River Boyne
For the Canadian rivers, see Boyne River (Ontario).The
River Boyne is a river in
Leinster,
Ireland, the course of which is about 112
kilometres (70
miles) long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newbury Hall, near
Carbury,
County Kildare, and flows towards the Northeast through
County Meath to reach the
Irish Sea at
Drogheda.
Salmon and
trout can be caught in the river, which is surrounded by the
Boyne Valley. It is crossed just west of Drogheda by the
Boyne River Bridge that carries the
M1 motorway and by the
Boyne Viaduct that carries the
Dublin-
Belfast railway line to the east.
Despite its short course, the Boyne has historical, archaeological and mythical connotations. It passes near the ancient city of
Trim,
Trim Castle, the
Hill of Tara (the ancient capital of the High King of Ireland),
Navan, the Hill of
Slane,
Brú na Bóinne (an archaeological site),
Mellifont Abbey, and the mediaeval city of Drogheda. In the Boyne Valley can also be found other historical and archaeological monuments, like Loughcrew,
Kells, Celtic crosses, castles, and more. The
Battle of the Boyne, a major battle in
Irish History, took place along the Boyne near
Drogheda in
1690 during the
Williamite war in Ireland.
This river has been known since ancient times. The Greek geographer
Ptolemy drew a map of Ireland in the
2nd century which included the Boyne, which he called Bovinda, and somewhat later
Giraldus Cambrensis called it Boandus. Referring to legendary stories, it was in this river where
Fionn mac Cumhail captured Fiontán, the Salmon of Knowledge. It was also said that the river was named after the
goddess Boann ('queen' or 'goddess'), according to F. Dinneen, lexicographer of the Irish Gaelic language, and Boyne is an anglicised form of the name.
The Boyne Navigation is a series of canals running roughly parallel to the main river from near Oldbridge to Navan. Owned by
An Taisce and currently derelict, the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland are restoring the navigation to navigable status.
There are a number of railway bridges and viaducts crossing the Boyne which are well known.
