Ballyjamesduff Holiday Homes Cavan
Ballyjamesduff grew up as a coaching stop on the old Dublin to Cavan road. Around 1880 a young engineer called Percy French who was working in Cavan wrote a song about Ballyjamesduff “Come Back Paddy Reilly to Ballyjamesduff.”
This put the town on the map of the musical world. Paddy Reilly is reputed to have been one of Percy French’s favourite jarvies or horse drivers in the area. Today a statue of Percy French sits on a park bench in the town centre of Ballyjamesduff
The award-winning Cavan County Museum is located in Ballyjamesduff. The museum was established to collect, conserve, document and display all aspects of the culture, history and traditions of County Cavan.
Displays of notable interest include the Killycluggin stone and the three-faced Corleck Head, two of the most recognisable examples of Celtic spirituality in the country.The museum also houses a medieval Dug-Out boat and a selection of medieval Sheela-na-Gigs, as well as a Folk Life gallery depicting life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Newly-opened galleries deal with topics as diverse as the Great Famine, Percy French and the Lords Farnham
The museum is housed in a delightful 19th Century building with spacious grounds, gardens and nearby children’s playground. A craft and coffee shop are also available. The museum frequently hosts art and photography exhibitions, book readings and the famous Lakeland Quilt Fair.
Fishing in and around Ballyjamesduff is excellent and the twin lakes of nearby Nadrageel and Lackan provide good coarse fishing. Boats are available for hire locally.