The numbers next to the item headings refer to the numbers on the Tourist Information sign beside the bus stop in Bawnboy village.
(Private Property) Please note that most land owners who have historical monuments on their property are happy to allow people to visit the sites however it would be only reasonable to ask for permission in case there may be dangers from animals or risks from unseen obstacles. |
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2. The Bawn - Bawnboy
This was an Ulster Plantation Fort, possibly built on the site of an old Magauran stronghold probably around 1610/15.
The place name, Bawnboy, derives from the Irish, An Bábhún Buí – The Yellow Bawn.
‘Buí’ (boy) meaning yellow, received its name from the colour of the sand used in the building of the Bawn. (Private Property) |
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4. Bawnboy Workhouse or Union Buildings
This fine cut stone building dates from 1852. Its catchment area was approximately a 15 mile radius. Although built for 500 people it never functioned at its full potential however, its ample spare capacity was used to serve the broader community in different ways down through the years. It finally closed in 1979, |
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5. Holy Trinity (Barn) Church
Kildoagh Barn Church This is a rare example of a Barn Church. It was built in 1796 and named the Holy Trinity Church.
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6. Ballymagauran Castle
Jacobean house, now ruined built circa 1615 / 20. Erected during the Ulster Plantation under who's terms the land was re-granted to the local Magauran chieftain. (Private Property) |
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7. Darragh (Derryagh) Fort
Darragh Fort was a reputed shrine to the Celtic Sun God Crom Cruaich. It was supposedly destroyed by St Patrick who then established his first church in the locality at Kilnavart. (Private Property) |
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8. Bawnboy Road & Templeport Railway Station
This station was built in 1887 on the Cavan and Leitrim narrow gauge Railway line which connected the Great Northern Railway line at Belturbet with the Dublin Sligo line at Dromod. The line closed in 1959 and the station was rebuilt as a community centre in 2000.
More about Bawnboy Road Station and its history may be found at: www.bawnboy.com/cavan-and-leitrim-railway |

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9 Kilnavart Megalithic Tomb
This late bronze structure would have been covered by a cairn of stones but all that remains is the well preserved burial chamber. The two adjacent pillar stones may be connected to the site.
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10 Kilnavart Church
After the overthrow of Crom Cruaich St Patrick established the Church at Kilnavart. The 1609 Baronial map shows a church in the same grounds. At some stage in the eighteenth century it was reported that at Kilnavart are the remains of an ancient monastery with an extensive burial place still in use. A thatched church with clay floors and a gallery was built between 1780 and 1790. That church was replaced in 1867-8 with the present building designed by William Hague of Cavan. |
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11 The Killycluggin Stone
Unearthed close by in 1922, the Killycluggin Stone is nationally important as only four similar stones have ever been discovered. The stone, a decorated early Celtic artefact, was removed in 1973, and placed in the County Museum. A replica monument now stands beside the main Ballyconnell - Ballinamore road near the location where the original was found. |
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12 St Peter's Church Templeport
A fifteenth century Vatican document records the presence of a Church on this site. The building was ceded to the established (Anglican) Church in 1594. The fine neo-gothic Church that stands here now was re-built in 1815.
The Parish of Templeport derives its name from this site, Teampall a’ Phoirt (The Church on the bank).
Visit the St Peter's Church web site at: www.bawnboy.com/stpeters-church |
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13. There is no number thirteen! |
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14 St Mogue's Island
This is reputedly the birth place of St Mogue (Aidan) a noted early Irish saint. It contains early Christian monastic ruins and a graveyard. The Island features largely in local tradition and folklore.
It entered the realms of modern folklore in 1943 with the crash of an RAF Beaufighter.
For the full amazing story visit: www.bawnboy.com/Beaufighter-JL710 |
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15 Brackley Lake / Crannog
With a circumference of over 30 kilometres, Brackley is one of the largest lakes in the area. A Crannog or artificial island can be seen. Crannogs were used as dwellings and for holding animals in times of trouble for over two thousand years. Brackley is now a popular amenity for water sports enthusiasts. |
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16 Corneen Wind Farm
These two elegant structures are a fine example of modern built heritage. Their location affords a superb panorama of Templeport and further afield.
A short distance north near the summit is Millstone Hill where earlier mill technology was practiced by the cutting of millstones.
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(Private Property) Please note that most land owners who have historical monuments on their property are happy to allow people to visit the sites however it would be only reasonable to ask for permission in case there may be dangers or other obstacles. |
17. Lissanover Castle
Site of an ancient Gaelic fortress and a later Georgian mansion, both of which have been completely demolished, unfortunately nothing is left on the site other than an Ash Tree which grew around one of the old walls.
Trinity College Library have water colour pictures by artist and traveler Daniel Grose who also drew and wrote about the standing stones near the gateway to the estate.
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17b. Lissanover Gold Collar
A gold collar (Lunala) was found at a quarry belonging to the McAvinue family near here in 1909, it is now in the National Museum of Archaeology, Dublin.
(Private Property)
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This is as far as we've got so far.
Below is still very much "Work in progress". |
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18. Bronze Axe heads from Ray and Mullaghmore
Two Bronze age axe heads (now kept in the National Museum of Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin) were found in the parish, one in Ray (Roy) beside Templeport Lake and the other from Mullaghmore but actually found in Owengallees (Owengallis).
Full page to follow
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13. Ballyheady Cairn
This is a fairly large mound of stones under which human remains were discovered in 1932. The site was excavated by archaeologists and the remains of two human beings and possibly three were discovered, a male and a female and a child, dating back to the Bronze Age.
Local theory is that the male skeleton is that of Conall Cearnach, one of the Red Branch Knights from which Ballyconnell takes its name. Local history students have pointed out that Conall was killed at the ford beside the town. His body carried to the spot for burial and that to mark his grave; the women of the district carried stones on their hacks until they raised the enormous pile that stands as a memorial to a national hero. However, if the remains found there belong to the Bronze Age, it is highly unlikely that they are the remains of Conall Cearnach, as the Red Branch Knights and Conall Cearnach are from a much later period dating between 400 BC and 100 AD. |