Navan Irish:An Uaimh | |
|---|---|
 Market Square | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Navan Location in Ireland Show map of Ireland Navan Navan (Europe) Show map of Europe | |
| Coordinates:53°39′10″N6°40′53″W / 53.6528°N 6.6814°W /53.6528; -6.6814 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Meath |
| Dáil constituency | Meath West |
| Elevation | 42 m (138 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Rank | 9th |
| • Urban | 33,886 |
| Time zone | UTC±0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (IST) |
| Eircode routing key | C15 |
| Telephone area code | +353(0)46 |
| Website | www |
Navan (/ˈnævən/NAV-ən;Irish:An Uaimh[ənˠˈuəvʲ], meaning "the Cave")[2] is thecounty town and largest town ofCounty Meath,Ireland.[3] It is at theconfluence of theRiver Boyne andBlackwater, around 50 km northwest ofDublin. At the2022 census, it had a population of 33,886, making it thefourteenth largest settlement in all ofIreland.[1] The town is in acivil parish of the same name.[2]
TheModern Irish nameAn Uaimh is most likely derived from the prehistoric burial moundAn Odhbha, named after Odhbha, the first wife ofÉrimón. It is likely the result ofOdbha being later misunderstood and confused by locals with the similar sounding and much more familiar worduaimh, oruamha,[4] which also has a very similar meaning "cave, crypt or souterrain".[5] TheModern English name Navan is likely either ananglicisation ofAn Uaimh, which was often written and pronouncedAn Uamhainn, or ofAn Odhbha(n).[6][7]An Uaimh was the town's sole official name from the foundation of theIrish Free State in 1922 until 1970, when it was changed to Navan.[8] Since theOfficial Languages Act 2003, both the Irish and English names have had equal status, as in the rest of the State.[9]
OriginallyAn Odhbha was probably a prehistorictumulus, one of many in the Boyne Valley.[7]
A smallRoman copper alloy figure was found in the River Boyne near Navan. The figurine most likely represents aLar, a Roman deity believed to protect the household. It is likely that the figure was placed in the river as a votive offering as inIrish mythology the river was considered divine and to have been created by the goddessBoann (Bóinn in Modern Irish). This belief in the divinity of rivers was shared by the Romans. Two Roman coins have also been found in Navan.[10][11][12]
The town of Navan was founded by theNormans:Hugh de Lacy, who was granted theLordship of Meath in 1172, awarded theBarony of Navan to one of his knights,Jocelyn de Angulo, who built afort there, from which the town developed.[13]
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Inside the town walls, Navan consisted of three streets. These were Trimgate Street, Watergate Street and Ludlow Street (which was once called Dublingate Street). The orientation of the three original streets remains from the Middle Ages but the buildings date from the Victorian and Edwardian periods.
Navan Town Hall started life as the local bridewell in 1831 and only became a municipal facility in 1983.[14]
The town's Post Office on Trimgate Street was built in 1908 on the site of an earlier post office.[15][16] In 1990, the post office was relocated to Kennedy Road. The building of a new shopping centre re-oriented the town's centre. The onetime post office was acquired as the site of the town's first McDonald's restaurant.[17]
Navan railway station closed in 1958 meaning buses are the primary method of public transport in the town. Navan is served by several bus routes. The town has no central bus station.
Since 2025, there are two town bus routes operated byBus Éireann, the NV1 and the NV2.
Navan is also served by a number of otherBus Éireann operated PSO services. The primary of which is the NX service which provides an express service to Dublin City Centre and operates at a frequency of up to every 20 minutes. The 109 which serves a number of other towns in County Meath such as Kells and Dunshauglin, 109X Dublin to Cavan service and the 109A which provides a direct connection toDublin Airport also serve the town.
Sillan also serve the town.[19] Royal Breffni Tours provide services toDundalk Institute of Technology.[20] Streamline Coaches provide services to NUI Maynooth.[21]
Navan has a number of secondary schools, including privatedenominational and public inter-denominational and non-denominational.St. Patrick's Classical School is aRoman Catholic boys-only school.Loreto Secondary School, St. Michael's at the Loreto Convent, andSt. Joseph's Secondary School at theMercy Convent are both girls-only Roman Catholicconvent schools. Coláiste na Mí is aVEC-run school in Johnstown that opened in 2013. Beaufort College is a large state-owned inter-denominationalvocational school. The Abylity Secondary College was a parent-owned fee-paying non-denominational school.[22][23]
Navan and the surrounding area have a number of primary schools, including the town's Catholic boys' primary school, Scoil Mhuire, which was originally run by theDe La Salle Brothers.Pierce Brosnan is a former pupil of St. Anne's Loreto, which is situated besideSt. Mary's Catholic Church and near St. Joseph's Mercy. There are also St. Paul's, St. Stephen's, St. Ultan's, and St. Oliver's primary schools. Scoil Éanna is the town's onlygaelscoil. The town's onlyChurch of Ireland secondary school,Preston School, closed in the 1970s. It is now the site of the shopping centre in the town. There is a Church of Ireland primary school known as Flowerfield School, on the Trim Rd., a new site. It was originally situated at the Flowerfield area of the town, on the main thoroughfare to Drogheda, in a building that has been sympathetically converted into private accommodation. There is also a multi-denominationalEducate Together primary school in the town, sited at Commons Road.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1813 | 3,802 | — |
| 1821 | 3,500 | −7.9% |
| 1831 | 4,416 | +26.2% |
| 1841 | 5,628 | +27.4% |
| 1851 | 3,979 | −29.3% |
| 1861 | 3,865 | −2.9% |
| 1871 | 4,104 | +6.2% |
| 1881 | 3,873 | −5.6% |
| 1891 | 3,963 | +2.3% |
| 1901 | 3,839 | −3.1% |
| 1911 | 3,934 | +2.5% |
| 1926 | 3,652 | −7.2% |
| 1936 | 4,123 | +12.9% |
| 1946 | 4,102 | −0.5% |
| 1951 | 4,271 | +4.1% |
| 1956 | 4,813 | +12.7% |
| 1961 | 5,255 | +9.2% |
| 1966 | 5,907 | +12.4% |
| 1971 | 6,665 | +12.8% |
| 1981 | 11,136 | +67.1% |
| 1986 | 11,929 | +7.1% |
| 1991 | 11,706 | −1.9% |
| 1996 | 12,810 | +9.4% |
| 2002 | 19,417 | +51.6% |
| 2006 | 24,851 | +28.0% |
| 2011 | 28,559 | +14.9% |
| 2016 | 30,173 | +5.7% |
| 2022 | 33,886 | +12.3% |
In 2022, there were 33,707 people residing in Navan. In 2022, according to the CSO, the town is 64.2% White Irish and 1.9%Irish Traveller, 17.8% White of any other background, 3.9% Black, 4.1% Asian, 3.6% any other racial background, and 4.3% not stated.[24]
Navan has anoceanic climate (Köppen:Cfb).
| Climate data for Navan | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) | 8.3 (46.9) | 9.9 (49.8) | 12.2 (54.0) | 15.1 (59.2) | 17.7 (63.9) | 18.9 (66.0) | 18.5 (65.3) | 16.7 (62.1) | 13.5 (56.3) | 9.9 (49.8) | 8.0 (46.4) | 13.0 (55.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.3 (41.5) | 5.6 (42.1) | 6.7 (44.1) | 8.6 (47.5) | 11.5 (52.7) | 14.2 (57.6) | 15.6 (60.1) | 15.2 (59.4) | 13.5 (56.3) | 10.6 (51.1) | 7.5 (45.5) | 5.7 (42.3) | 10.0 (50.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.0 (37.4) | 3.0 (37.4) | 3.6 (38.5) | 5.0 (41.0) | 7.8 (46.0) | 10.5 (50.9) | 12.3 (54.1) | 12.0 (53.6) | 10.3 (50.5) | 7.9 (46.2) | 5.0 (41.0) | 3.5 (38.3) | 7.0 (44.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 65.8 (2.59) | 58.4 (2.30) | 59.4 (2.34) | 60.4 (2.38) | 73.2 (2.88) | 75.1 (2.96) | 78.1 (3.07) | 84.6 (3.33) | 69.5 (2.74) | 82.9 (3.26) | 78.9 (3.11) | 75.1 (2.96) | 861.4 (33.92) |
| Source: Weather.Directory[25] | |||||||||||||
Navan is home to severalGAA clubs, includingNavan O'Mahonys andSimonstown Gaels.
Páirc Tailteann is a stadium in Navan and is home of theMeathGaelic football andHurling teams
Parkvilla Football Club[26] was founded in 1966 and currently plays in North East Football league Premier Division and their reserve team competes in Division 3B.
Navan R.F.C. currently competes in the All Ireland League (AIL) Division 2A.
Knockharley Cricket Club was founded in 1982 and is the only cricket club inCounty Meath competing in the Leinster Cricket Union. The club's most recent success came in 2006 when the 1st XI won the Middle 2 Leinster Cup, defeating Mullingar at North Kildare.
Public art and sculptures in Navan includeSniomh, by Betty Newman Maguire, which sits in front of Navan Fire Station.[27] This sculpture is reputedly inspired by the movement of water and the merging of the riversBoyne and Blackwater.[citation needed]
Another public sculpture,The Fifth Province by Richard King, is located on the Navan Bypass.[28] This sculpture is composed of four branches and a central upright stem that symbolises the flowering of hope and peace.[citation needed]
The Bull, designed by sculptor Colin Grehan, is a prominent piece of public art. Situated in the market square of the town, this is a 16-tonne limestone statue of a bull being held back by two handlers and commemorates the historic bull markets that took place in the area.[29] The statue was surrounded by controversy over its cost, an estimated €90,000, and its location. Local man Paddy Pryle noted that "anybody coming up Timmons Hill, which is one of the main entrances into the town, will be entering Navan via the bull's arse. It is one of the most crazy things I have seen put up yet,"[30] Objections to the statue delayed its erection by 8 years.[31]
According to local folklore, aSouterrain was discovered near the Navan Viaduct in 1848. The location of its entrance has since been lost.[32]
Another folk tale involves the ghost ofFrancis Ledwidge. According to the story an old friend of Ludwidge was working at the Meath Chronicle, the local news printer, when he heard the sound of Ledwidge's motorcycle outside. His friend was confused as he believed Ledwidge was fighting on the Western Front; upon going out to greet him the friend found that Ledwidge had disappeared. The story claims that this ghostly apparition appeared at the same moment he died.[33]
In the Fenian cycle of Irish mythology,Fionn mac Cumhaill studied under the druid Finegas along the river Boyne. He is believed to have caught theSalmon of Knowledge[34] in what is now Navan.[citation needed]
Navan istwinned with the following places:
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Data from Wikidata| International | |
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| Geographic | |
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