Cavan is said to have a lake for each day of the year. These lakes and pools are said to be filled from the Otherworld, and as such, bathing in them, or drinking their water, will bestow Otherworldly magic on the mortal concerned, such as poetic inspiration, wisdom and knowledge, or healing.

The largest lake in the county is called Lough Sheelin; it’s about 6.5km long and 1.5km wide. Its name derives from the Irish Loch Síodh Linn, meaning ‘Lake of the Faery Pool’. Local folklore claims it was not always so big. Originally, it was just a small spring, from which the fairy folk, or Sidhe, allowed the local villagers to collect drinking water, but the rule was that they must always replace the cover. One day, a careless villager forgot to do this, and the Sidhe were so incensed, they caused the water to rise up, flooding the well and the nearby village, and thus forming the lake as we see it today.