The Modern Irish name An Uaimh is most likely derived from the prehistoric burial mound An Odhbha, named after Odhbha, the first wife of Érimón. It is likely the result of Odbha being later misunderstood and confused by locals with the similar sounding and much more familiar word uaimh, or uamha,[4] which also has a very similar meaning "cave, crypt or souterrain".[5] The Modern English name Navan is likely either an anglicisation of An Uaimh, which was often written and pronounced An Uamhainn, or of An Odhbha(n).[6][7] An Uaimh was the town's sole official name from the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922 until 1970 when it was changed to Navan.[8] Since the Official Languages Act 2003 both the Irish and English name have had equal status, as in the rest of the country.[9]
History
Prehistory
An Odhbha
Originally An Odhbha was probably a prehistoric tumulus, one of many in the Boyne Valley.[7]
Roman Artefacts
A small Roman copper alloy figure was found in the River Boyne near Navan. The figurine most likely represents a Lar, a Roman deity believed to protect the household. It is likely that the figure was placed in the river as a votive offering as in Irish mythology the river was considered divine and to have been created by the goddess Boann (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]
Inside the town walls, Navan consisted of three streets. These were Trimgate Street, Watergate St. and Ludlow St. (which was once called Dublingate St.) 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 office 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]
Map of NavanFormer Post Office converted to a McDonalds
Bus transport
Navan is served by several bus routes. The town has no central bus station.
Since 2020, there are two town bus routes operated by Bus Éireann, the N1 and N2.[18]
N1 runs from Commons Road to Kilcarn Bridge, serving the town centre and areas of the town east of the Boyne River.
N2 runs from Commons Road to Aisling Place, serving the town centre and areas north of the Boyne and Blackwater Rivers.[19]
Navan is also served by long distance bus routes. Several are operated by Bus Éireann including the 109 and its variants 109A and 109X, which run to Dublin.[20] Bus Éireann also runs the commercial NX express service to Navan.[21]
Navan and the surrounding area has a number of primary schools, including the town's Catholic boys' primary school Scoil Mhuire, which was originally run by the De La Salle Brothers. Pierce Brosnan is a former pupil of St. Anne's Loreto, which is situated beside St. Mary's Catholic Church and near to 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 only gaelscoil. The town's only Church 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-denominational Educate Together primary school in the town, sited at Commons Road.
Demographics
Historical population
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.[27]
Parkvilla Football Club[28] was founded in 1966 and currently plays in North East Football league Premier Division and their reserve team competes in Division 3B.
Rugby
Navan R.F.C. currently compete in the All Ireland League (AIL) Division 2A.
Cricket
Knockharley Cricket Club was founded in 1982 and are the only cricket club in County 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
Public art and sculptures in Navan include Sniomh, by Betty Newman Maguire, which sits in front of Navan Fire Station.[29] This sculpture is reputedly inspired by the movement of water and the merging of the rivers Boyne and Blackwater.[citation needed]
Another public sculpture, The Fifth Province by Richard King, is located on the Navan Bypass.[30] 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.[31] 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,"[32] Objections to the statue delayed its erection by 8 years.[33]
Folklore
According to local folklore a Souterrain was discovered near the Navan Viaduct in 1848. The location of its entrance has since been lost.[34]
Another folk tale involves the ghost of Francis 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.[35]
^Crinion, Mairéad (2013). "Navan's Roman Artefacts and W.F. Wakeman". Navan - its People and its Past. Vol. 2. Navan & District Historical Society. pp. 175–179. ISBN9780957120617.
^"Trimgate Street". www.navanhistory.ie. Navan & District Historical Society. Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
^"Smith Duff appointed". Drogheda Independent. Independent Newspapers (Ireland). 15 June 2001. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2007.
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