Boyne Navigation

The Boyne Navigation is a series of canals running 31 km (19 mi) roughly parallel to the River Boyne from Oldbridge to Navan in County Meath, in Ireland. The navigation was once used by horse drawn boats travelling between Navan, Slane and the port of Drogheda; however is now derelict. The Boyne Navigation branch of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland are restoring the navigation to a usable waterway.

History

The Boyne Navigation comprise of two sections; the Lower Navigation from Drogheda, near mouth of the Boyne, to Slane and the Upper Navigation is from Slane to Navan. The navigation channel is partly the river itself and partly stretches of canal, mostly on the south side of the river. The route uses the river exclusively below Oldbridge while the Upper Navigation is mostly canal.Cite journal | last = Wheeler | first = Ed | year = 2005 | title = Restoring the Boyne | journal = Inland Waterways News | volume = 32 | issue = 2 | pages = 20–25 | publisher = Inland Waterways Association of Ireland | location = Ireland | issn = 1649-1696 | url = http://iwn.iwai.ie/v32i2/index.shtml#features | format = PDF | accessdate = 2007-10-08 ] Cite map | publisher = Ordnance Survey Ireland | title = No. 42 – Meath Westmeath | series = Discovery Series | scale = 1 : 50,000 | edition = 1st | year = 1997 | isbn = 1-901496-06-6 ] Cite map | publisher = Ordnance Survey Ireland | title = No. 43 – Dublin Louth Meath | series = Discovery Series | scale = 1 : 50,000 | edition = 2nd | year = 2000 | isbn = 1-901496-82-1 ]

The designers intended that the navigation continue upstream along the Boyne to Trim where it could connect with the Royal Canal. The section from Navan to Trim was never built and the Boyne Navigation remains disconnected from other inland waterways in Ireland. The Boyne Navigation Company began work on on the lower section of the navigation from the sea lock at Oldbridge to Slane in 1748cite web | url = http://www.antaisce.org/property/boyne-navigation-and-tow-path | title = Boyne Navigation and Tow Path | accessdate = 2007-10-12 | publisher = An Taisce ] and was completed in the 1760s. The upper section from Slane to Navan was completed in 1800. The main cargo on the navigation was grain and flour between the mills on the river and the port of Drogheda and coal in the other direction. At four places along the route the towpath switches from one side of the river to the other. Where this happened the horse would step onto the barge while it was poled across to the other side.cite book | author = Trench, C.E.F.| year=1995 | title=Slane | publisher=An Taisce - the National Trust for Ireland | id=ISBN 0-903693-09-7]

David Jebb was the engineer in charge of the construction. Jebb himself built a flour mill at Slane in 1766 to take advantage of the navigation that he had recently completed that far. When opened it was the largest mill of its kind in Ireland.

Economics

The navigation was never a commercial success, however it did expand the local economy by making it easier to transport agricultural goods from inland County Meath to market. The total cost to build the navigation was £190,000 (in pounds sterling) of which £30,000 was private contributions the remainder being public funds. cite book | last = Coyne | first = William P. | title = Ireland: Industrial and Agricultural | origyear = 1902 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=WAUtAAAAMAAJ | accessdate = 2007-10-09 | publisher = Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland. Printed by Browne and Nolan. Ltd. | location = Dublin | pages = 118 ] In the financial year ending in April 1844 income for the navigation was £734.12s.4d. and expenses were £460.6s.9d (both in pounds, shillings and pence).cite book | last = Lewis Smyth | first = George | title = Ireland: Historical and Statistical | origyear = 1847 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=uW8CAAAAMAAJ | accessdate = 2007-10-09 | edition = Vol. II. | publisher = Whittaker and Co. | location = London | pages = 299-300 ]

Navigation

Boats with a draught of 1.4 m (4 ft 8 in) in the winter and 1.1 m (3 ft 6 in) in the summer could travel the navigation in the winter. Low water in the summer and during low tides meant that the Boyne Navigation was not always navigable. The journey from Drogheda to Slane took 7 hours in summer and 6 hours in the winter. Slane to Navan took 4 hours in the summer and 9 in the winter. In 1847 the toll to travel the lower section was 1¼ d. per ton per mile and 2 d. per ton per mile on the upper section. Boat owners would charge 3 s. per ton to carry freight from Drogheda to Slane and 4 s. 6 d. per ton from Drogheda to Navan.

Current status

The canals passed into private ownership in 1915 and over the next ten years fell into disrepair. An Taisce purchased the navigation rights to the canal from the Navan baker John Spicer & Co. for one Irish pound in 1969. An Taisce also own most of towpaths and adjoining lands however there is no public access on a section of the Lower Navigation from Rosnaree Lock to Roughgrange. A number of sections of the towpath are maintained as walking paths, particularly the section from Stackallan Bridge to Navan. Currently, all restoration efforts are concentrated on the first section of navigation, from the sea lock at Oldbridge, to above the Horse Bridge. When complete, this will allow passage of boats from Drogheda as far upstream as Newgrange.

ee also

*Canals of Ireland

References

External links

* [http://www.antaisce.org/property/boyne-navigation-and-tow-path An Taisce - Boyne Navigation and Tow Path]
* [http://boyne.iwai.ie Inland Waterways Association of Ireland - Boyne Navigation branch]