Bridge

The National Monuments Service's description

This bridge crosses a SSE-NNW section of the River Boyne, which here is c. 80m wide. The only bridge crossing the Boyne in the vicinity of Navan in the thirteenth century was Babe’s Bridge (ME025-017----) c. 3km downstream from the town, but this was described as ruinous in 1463 and may have fallen beyond repair after that. The earliest reference to Kilcarn bridge is in 1599 and it is represented on the Down Survey (1656-8) barony map of Navan, but the bridge may have been built c. 1550 on the main road between Navan and Dunshaughlin and Dublin.
The bridge has eleven rounded arches, four at the centre that take the river being described as wider (Wth 20-22 feet) than three narrower arches (Wth 10-12 feet) on the E and four on the W banks. The downstream or N cutwaters are triangular and one is brought to the parapet to provide a refuge for pedestrians. The original cutwaters on the S side cannot be examined because the original bridge (Wth 3.6m) was expanded in width (2.7m) on that side. Wicker-centring was noted on the third arch from the E in 1984 (SMR file). The bridge was closed to vehicles in 1977 and conserved (E004769) under the archaeological supervision of N. Brady in 2016 when concrete girdles were placed around the river piers (excavations.ie 2016: 379; 2016:860). During this work it was discovered that the piers were built directly on raised veins of bedrock, and that the wider arches in the river are a re-design as the original arches were narrower. Since 2016 the bridge is normally accessible to pedestrians. Archaeological testing (19E0514) by M. F. Hurly (2019) c. 10m to the N on the W bank produced no related material. (Simington and O’Keeffe 1991, 180-3)

The linked image was taken on 10 March 2014.

Compiled by: Paul Walsh

Date of upload: 3 April 2014
Amended: 29 March 2023

Hurley, M. F. 2019 Archaeological Monitoring in the Townland of Athlumeny, Co. Meath. Licence: 19E0514. Unpublished report, Author

References

Moore, M. 1987 Archaeological inventory of county Meath. Dublin. Stationery Office.

Cal. S.P. Ire. - Calendar of the state papers relating to Ireland, 1509-1670 [etc.] (24 vols., London 1860-1911).

Simington, T. and O'Keeffe, P. 1991 Irish stone bridges: history and heritage. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.