Free Guide - Discover Ireland

Navan
Situated in the heart of the Boyne Valley,
Navan is an ideal base from which to
explore the nearby attractions of Brú ná
Bóinne, the Hill of Tara, and the historic
towns of Kells and Trim
The burgeoning town of Navan lies at the confluence of the rivers
Boyne and Blackwater. It is the county town, or administrative capital,
of Co. Meath. The name Navan has long confused etymologists. It is
thought that it may take its name from the Irish An Uaimh, meaning
‘the cave’ or perhaps from Nuachongbhail, meaning ‘new habitation’.
Navan lies at the confluence of the rivers
Boyne and Blackwater which has long been
a site of strategic importance. A burial site
close to where the two rivers meet has
been identified as Dún Dubchomair, where
a Viking fleet is reputed to have landed.
The Anglo-Normans also recognised the
importance of this location and around
1185 Joselyn de Angulo converted a
nearby glacial mound into a motte and
bailey castle. Legend tells that this mound
was the burial site of Odhbha, the wife of
Éremón, a Milesian invader from Spain
(see Myths & Legends, p. 38). In the later
medieval period Navan was a walled town
and, like Trim, was an outpost of The Pale.
36 FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO WWW.DISCOVERIRELAND.IE/BOYNEVALLEY
The ruins of Athlumney Castle facing
Navan across the Boyne are located a
short distance from the town. It consists
of two distinct buildings; an original tower
house built in the 15th century and a Tudor
mansion built around 1600. The house was
burned by the Maguire’s in 1649 rather
than allow Oliver Cromwell shelter within
its walls.
Navan is famous for being the birthplace
of Francis Beaufort (1774 - 1857), who
developed the Beaufort Scale of wind
force. In 1805 Commander (later Admiral)
Beaufort published a method of measuring
the wind at sea based on the sails a frigate