New ‘Boyne Walk’ Tourism Project could develop scores of Jobs in Meath – Cllr Tóibín

Sinn Féin Councillor Peadar Tóibín successfully passed a motion at Navan Town Council this week which proposed that a new walk encompassing the full length of the river Boyne be developed by Meath Tourism. Cllr Tóibín who is also a director on the board of Meath Tourism said that ‘ In recent years there has been phenomenal growth in Tourist interest in historical or cultural walks around the world. The El Comino de Santiago de Compostela and the Inca trail are two such walks. Hundreds of thousands of people flock to these areas every year to undertake these walks. I believe that we can develop the river Boyne into one such trail’.

‘Now I agree that the Boyne does not have the scenery of the Inca Trail however the Boyne is lined with many of the finest historical monuments in all of Ireland. The Boyne is blessed with Trim Castle, Bective Abbey, the Hill of Tara, Donaghmore , Slane Castle, the Hill of Slane, Newgrange and the other Brú na Bóinne monuments, the Battle of the Boyne, Townley Hall, and Drogheda. Other than these famous sites the river is also lined with dozens of less significant historical sites and beauty spots such as Holy Wells, Standing Stones, Stately Manors, Old Bridges, Old Church Yards and Old Mills. Already educationalists from a North American University have contacted me to ascertain when they can undertake this walk. What we are looking at developing here is an internationally recognised tourist product’.

Meath Sinn Fein believes that the development of such a walk would create scores of jobs in Meath. ‘One of the difficulties which has been faced by the tourist industry in Meath has been the fact that visitors don’t often stay many nights in the county. Often visitors see Meath’s treasures as a day trip. Our proposed Boyne walk would be 70 miles long in total. This would make a number of overnight stays in the county a necessity for either the full walk or major sections of the walk. This would greatly increase the demand for hotel and B&B rooms, it would increase usage of restaurant facilities, tourism supply shops and prospective activity centres’.

In response to Cllr Tóibín’s motion the Navan Area Manager said that the Boyne Walk would be a very positive development in the county. He said that the council would look favourably on sourcing the necessary investment. Cllr Tóibín stated that similar walks in the country had received funding from Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Arts, Tourism and Sports. We should also request that Meath County Council and Meath Tourism come on board in relation to the financing, planning and development. Much of the walk has already been made fit for walking. Good work has been carried out at the Ramparts from Navan to Stackallen, sections around Trim, Drogheda and Brú na Bóinne. I believe that completion of the rest of the river would be a great boost to the Tourism industry in Meath.