SNIPPET: County Cavan is in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster. It was created by Elizabeth I of England, and is bordered by Cos. Monaghan, Leitrim, Longford, Meath and Westmeath in the Republic and Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The O'REILLY family (still a very common surname in the area) established a castle in Cavan town in the late 13th century. A Franciscan monastery was also established at around that same time. In the 15th century the local ruler Bearded Owen O'REILLY set up a market which attracted merchants from Dublin and Drogheda. In 1610 the English king James I granted the town a charter. In the early 19th century the Lords FARNHAM, a local landlord family, built a new, wide street. This was lined with comfortable town houses, church and public buildings. In the late 19th century it became an important rail junction between the midland and western lines and those of the Northern Railway. A procession of fascinating sandstone Iron Age heads were discovered in the 19th and 20th centuries -- the mysterious Corleck Idol head was carved with three faces; by viewing it from three different points, the head gazes out at you with a young face, a middle-aged face and an old face.