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Voykit pocket guide · Ireland
Bailieborough
Coill an Chollaigh
Skip as a base unless you have a car: one night, or a half-day stop for Castle Lough walks and Dún na Rí Forest Park.
Bailieborough is a small east Cavan town about an hour's drive from Dublin, mostly a commuter base for the capital. Its own sights are thin: a lakeside demesne, a forest park and a Victorian street plan. Travellers use it as a quiet, cheaper bed for Cavan and the north-east, not as a destination in itself.
- Country
- Ireland
- Local name
- Coill an Chollaigh
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (wet, short days)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including pubs and taxis.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €85–140 excl. bed · High €140+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vodafone, Three and Eir run the networks; prepaid SIMs (also 48, Tesco Mobile, GoMo) sell in phone shops and newsagents, no registration fuss.
- Emergency
- Police, ambulance, fire, coast guard 112 · Alternative emergency number 999
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Type G three-pin, like the UK; European and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–15% if service is not included.; Pub: Not expected when ordering at the bar.; Taxi: Round up.; Tour guide or driver: €5–10 per person for a day tour.; Hotel porter: €1–2 per bag.
- Water
- Tap water is safe; occasional local 'boil water' notices are posted by Uisce Éireann.
- Toilets
- Free in shopping centres, museums, pubs (as a customer) and many petrol stations; some public toilets charge 50c.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €3–4.50 |
| Café lunch | €9–15 |
| Pub main course | €14–20 |
| Pint of stout | €5–6 |
| Indian or Chinese takeaway main | €10–15 |
| Dún na Rí Forest Park car park | €5 |
| Taxi, 5 km (3.1 mi)Taxi, 3.1 mi (5 km) | €10–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DUB · Dublin Airport
- About 1 h 15 min by car via the M3/N3; no direct bus to Bailieborough, so change in Kells or Virginia.
Typical fares
- Local Link bus 172, Virginia → Bailieborough
- about 20 min, five times a day (check)
- Local Link bus 178, Kells → Bailieborough
- about 30 min, three times a day (check)
- Taxi in town
- metered; ask the fare before you set off (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
You need your own wheels. Local Link buses 172 and 178 reach Kells, Virginia and Cootehill a few times a day, but nothing useful runs to the lakes, the forest park or the castle. A bike covers the town and Castle Lough; a car covers the rest.
See and do
Known for
- Castle Lough walks and fishing
- Dún na Rí Forest Park
- Victorian town plan
- Cabra Castle near Kingscourt
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Dún na Rí Forest Park | Car via the R165 and R179, about 15 min | About 25 min |
| Kells, County Meath | Local Link bus 178, about 30 min via Mullagh | About 40 min |
| Virginia, County Cavan | Local Link bus 172, about 20 min | About 30 min |
| Cavan town | Car via the R165 and N3, about 30 min | About 40 min |
Sleep
- Bailieborough town centre
- Main St and Market Square: the Bailie Hotel plus pubs and cafés within a 5-min walk.
- Kingscourt and Cabra
- About 10 km (6.2 mi) east; Cabra Castle and B&Bs, best if you want the castle stay.About 6.2 mi (10 km) east; Cabra Castle and B&Bs, best if you want the castle stay.
- Farm and countryside B&Bs
- Rock Equestrian Farm and similar places 2–3 km (1.2–1.9 mi) out; you need a car for everything.Rock Equestrian Farm and similar places 1.2–1.9 mi (2–3 km) out; you need a car for everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dia duitjeea gwit |
| Thank you | Go raibh maith agatguh rev mah agut |
| Please | Le do thoilleh duh hull |
| Where is the toilet? | Cá bhfuil an leithreas?kaw will un leh-rass |
| How much is it? | Cé mhéad é?kay vade ay |
| Cheers | Sláinteslawn-che |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, first names quickly; avoid: Over-formality; it reads as coldness
- Conversation: Banter, weather and sport; self-deprecating humour; avoid: Opening with Northern Ireland, religion or the Famine
- Pubs: Buy your round; chat at the bar; avoid: Leaving a round without buying one
- Identity: Say Ireland, or the Republic when you need to distinguish; avoid: 'Southern Ireland' and calling it British
- Driving: Lift a finger from the wheel to thank drivers who pull in for you; avoid: Stopping on narrow bends for photos
Scams and watch-outs
- No direct public transport from Dublin Airport: change at Kells or Virginia and check the last connection.
- Dún na Rí Forest Park car park takes coins only, €5.
- Rural roads are narrow and unlit; drive on the left and watch for tractors and cyclists.
- Terra distillery does not run tours.
Low-crime rural town; the real risks are unlit narrow roads, wet-weather driving and long waits for the few daily buses. Ask your accommodation to book a taxi if you are out late.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Bailieborough yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Castle Lough walks and fishing
- Dún na Rí Forest Park
- Victorian town plan
- Cabra Castle near Kingscourt
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Dún na Rí Forest Park (Coillte): www.coillte.ie/site/dun-a-ri-forest-park/
- Local Link Cavan–Monaghan: www.locallinkcm.ie/
- Transport for Ireland journey planner: www.transportforireland.ie/
- Wikivoyage: Bailieborough, revision 5324443 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5324443
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
BailieboroughCoill an Chollaigh
Chuig an seoladh seo, le do thoil
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassy in Bailieborough; US and most other embassies are in Dublin. The nearest Garda station is in Bailieborough town (check opening hours).
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/bailieborough). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.