Arvagh


Arvagh or Arva, is a town in County Cavan, Ireland, on the shores of Garty Lough and overlooked by Bruse Mountain. It is located on the junction of the R198 and R203 regional roads.
It is situated in the centre of the drumlin belt on the border of Counties Longford and Leitrim. Its location is about 3 km southeast of the tripoint where the three provinces of Ulster, Leinster and Connacht meet.
As of 2016, the town had a population of 411.

History

The Arvagh area was settled by Scottish planters in the early 17th century. A story is told that one of them, John Brown, sold the land here for a horse. The Earls of Gosford, the descendants of the man who bought it, developed the town in the early 19th century, building a Market House which is still standing. In 1841, at which time the 1841 Census recorded a population of 69, there were four pubs in the town and the monthly fairs were of considerable local trade importance.
Ármhach was brought about because Arvagh is on the borders of 3 counties and provinces, Leitrim, Longford and Cavan. The royal families of these counties would battle in Arvagh and as a result many died, Hence "Place of Slaughter".

Facilities

Arvagh has a hotel, the Breffni Arms Hotel, with a restaurant, bar, nightclub and there are several pubs in the town, many of which have music at the weekends.

Places of interest

Arvagh Market House is a nine-bay, two-storey building built before 1837 by the Earl of Gosford. It may have been designed by W D Butler. The outer six bays have been greatly altered and appear now as two three-bay houses.
Nearby Bruse Mountain is a small hill topped with three stone cairns, dating from the Neolithic period.

Events

The Annual Breffni Challenge 20 km run takes place from Cavan and finishes in Arvagh every August, with all proceeds going to St. Luke's Hospital in Dublin.
Each year the Arvagh Agricultural Show takes place in the town. The "3 Province Festival" also takes place here over 10 days from the last weekend in July until the first weekend in August. The festival includes music, theatre, comedy, art, competitions and other events.

Transport

Bus

Whartons Travel operate bus route 975 on behalf of the National Transport Authority. It serves the town six times a day providing services to Longford via Drumlish and Cavan. Bus Éireann route 465, serves the town on Tuesday.

Rail

on the erstwhile Killashandra branch was the nearest station to Arvagh. Nowadays bus route 975 provides a link to Longford railway station.

Angling

The area is popular for fishing. and lakes such as Hollybank, Gulladoo and Rockfield are used for angling all year round. The Arvagh International Fishing Festival takes place in Arvagh every September.

People