placenamesCross Keys
Carraig an Tobair
School consolidation, the formation of Denn GFC and a community mural trace changes in this Cavan village.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Carraig an Tobair · Irish · main form · validated name
- Cross Keys · English · main form
- Crosskeys · English · main form · local name
Place & story
A parish school at Crosskeys
Crosskeys National School opened in 1978, replacing several smaller schools in the parish of Denn. The school’s own account places it in the rural village between Cavan town and Ballyjamesduff. This consolidation brought together children from a wider parish catchment at Carrickatober; the school continued as a mixed Catholic primary school under the patronage of the Bishop of Kilmore. [2]
The formation of Denn GFC
Crosskeys and Drumavaddy St Matthew’s combined to form Denn GFC in 1969, following a meeting at the end of 1968. In its fortieth-anniversary notes, the club recalled its first county-board competition victory in the league in 1982 and its first championship success in 1984. St Matthew’s Park at Crosskeys subsequently underwent substantial redevelopment: Cavan GAA’s 2019 announcement scheduled the opening of a new pitch, stand and dressing rooms during the club’s fiftieth year. [3] [4]
Memories made into a mural
Denn Development Association gathered local memories and stories at a community heritage event in July 2024, supported by Creative Ireland. Artist Collette Kearney worked with this material, alongside the area’s history and geography, on a townland and heritage mural in 2025. The project gave residents’ recollections a public visual form, linking the names and landscapes of the surrounding district with Crosskeys’ community life. [5]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Cavan
- Barony
- Loughtee Upper
- Civil parish
- Denn
- Within
- Carrickatober
- Coordinates
- 53.92010, -7.26934 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 127328 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Cross Keys. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Crosskeys National School: welcome and school history · Crosskeys National School
- Denn GFC Club Notes, 22 December 2009 · Denn GFC, published by Hogan Stand
- Denn GAA: Official Pitch Opening, 13 April 2019 · Cavan GAA
- Townland and Heritage Mural: Crosskeys, 2025 · Creative Ireland / Cavan local authority
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2026-05-28. How this page was prepared.