The Area

The Hill of Tara is located in County Meath, in the province of Leinster. Meath is rich in Irish mythology, heritage and plays host to some of the most beautiful rural landscapes on the Emerald Isle. Located in the heart of The Boyne Valley

there are a wealth of sites to visit that are steeped in history and linked to The Hill of Tara.

In 1849 William Wilde, father of Oscar Wilde, wrote of The Boyne that the history of Ireland may be traced through its monuments. This remains true today. Moreover, its sites and monuments are amongst the best examples of their kind in Europe and are all within a short distance of each other.

The River Boyne is the pricipal waterway in Leinster, the most easterly of the Irish provinces. The river rises at Trinity Well, near Cadbury Co Kildare and meanders slowly north-eastwards through the fertile and gentle plains of Co Meath before entering the Irish Sea at Drogheda.  There is a long history of continuous settlement along the banks of The Boyne – stretching back over five thousand years.

Follow the Boyne Valley route to trace  the footsteps and delve in to the history of the people who have gone before us and carved this beautiful landscape.

 

Begin your route in Drogheda at Millmount Museum and Martello Tower

 

This castle formed part of the defences of the town during Cromwell’s siege of Drogheda in 1649. The garrison were massacred when they surrendered to Parliamentarian troops on September 11th, 1649. In the early 1800′s the earlier fortifications were demolished and replaced by a Martello tower as part of a series of defences erected along the Irish Coast by teh British in expectation of an invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte. Millmount Museum houses various exhibitions dealing with archaeology, folk life and local history. The museum also houses one of the four surviving examples of an ancient type of fishing vessel called a “coracle” which was once a common sight on the River Boyne.

More recently, the fort at Millmount was damaged during the Irish Civil War (1922- 1923) when it was occupied by the Anti Treaty forces and was shelled for several hours by the Irish Free State Army. It was restored by Drogheda Corporation and re-opened in 2000.

 

 

From The Martello Tower continue to the town centre on West Street to St Peter’s Church

 

Constructed in 1791, St Peter’s Church is one of the most notable buildings in Drogheda. The present building was built in the 1880′s and incorporates part of the earlier structure.  The style is Gothic revival and is built of local limestone. The interior of the church is lavishly decorated. The west transept of the church contains a special chapel which houses the preserved head of St Oliver Plunkett (1625 – 1681), the last catholic martyr to die in England.

Born in 1625 at Loughcrew near Oldcastle, Co Meath, he was sent to be educated by the Jesuits in the newly established Irish College in Rome where he was ordained.  In 1669 Oliver Plunkett was appointed Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland.  He was arrested in Dublin in 1679 on trumped up charges of plotting to bring a French army in to the country and of organising Irishmen for rebellion.  An initial trial in Dundalk collapsed in 1680. He was then transferred to England where despite several petitons, he was found gulity of high treason. On the first of July 1681, Oliver Plunkett was hanged, disembowelled and quatered at Tyburn, England. His remains were recovered immediately after the execution and were eventually entrusted to the Sienna Nuns of the Dominican Convent in Drogheda. They are permanently on view in St Peter’s Church as is the door from his cell at Newgate in London. St Oliver Plunkett was beatified in 1920 and canonised in 1975 by Pope Paul VI. He was the first Irish saint for more than 700 years. St Malachy, founder of the Cistercial Abbey at Mellifont, was canonised in 1199.

 

From Drogheda head to Beaulieu House and Gardens

 

Beaulieu house is situated on the north bank of the river Boyne between Drogheda and the Irish Sea. The estate was originally by the St Oliver branch of the Plunkett family and was aquired about 1650 by Sir Henry Tichbourne, who was Marshall of the Army in Ireland and Governor General of Drogheda at the time of the Restoration of Charles II

Beaulieu House was turned in to the house we know today by the Tichbournes in the mid 17th century and early 18th century and has remained largely unchanged since. Originally a stone Plunkett Caslte, the present structure is a mixture of stone and brick which was rendered in the late 19th century, leaving exposed the Dutch brick surrounds to windows and doors. The Dutch style in unique in Ireland.

The walled garden is believed to be designed by Dutch artist Willem Van De Hargen, who settled in Ireland in the 1720′s and is one of the earliest examples of a walled garden in Ireland.

Gabriel DeFreitas, the current owner of Beaulieu House is a tenth generation descendant of Henry Tichbourne. There is a museum on site which displays a collection of classic racing cars and memorabilia. Guided tours of the house, four acre walled garden and museum are available.  Gabriel DeFreitas had a very successful career in motor racing in the 1960′s and 1970′s under the name of Gabriel Konig.

From Beaulieu head to The Battle of The Boyne Visitor Centre

 

The Battle of The Boyne was fought between King William III and his father in law King James II on 1st July 1690. The kings were rival claimants to the English, Scottish and Irish thrones. Protestant King William had deposed Catholic King James in 1688.

Williams army numbered some 36,000 and were known as Williamites. They were made up of English, Irish, Scottish, Dutch, Danish and Huguenots. The opposing army – Jacobites – were mainly Irish Catholics reinforced by some 6500 French troops sent by King Louis XIV.

The Jacobites chose the River Boyne as the best defence against the Williamites progress south towards Dublin. Drogheda was garrisoned and a force of 25000 men were positioned at Oldbridge, the most likely crossing point. The armies camped on opposite sides of the river.

Williams plan outsmarted James and William’s victory at The Battle of the Boyne was the turning point in James’s unsuccessful attempt to regain the Crown and ultimately ensured the continuation of protestant supremacy in Ireland. Of the 61,000 men that fought in the battle, a relatively small number were killed, 1,000 Jacobites and 500 Wiliamites.

The Battle of The Boyne Visitor Centre is located in the recently restored 18th Century Oldbridge House, which is on the battle sight. There is an excellent interpretive centre there where they do live re-enactments on horseback.

 

From Oldbridge, head to Mellifont Abbey on the banks of the River Mattock

 

Mellifont Abbey was one of the wealthiest and most influential monastic houses in medieval Ireland and is situated on a tranquil stretch of the River Mattock, a tributary of The River Boyne. The Abbey gets its name from the Latin Font Mellis – or fountain of honey. Mellifont Abbey was founded in 1142 on lands granted by Donagh O’Carroll, King of Oriel. It was founded by St Malachy Archbishop of Armagh with a community of Irish and French Monks.

It was the first Cistercian Monastery founded in Ireland.