Local Attractions
Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth
These great Megalithic Stone-Age Passage graves date back to the Neolithic period, they are just over 5,000 years old and are located 4km east of Slane Village.
The three tombs dominate a long low ridge above the River Boyne. Cremated human bones and personal ornaments such as pendants, beads and pins have been found within the structures.
Both Newgrange and Knowth have undergone extensive excavations and are open to the public through Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre.
Slane Castle
Slane Castle founded by the Norman family of Fleming in the 12th century and retained by them until 1641.
It eventually came into the possession of the Conyngham family from Mountcharles in Donegal, in which family the title remains. The castle is situated on the banks of the River Boyne and nowadays is a major venue for rock concerts.
Old Mellifont Abbey
Old Mellifont the first Cistercian Abbey in Ireland founded in 1142 by St. Malachy Archbishop of Armagh . It's consecration in 1157 was famously known to be one of the last great gatherings of the native Irish Celtic Clans, because just 12 years later the Anglo Norman invasion of Ireland began. The abbey was closed in 1539 because of the disillusionment of monasteries by King Henry the 8th of England .
Monasterboice
Monasterboice lies just a few miles north of Drogheda and is traditionally thought to have been founded by St. Buite in the 8th century and it was a famous centre of learning.
Monasterboice is most famous for it's spectacular high crosses, especially the Cross of Muireadach, which features many detailed scenes from the Bible, the crosses stand in the shadow of a magnificent Round Tower , one of the few surviving examples left in the Boyne Valley area.
River Boyne
In his book The Beauties of the Boyne and the Blackwater, Sir William Wilde describes the Boyne as follows; Among the many scenes of beauty and of interest with which this fair island abounds, we know of none which combines such variety of the former or so many objects of the latter as the "pleasant Boyne " .
From it's source near Carbury, Co Kildare, this famous river winds it's seventy miles, through Trim, Bective, Navan, Slane, Newgrange and enters the sea beyond Drogheda at Mornington Co. Meath. Along its banks are the passage graves of Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth and many Christian sites including, Bective Abbey and the Hill of Slane.
There are also a number of castles and fortresses including Trim castle which is the largest Norman castle in Ireland . Slane castle splendidly sited on the riverbank was the only castle to be fully occupied as a family home until 1991 when it was badly damaged by fire; it has now been restored to its former glory.
The Boyne Canal was completed in 1789 and its purpose was to link the port of Drogheda with the inland town of Navan . Sadly it has been derelict since the 1920s, however, it affords one of the loveliest riverside walks in Ireland with some spectacular views.
n July 1690 the Stuart King James II and the Netherlands Prince, William of Orange waged their famous Battle of the Boyne , which has had ramifications for this island to the present day.
Hill of Slane
The Hill of Slane is an impressive site that towers 158 metres above the surrounding area. From this beautiful hill magnificent views of the Boyne Valley and beyond are afforded on a clear day. Eastwards are the Neolithic mounds of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, the town of Drogheda and the Irish Sea, while the view northwards extends as far as the Mourne Mountains in County Down and southwards as far as Wicklow and west to the midlands.
In Christian history the Hill became established as the place where St. Patrick lit the first Paschal Fire in direct defiance of the pagan kings at nearby Tara . Patrick's first convert Erc, became the first bishop of Slane. Whatever early buildings were on Slane Hill have disappeared and the present buildings of a church and college date from the Restoration of 1512.
The first monks to occupy the college were the Franciscans and later in 1631 the Capuchins came but within twenty years they were expelled by Cromwell.
There is a motte which stands on the western side of the Hill, shielded from view by trees, it is possibly Norman in origin.
There is an interesting story concerning a certain Dagobert II, heir to the throne of a kingdom called Austrasie in eastern Gaul ( France ) who was exiled to Ireland after his father's death in 656 AD. Dagobert is said to have grown into a man at the "Monastery of Slane"
