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Ballyjamesduff —County Cavan

Ballyjamesduff - the name probably comes from the Irish Béal atha a' seiscinn duibh, or the mouth of the ford of the black marsh - grew up as a coaching stop on the old Dublin to Cavan road. Its long, wide main street dates from that time. The route of the road was changed in 1820 and Ballyjamesduff became something of a quiet backwater. It still attracted visitors, including a young engineer called Percy French who was working in Cavan. Some of his friends challenged him to write a song about the place. The result was 'Come Back Paddy Reilly to Ballyjamesduff.' This put the town on the map of the musical world. Paddy Reilly is reputed to have been one of Percy French's favourite jarvies or horse drivers in the area.
Since 1996 the town has been the location of Cavan's County Museum . It is housed in a convent built in the early 1880s for the Poor Clare Order of nuns. Derrylea, two miles west of Ballyjamesduff, was the birthplace of Marcus Daly (1840-1900), the 'Copper king' of Montana, who was one of the richest men in the United States at the time of his death.