Bawnboy takes its name from the term "bawn", the defensive wall surrounding an Irish tower house. It is the anglicised version of the Irish word badhún meaning "cattle-stronghold" or "cattle-enclosure" – its original purpose was to protect cattle during an attack. The remains of a late medieval bawn is to be seen at Bawnboy House, which is the origin of the village name. The earliest surviving mention of the placename is in the 1663 Hearth Money Rolls for Templeport where it is called Baonboy. Another name for the village is Kilsub or Kilsob. The 1622 Survey of County Cavan states: Sir Richard Greames, holdeth 1000 acres of this land, upon which there is built a Bawne of stone and lyme, sixty foot square and nine foot high, with a little stone house within, where in Lieutenant William Ruttledge dwelleth and hath a lease thereof and of 200 acres of land for 21 yeares and the rest of Sir Richard’s 1000 acres are sett to the Irish from yeare to yeare, who plowgh after ye Irish fashion. A lease dated 10 December 1774 from William Crookshank to John Enery of Bawnboy includes the lands of Bawnboy.
Population
In the Hearth Money Rolls compiled on 29 September 1663 there were three taxpayers listed in Baonboy- William Lawther Esq., Stephen Murphy and Patricke Atcheson. The 1821 Census of Ireland states that the population of the village was 189. The 1831 Census of Ireland states that there were 12 houses in the village, all occupied. The population was 60, of which 28 were males and 32 females, so the population had dropped by 129 since 1821. The occupations were 2 female servants, 1 male servant, 1 professional, 4 retailers or craftsmen, 6 agricultural labourers, 4 farmers. The Bawnboy Valuation Office Field books are available for 1839-1840. The 1841 Census of Ireland states that there were 26 houses in the village, 8 of which were unoccupied. The population was 96, of which 47 were males and 49 females, so the population had increased by 36 since 1831.
Bawnboy National School
The book Bawnboy and Templeport History Heritage Folklore by Chris Maguire gives the following description of the school: The Reports from the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland give the following figures for Bawnboy National School, Roll No. 2927- 1846: One male teacher who received an annual salary of £14. 120 pupils, 81 boys and 39 girls. 1854: One male teacher who received an annual salary of £16-6s-8d. 119 pupils, 71 boys and 48 girls. 1862: John Foley was the headmaster, Anne Foley was the workmistress and Patrick Plunkett was the monitor, all Roman Catholics. There were 195 pupils, all Roman Catholic apart from 17 who were Church of Ireland. The Catechism was taught to the Catholic pupils on Mondays from 3pm to 4pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 12 noon. 1874: The teachers annual salaries amounted to £20. 117 pupils, 57 boys and 60 girls. 1890: There were 89 pupils.
Events
The Bawnboy Festival runs in August for one week, over the duration of the week there are family activities. This includes pastimes such as family skittles and car treasure hunt. One of the more well-known pursuits is the boat trip to St. Mogues Island which runs for two days, usually the Wednesday and Thursday of the week. On the Sunday, there is a village fair. This usually has a vintage car show, jam testing, fancy dress contest and numerous stalls which sell cakes and other objects.
First Farming Society
The earliest Farming Society founded in County Cavan was in Bawnboy in 1800. Sir Charles Coote in his ‘Statistical Survey of County Cavan’, 1801, page 289 writes: Coote also says on page 125: And on page 138: The Mr.Sneyd referred to was Nathaniel Sneyd, a Member of Parliament for County Cavan from 1800-1826 and married to a Miss Montgomery of Ballyconnell. The Enery's of Bawnboy were his in-laws.
Services and infrastructure
The Garda station closed at the end of January 2013. The village is situated on the N87 road and the L1037 road.
