Originally known as “Caban”, a Gaelic word for “hollow”. Cavan can trace a history of habitation back over 5000 years. Due to the effects of the Potato Famine in 1845-1850, much of the original population of Cavan emigrated to the United States, Australia and Canada. The township of Cavan, Ontario, Canada was named after County Cavan, from which its settlers had emigrated. Cavan’s population is still only a fraction of what it once was.