Horse Bridge - Stone Bridges on Waymarking.com

The country through which it flows is very attractive and unspoiled. The Boyne Navigation Canal has been abandoned since the 1920s.

The Boyne Navigation Canal connected Navan with the port of Drogheda and the sea. Never a commercial success, it nevertheless played an important part in the history and commercial life of County Meath. In its heyday, it helped expand the local economy by bringing the fertile lands of inland Meath closer to their markets. The main cargos were coal, grain and flour between the mills along the river and Drogheda. The system is divided into the Lower Boyne, from Drogheda to Carrick Dexter lock just above Slane, and the Upper Boyne, from there to Navan.

The Boyne Navigation Canal was conceived in the early years of the eighteenth century and work started after the completion of the Newry canal. It commenced in 1748 with the construction of a sea-lock at Oldbridge and the Lower Boyne section was Completed in the 1760s, just in time for the opening of the mill at Slane owned by David Jebb, the engineer in charge of the construction of the navigation! The final section, from Slane to Navan, opened in 1800. The distance along The Boyne Navigation Canal from Drogheda to Navan is almost 19 miles. The river itself formed part of the waterway in between a series of weirs, although most of the navigation was in canal.

There are guard locks located at or near the upstream junctions of the canal with the river to protect against flooding. Another complication was the tidal nature of the river upstream as far as Oldbridge Upper, over three miles above Drogheda. Below the sea-lock at Oldbridge Lower, the navigation is subject to tidal rise and fall as well as river flow. This would have imposed a time window on traffic to and from Drogheda.

After a brief Edwardian revival under the chairmanship of Jamesy McCann MP, when it focused on tourism in coordination with the railways, the navigation eventually succumbed to competition from roads and railways. For the last years of its operation, it was owned by John Spicer & Co, who stopped using it in the early 1920s.

An Taisce bought it from Spicers for £1 in 1969. While An Taisce owns much of the towpath and adjacent lands and cottages, some is in private ownership. However, the rights and responsibility for the entirety of the Boyne navigation rest with An Taisce.

Most of the canal stretches are on the south side of the river but several short sections were built on the opposite side. This meant a barge and its towing horse had to cross the river four times in a voyage between Drogheda and Navan. This was done by the interesting expedient of persuading the horse to board the barge and then poling it across the river, or, more likely, pulling it across with ropes which would have been left in place for the purpose. Owing to high water levels, the river could not be used in the winter months or during floods. During the summer, it was sometimes too shallow in places. This would have reduced the commercial viability of the system.

Physical Location (city, county, etc.): River Boyne Walkway Road, Highway, Street, etc.: Walkway Water or other terrain spanned: Boyne Canal Architect/Builder: Not listed Construction Date: Not listed

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