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Toponymy

Árṁaċ, or Ármhach (meaning "Battlefield" or "Place of Slaughter"), was brought about because Arvagh is on the borders of 3 counties and provinces, Leitrim, Longford and Cavan (Connaght, Leinster and Ulster). The royal families of these counties would battle in Arvagh and as a result many died, Hence "Place of Slaughter". In 1836, Arvagh was recorded by John O'Donovan as Airbheach, 'a division'. Under descriptive marks it was recorded that "The town of Arvagh is small...The word Arvagh is derived from a rocky spot in the adjoining townland and on which the despensary is built, which signifies the place of blood or slaughter"⁵

Local folklore, recorded in the Dúchas Schools’ Collection, supports this interpretation, associating the name with historical battles in the surrounding area. However, as is common with early Irish toponyms, there is no definitive historical record of a specific event giving rise to the name, and it may also refer more broadly to a territorial or symbolic landscape feature. Another entry from the Schools’ Collection records that "the real name for the town is Drumalt," implying that this may have been the original name before it became known as Arva.⁶

History

Early History

Arva (Irish Ármhach, “battlefield”) lies at the western edge of the barony of Teallach Dhúnchadha (Tullyhunco) in County Cavan. Archaeological surveys have recorded over twenty ringforts (ráth) in and around the townland, indicating continuous settlement from the 6th to the 10th centuries.⁷

In the early medieval period the area formed part of the over‑kingdom of Bréifne, ruled by the Uí Briúin Bréifne dynasty. From the 11th century the local túath of Tullyhunco was governed by the Mág Tighearnán sept, whose chiefs administered Brehon law and collected tribute from their crannóg at Cruachan O’Cúbhrán.⁸

Between the 8th and 12th centuries Bréifne consolidated into West Bréifne (under the O’Rourke kings) and East Bréifne (under the O’Reilly kings). Tullyhunco, including Arva, was absorbed into East Bréifne by the mid‑13th century, a division confirmed by conflicts such as the Battle of Magh Slécht in 1256.⁹ This Gaelic lordship remained until the Tudor conquest of Ireland in the 16th century.

Plantation and Foundation of the Town

Gaelic control began to collapse during the late 16th century, particularly following the Nine Years’ War (1594–1603) and the Flight of the Earls (1607). These events paved the way for the Plantation of Ulster, a policy of land confiscation and colonisation carried out by the English Crown. Arva, along with much of southern Ulster, was granted to British settlers. The modern town was likely established during this plantation period in the early 17th century.¹⁰

18th and 19th Century Development

During the 18th and 19th centuries, Arva developed further under the control of the Gosford estate, which was held by the Acheson family, later the Earls of Gosford. Surviving estate maps from 1822 and 1845 show a formally planned town layout centred around a market house and fair green.

In 1841, at which time the 1841 Census recorded a population of 69, there were four pubs in the village and the monthly fairs were of considerable local trade importance.¹¹¹²

Early 20th Century Life

A valuable snapshot of life in Arva during the early 20th century is preserved in the Schools’ Collection, compiled in the 1930s by local schoolchildren as part of a nationwide folklore project.

A snapshot of life in Arva during the early 20th century is preserved in the Schools’ Collection, compiled in the 1930s by local schoolchildren as part of a nationwide folklore project. One account, written by Joy Scott of Arva National School on 18 March 1938, describes how the town was transitioning into the modern era, with the arrival of electricity:

The same contributor described the town’s layout and social life during the 1930s:

Governance

Local

Arva is located within the jurisdiction of Cavan County Council, the local authority responsible for delivering services in areas such as housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning, environmental protection, and local enterprise development. The town lies within the Ballyjamesduff Local Electoral Area, one of the three electoral areas used for local governance within the county.

In the 2024 local elections, six councillors were elected to represent the Ballyjamesduff LEA:¹⁵

• Shane P. O’Reilly (Independent Ireland)
• Trevor Smith (Fine Gael)
• T.P. O’Reilly (Fine Gael)
• Winston Bennett (Fine Gael)
• Philip Brady (Fianna Fáil)
• Noel Connell (Sinn Féin)

National

For national representation, Arva is part of the Cavan–Monaghan constituency in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland’s national parliament. The constituency elects five Teachtaí Dála (TDs) using the proportional representation-single transferable vote (PR-STV) electoral system.

As of the 2024 general election, the five sitting Teachtaí Dála (TDs) representing the constituency are:¹⁶

• Matt Carthy (Sinn Féin)
• Cathy Bennett (Sinn Féin)
• David Maxwell (Fine Gael)
• Niamh Smyth (Fianna Fáil)
• Brendan Smith (Fianna Fáil)

Europe

At the European level, Arva falls within the Midlands–North-West constituency, which elects five Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). As of the 2024 European Parliament elections, the MEPs representing this constituency are:¹⁷

• Luke 'Ming' Flanagan (Independent)
• Barry Cowen (Fianna Fáil)
• Nina Carberry (Fine Gael)
• Maria Walsh (Fine Gael)
• Ciarán Mullooly (Independent Ireland)

Historical representation

County Cavan (Irish Parliament constituency, 1585–1800)

Prior to the Act of Union 1801, County Cavan returned two MPs to the Irish House of Commons. The county franchise was originally limited to forty‑shilling Protestant freeholders; the Catholic Relief Act 1793 extended the vote to qualifying Catholics; Catholic Emancipation (1829) and later UK Reform Acts (1832, 1867) further expanded the electorate.¹⁸

Cavan (UK Parliament constituency, 1801–1885)

From 1801 until its division in 1885, County Cavan elected two MPs to the UK House of Commons. The Act of Union retained the forty‑shilling county franchise; the Reform Act 1832 and later acts expanded it further.²⁷

West Cavan (UK Parliament constituency, 1885–1922)

This table lists every Member of Parliament (MP) for West Cavan from its creation in 1885 until its abolition in 1922.³⁶

Cavan (Dáil constituency, 1921–1977)

Cavan–Monaghan (Dáil constituency, 1977–present)

Demographics

Historical population data for Arva often refers to the wider **civil parish of Arvagh**, which encompasses the town and surrounding rural area, rather than the town alone. The parish historically covered approximately 17,074 statute acres. ³⁸In 1837, the population of the **parish** was recorded as 4,580, of whom 422 resided in the **town** itself.³⁹ Throughout the 19th century, the parish population declined significantly, reflecting trends in rural depopulation, famine, and emigration.

Language Proficiency

The 2022 Census reported the following language proficiency among Arva residents:

• English only: 96.2%
• Irish speakers: 28.5%
• Other languages: 3.8%

Of those who spoke Irish, a small percentage used it daily outside the education system.

Events

Each year the Arvagh Agricultural Show takes place in the village.⁵⁴⁵⁵⁵⁶ 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.⁵⁷

Transport

Bus

Whartons Travel operate bus route 975 on behalf of the National Transport Authority. It serves the village six times a day (not Sundays) providing services to Longford via Drumlish and Cavan.⁵⁸⁵⁹ Bus Éireann route 465, (Carrigallen-Killashandra-Cavan) serves the village on Tuesday.

Rail

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

Angling

The Arvagh area has numerous angling sites such as Garty Lough, Hollybank Lake, Gulladoo Lake, Guiniken Lake and Rockfield Lake.⁶⁰ The Arvagh International Fishing Festival takes place in Arvagh every September.⁶¹

Sport

Arva St Patrick's is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• Market Houses in Ireland

References

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24. Expelled in 1696. ↩

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