temperature drops and sudden mist common even in summer. Layered clothing, a waterproof jacket, and a light snack are recommended. For those planning longer days out, the mountain is covered on standard Ordnance Survey maps, and the broader Slieve Rushen Bog Natural Heritage Area is overseen by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Casual walking does not require permits, but visitors are asked to take all litter home and respect the quiet character of the area.
Nearby Attractions
Legavreagra fits neatly into a day around the western half of County Cavan. A short drive south brings you to Blacklion, a border village with cafés, craft shops and MacNean House, one of the best-known restaurants in the county (book well ahead). Cavan Burren Park is the easy version of what Legavreagra hides: free to enter, with around 10km of trails through a prehistoric landscape of dolmens and wedge tombs, and the Cuilcagh Boardwalk Trail is within reach for the fit.
For longer distances, the Cavan Way traverses the county’s upland scenery and passes within a few miles of the Slieve Rushen foothills, providing options for multi-day treks. The wider Breifne Mountains range also offers additional hill-walking routes, while a drive east to Derrylahan leads to the Shannon Pot and the source of Ireland’s longest river. Combining these stops allows visitors to experience the full contrast between Cavan’s quiet limestone hills and its lively rural towns.
Pack a reliable map, check the mountain weather forecast, and aim to arrive before midday to enjoy the trails in cooler, quieter conditions. The ridge views are clearest when the Atlantic mist has burned off, leaving the limestone and peatland exposed in sharp relief.