Navan, Co. Meath, sits where the Boyne and Blackwater rivers meet, on the main routeway between Dublin and Kells. The present landscape may have changed little over the millennia, and it is likely that the riverine confluence formed an important element of prehistoric geographies and travel routes.

 

Navan is a very good example of a small medieval town and was one of the most important settlements in Meath in the Middle Ages, largely owing to its command of crossing-points on the Boyne and the Blackwater. Although some historians have derived the origins of the modern name Navan from an Uaimh or ‘the cave’, this appears to be a corruption of the earlier name Nuachongbhail, ‘new holding’.

 

This guide takes the reader through the development of Navan from the Early Christian period through the Viking age and up to it becoming a medieval stronghold and walled town.

 

The production of this guide is supported by Creative Ireland Meath as part of the Creative Ireland Programme 2017–2022 in partnership with Meath County Council.

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