View source for Navan

{{short description |Town in County Meath, Ireland}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                   = Navan
|native_name            = {{Irish place name|An Uaimh}}
|native_name_lang       = ga
|image_skyline          = MarketSquareNavan.JPG
|image_caption          = Market Square
| image_shield          = Navan Coat of Arms.png
| shield_size           = 150px
| mapsize               = 230px
| map_caption           = Location of Navan in Ireland
| pushpin_map           = Ireland#Europe
| pushpin_relief        = 1
|pushpin_label_position = right
|pushpin_map_caption    = Location in Ireland
|coordinates            = {{coord|53.6528|-6.6814|dim:100000_region:IE|display=inline,title}}
|subdivision_type       = [[List of Sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name       = [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
|subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces of Ireland|Province]]
|subdivision_type2      = [[Counties of Ireland|County]]
|subdivision_type3      = [[Dáil constituency]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Leinster]]
|subdivision_name2      = [[County Meath]]
|subdivision_name3      = [[Meath West (Dáil constituency)|Meath West]]
|unit_pref              = Metric
|elevation_m            = 42
|population_as_of       = [[2022 census of Ireland|2022]]
|population_footnotes   =<ref name="CSO 2022">{{cite web |url=https://data.cso.ie/table/F1013 |title=Census 2022 Profile 1 - Population Distribution and Movement |publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|Central Statistics Office]] |year=2022 |access-date=30 June 2023 }}</ref>
|population_rank        = [[List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland|9th]]
|population_blank1_title= Urban
|population_blank1      = 33,886
|website                = {{URL|www.meath.ie}}
|settlement_type   =
| area_code_type = [[Telephone numbers in the Republic of Ireland|Telephone area code]]
| area_code = +353(0)46
| postal_code_type        =[[Eircode]] routing key
| postal_code             =C15
|timezone                = [[Western European Time|WET]]
|utc_offset              = ±0
|timezone_DST            = [[Irish Standard Time|IST]]
|utc_offset_DST          = +1
}}

'''Navan''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|æ|v|ən}} {{respell|NAV|ən}}; {{Irish place name|An Uaimh}} {{IPA|ga|ənˠ ˈuəvʲ|}}, meaning "the Cave")<ref name=logainm>{{Cite web |title=An Uaimh/Navan |url=https://www.logainm.ie/en/37598 |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=logainm.ie |language=en}}</ref> is the [[county town]] and largest town of [[County Meath]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Navan {{!}} Meath County Council Online Consultation Portal |url=https://consult.meath.ie/ga/consultation/meath-draft-county-development-plan/chapter/navan |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=consult.meath.ie}}</ref>  It is at the [[confluence]] of the [[River Boyne]] and [[Leinster Blackwater|Blackwater]], around 50&nbsp;km northwest of [[Dublin]]. At the [[2022 census of Ireland|2022 census]], it had a population of 33,886, making it the [[List of settlements on the island of Ireland by population|fourteenth largest settlement]] in all of [[Ireland]].<ref name="CSO 2022" /> The town is in a [[Civil parishes in Ireland|civil parish]] of the same name.<ref name=logainm/>

==Etymology==
The [[Irish language|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,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (Ó Dónaill): uamha |url=https://www.teanglann.ie/en/fgb/uamha |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=www.teanglann.ie |language=en}}</ref>'' which also has a very similar meaning  "cave, crypt or souterrain"''.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (Ó Dónaill): uaimh |url=https://www.teanglann.ie/en/fgb/uaimh |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=www.teanglann.ie |language=en}}</ref> The [[English language|Modern English]] name Navan is likely either an [[Anglicisation of names|anglicisation]] of ''An Uaimh'', which was often written and pronounced ''An Uamhainn'', or of ''An Odhbha(n).''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Interpreting Irish Local Names (Origin of the name Navan) - Wonders of Ireland |url=https://www.libraryireland.com/Wonders/Irish-Local-Names-3.php |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=www.libraryireland.com}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Navan Historical Society - Navan and An Uaimh |url=http://www.navanhistory.ie/index.php?page=an-uaimh--its-origin |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=www.navanhistory.ie}}</ref> ''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.<ref name="SI200/19712">{{cite web |title=S.I. No. 200/1971:Local Government (Change of Name of Urban District) Order, 1971 |url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1971/en/si/0200.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407083331/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1971/en/si/0200.html |archive-date=7 April 2014 |access-date=2 April 2014}}</ref> Since the [[Official Languages Act 2003]], both the Irish and English names have had equal status, as in the rest of the State.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official Languages Act 2003 |url=https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2003/act/32/enacted/en/html |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=www.irishstatutebook.ie |language=en}}</ref>

==History==

=== Prehistory ===

==== ''An Odhbha'' ====
Originally ''An Odhbha'' was probably a prehistoric [[tumulus]], one of many in the Boyne Valley.<ref name=":1" />

===== Roman Artefacts =====
A small [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] copper alloy figure was found in the River Boyne near Navan. The figurine most likely represents a [[Lares|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roman Figurine from the Boyne Valley |url=https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collections-Research/Collection/Documentation-Discoveries/Artefact/A-Roman-Figurine-from-the-Boyne-Valley/e07e95d7-fe24-4332-bf29-c1040bef78cf |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=National Museum of Ireland |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Navan Historical Society - Roman Finds in Navan |url=http://www.navanhistory.ie/index.php?page=roman-statue |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=www.navanhistory.ie}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Crinion |first=Mairéad |title=Navan - its People and its Past |publisher=Navan & District Historical Society |year=2013 |isbn=9780957120617 |volume=2 |pages=175–179 |language=en |chapter=Navan's Roman Artefacts and W.F. Wakeman}}</ref>

=== Middle Ages ===
The town of Navan was founded by the [[Normans in Ireland|Normans]]: [[Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath|Hugh de Lacy]], who was granted the [[Lordship of Meath]] in 1172, awarded the [[Baron of Navan|Barony of Navan]] to one of his knights, [[Jocelyn de Angulo]], who built a [[fort]] there, from which the town developed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Settlers in Meath - Irish Pedigrees |url=https://www.libraryireland.com/Pedigrees1/new-settlers-meath.php |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=www.libraryireland.com}}</ref>[[File:"Street, Dublin City" .... is actually Navan (33043056506).jpg|thumb|left|Ludlow Street circa 1900–1939]]

Inside the town walls, Navan consisted of three streets. These were Trimgate Street, Watergate Street and Ludlow Street (which was once called Dublingate Street). The orientation of the three original streets remains from the Middle Ages but the buildings date from the Victorian and Edwardian periods.

=== More recent history ===
[[File:County Meath - Navan Town Hall - 20180709203701.jpg|thumb|[[Navan Town Hall]]]]
[[Navan Town Hall]] started life as the local bridewell in 1831 and only became a municipal facility in 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dia.ie/works/view/57864/building/CO.+MEATH%2C+NAVAN%2C+BRIDEWELL|title=County Meath, Navan, Bridewell|publisher=Dictionary of Irish Architects|access-date=25 October 2023}}</ref>

The town's Post Office on Trimgate Street was built in 1908 on the site of an earlier post office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navanhistory.ie/index.php?page=trimgate-street2|title=Trimgate Street|website=www.navanhistory.ie|publisher=Navan & District Historical Society|access-date=10 November 2019|archive-date=13 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191113194449/http://www.navanhistory.ie/index.php?page=trimgate-street2|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/14009481/mcdonalds-townparks-county-meath|title=McDonald's, Trimgate Street, TOWNPARKS, Navan, County Meath|website=www.buildingsofireland.ie|publisher=[[National Inventory of Architectural Heritage]]|access-date=10 November 2019|archive-date=10 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110223032/https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/14009481/mcdonalds-townparks-county-meath|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/14009481/navan-post-office-37-trimgate-street-townparks-navan-meath|title=Navan Post Office, 37 Trimgate Street, Townparks, Navan, Meath|publisher=National Inventory of Architectural Heritage| access-date=25 October 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Map of Navan.png|thumb|Map of Navan]]

[[File:Navan town Post Office located on Trimgate Street.jpg|thumb|upright|Former Post Office converted to a McDonalds]]

==Bus transport==
[[Navan railway station]] closed in 1958 meaning buses are the primary method of public transport in the town. Navan is served by several bus routes. The town has no central bus station. 

Since 2025, there are two town bus routes operated by [[Bus Éireann]], the NV1 and the NV2.

* NV1 runs from Gainstown to Dunville Road, serving the town centre and areas of the town east of the [[River Boyne|Boyne River]].
* NV2 runs from Gainstown to Belcourt, serving the town centre and areas north of the Boyne and Blackwater Rivers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Navan Town Bus Services |url=https://www.transportforireland.ie/plan-a-journey/network-maps/navan-town-bus-services/ |website=Transport for Ireland |access-date=15 December 2023}}</ref>

Navan is also served by a number of other [[Bus Éireann]] operated PSO services. The primary of which is the NX service which provides an express service to Dublin City Centre and operates at a frequency of up to every 20 minutes. The 109 which serves a number of other towns in County Meath such as Kells and Dunshauglin, 109X Dublin to Cavan service and the 109A which provides a direct connection to [[Dublin Airport]] also serve the town. 

Sillan also serve the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sillan.ie/index.php/bus-timetables|title=Bus Timetables - Sillan Coach Hire|website=sillan.ie|access-date=15 February 2013|archive-date=5 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905230441/http://www.sillan.ie/index.php/bus-timetables|url-status=live}}</ref> Royal Breffni Tours provide services to [[Dundalk Institute of Technology]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalbreffnitours.com/dundalk/|title=Royal Breffni Tours|website=Royal Breffni Tours|access-date=15 February 2013|archive-date=18 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618215506/http://www.royalbreffnitours.com/dundalk/|url-status=live}}</ref> Streamline Coaches provide services to NUI Maynooth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.streamlinecoaches.ie/timetables.asp|title=Streamline Coaches Luxury coach hire - Timetables|website=www.streamlinecoaches.ie|access-date=15 February 2013|archive-date=20 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120060938/http://www.streamlinecoaches.ie/timetables.asp|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Churchnavan.jpg|thumb|upright|[[St Mary's Church, Navan|St. Mary's Church]]]]
Navan has a number of secondary schools, including private [[denominational]] and public inter-denominational and non-denominational. [[St. Patrick's Classical School (Navan)|St. Patrick's Classical School]] is a [[Roman Catholic]] boys-only school. [[St. Michael's Loreto Secondary School (Navan)|Loreto Secondary School, St. Michael's]] at the Loreto Convent, and [[St. Joseph's Secondary School (Navan)|St. Joseph's Secondary School]] at the [[Sisters of Mercy|Mercy Convent]] are both girls-only Roman Catholic [[convent school]]s. Coláiste na Mí is a [[Vocational Education Committee|VEC]]-run school in Johnstown that opened in 2013. Beaufort College is a large state-owned inter-denominational [[Vocational education|vocational]] school. The Abylity Secondary College was a parent-owned fee-paying non-denominational school.<ref name="DoE2006">{{cite web
| url = http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/ppschools_epl.xls
| title = School Details for all open Post Primary Schools in Ireland
| access-date = 2 May 2007
| year = 2006
| format = XLS
| publisher = Department of Education and Science (Ireland)
| archive-date = 4 March 2006
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060304074031/http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/ppschools_epl.xls
| url-status = live
}}</ref><ref name="DroghedaIndependent15-06-01">
{{cite news
| title = Smith Duff appointed
| url = http://www.unison.ie/drogheda_independent/stories.php3?ca=41&si=456415&issue_id=4692
| work = Drogheda Independent
| publisher = Independent Newspapers (Ireland)
| date = 15 June 2001
| access-date = 2 May 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062350/http://www.unison.ie/drogheda_independent/stories.php3?ca=41&si=456415&issue_id=4692 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 4 March 2016}}</ref>

Navan and the surrounding area have 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 Church, Navan|St. Mary's Catholic Church]] and near 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, [[John Preston (Alderman)|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 populations
|state = collapsed
|1813|3802
|1821|3500
|1831|4416
|1841|5628
|1851|3979
|1861|3865
|1871|4104
|1881|3873
|1891|3963
|1901|3839
|1911|3934
|1926|3652
|1936|4123
|1946|4102
|1951|4271
|1956|4813
|1961|5255
|1966|5907
|1971|6665
|1981|11136
|1986|11929
|1991|11706
|1996|12810
|2002|19417
|2006|24851
|2011|28559
|2016|30173
|2022|33886}}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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Interactive Data Visualisations {{!}} CSO Ireland |url=https://visual.cso.ie/?body=entity/ima/cop/2022&boundary=C04160V04929&guid=d004028b-27d4-4fb4-a700-c0df6c49422d&theme=1 |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=visual.cso.ie}}</ref>

==Climate==
Navan has an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Cfb'').

{{Weather box
| width = auto
| location = Navan

| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| Jan mean C = 5.3
| Feb mean C = 5.6
| Mar mean C = 6.7
| Apr mean C = 8.6
| May mean C = 11.5
| Jun mean C = 14.2
| Jul mean C = 15.6
| Aug mean C = 15.2
| Sep mean C = 13.5
| Oct mean C = 10.6
| Nov mean C = 7.5
| Dec mean C = 5.7
| year mean C = 
| Jan high C = 7.6
| Feb high C = 8.3
| Mar high C = 9.9
| Apr high C = 12.2
| May high C = 15.1
| Jun high C = 17.7
| Jul high C = 18.9
| Aug high C = 18.5
| Sep high C = 16.7
| Oct high C = 13.5
| Nov high C = 9.9
| Dec high C = 8.0
| year high C = 
| Jan low C = 3.0
| Feb low C = 3.0
| Mar low C = 3.6
| Apr low C = 5.0
| May low C = 7.8
| Jun low C = 10.5
| Jul low C = 12.3
| Aug low C = 12.0
| Sep low C = 10.3
| Oct low C = 7.9
| Nov low C = 5.0
| Dec low C = 3.5
| year low C = 
| Jan precipitation mm = 65.8
| Feb precipitation mm = 58.4
| Mar precipitation mm = 59.4
| Apr precipitation mm = 60.4
| May precipitation mm = 73.2
| Jun precipitation mm = 75.1
| Jul precipitation mm = 78.1
| Aug precipitation mm = 84.6
| Sep precipitation mm = 69.5
| Oct precipitation mm = 82.9
| Nov precipitation mm = 78.9
| Dec precipitation mm = 75.1
| year precipitation mm = 
| source 1 = Weather.Directory<ref name="Weather.Directory">
{{cite web|url=https://weather.directory/ie/navan
|title= Navan Weather & Climate Guide
|access-date= 26 Jul 2025
|website= Weather.Directory}}</ref>
}}

==Sport==

=== Gaelic Games ===
[[File:Cources a Navan.JPG|thumb|Navan Races (September 2007)]]

Navan is home to several [[Gaelic Athletic Association|GAA]] clubs, including [[Navan O'Mahonys GAA|Navan O'Mahonys]] and [[Simonstown Gaels GAA|Simonstown Gaels]].

[[Páirc Tailteann]] is a stadium in Navan and is home of the [[Meath GAA|Meath]] [[Gaelic football]] and [[Hurling]] teams

=== Association football ===
[[Parkvilla F.C.|Parkvilla Football Club]]<ref>{{cite web |title=parkvillafc.net |url=http://www.parkvillafc.net |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924035532/http://parkvillafc.net/ |archive-date=24 September 2017 |access-date=18 April 2019 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> 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 competes in the All Ireland League (AIL) Division 2A.

=== Cricket ===
Knockharley Cricket Club was founded in 1982 and is 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.meath.ie/council/council-services/arts/meath-county-council-art-collection/public-sculpture/sniomh-by-betty-newman-maguire|title=Sníomh by Betty Newman-Maguire|website=www.meath.ie|publisher=[[Meath County Council]]|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=6 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906145706/https://www.meath.ie/council/council-services/arts/meath-county-council-art-collection/public-sculpture/sniomh-by-betty-newman-maguire|url-status=live}}</ref> This sculpture is reputedly inspired by the movement of water and the merging of the rivers [[River Boyne|Boyne]] and Blackwater.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

Another public sculpture, ''The Fifth Province'' by Richard King, is located on the Navan Bypass.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.meath.ie/council/council-services/arts/meath-county-council-art-collection/public-sculpture/the-fifth-province-by-richard-e-king|title=The Fifth Province by Richard E. King|website=www.meath.ie|publisher=[[Meath County Council]]|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=6 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906150100/https://www.meath.ie/council/council-services/arts/meath-county-council-art-collection/public-sculpture/the-fifth-province-by-richard-e-king|url-status=live}}</ref> This sculpture is composed of four branches and a central upright stem that symbolises the flowering of hope and peace.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

''[[The bull of Navan|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meath.ie/media/Media,50018,en.pdf|title=Navan Points of Pride|publisher=Meath County Council|access-date=10 November 2019|archive-date=18 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171218000636/http://meath.ie/media/Media,50018,en.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> 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,"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/navan-statue-a-load-of-bull-or-taking-the-town-by-the-horns-119636-Apr2011/|title=Navan statue: a load of bull or taking the town by the horns?|first=Susan|last=Daly|date=12 April 2011 |access-date=10 April 2015|archive-date=14 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414200824/http://www.thejournal.ie/navan-statue-a-load-of-bull-or-taking-the-town-by-the-horns-119636-Apr2011/|url-status=live}}</ref> Objections to the statue delayed its erection by 8 years.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.meathchronicle.ie/news/navan/articles/2011/03/30/4003993-after-a-decade-of-controversy-bull-sculpture-is-now-in-place/|title=After a decade of controversy, bull sculpture is now in place|work=[[Meath Chronicle]]|first=Noelle|last=Finegan|date=30 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417084118/http://www.meathchronicle.ie/news/navan/articles/2011/03/30/4003993-after-a-decade-of-controversy-bull-sculpture-is-now-in-place/|archive-date=17 April 2017}}</ref>

== Folklore ==
According to local folklore, a [[Souterrain]] was discovered near the Navan Viaduct in 1848. The location of its entrance has since been lost.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Holten|first=Anthony|title=The River Boyne: Hidden legacies, history and lore explored on foot and by boat|year=2016|isbn=978-0-9569911-2-6|pages=319}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Marsh|first=Richard|title=Meath Folk Tales|publisher=The History Press Ireland|year=2013|isbn=978-1-84588-788-9|pages=166}}</ref>

In the Fenian cycle of Irish mythology, [[Fionn mac Cumhaill]] studied under the druid Finegas along the river Boyne. He is believed to have caught the [[Salmon of Knowledge]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.projectglobalawakening.com/salmon-of-knowledge/ | title=Fionn mac Cumhail and the Salmon of Knowledge | date=30 May 2020 }}</ref> in what is now Navan.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

==Twinning==
{{Main|List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland}}
Navan is [[town twinning|twinned]] with the following places:
* [[Bobbio]], Italy<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Twinning|url=https://www.meath.ie/council/your-council/customer-service-and-communications/twinning|url-status=live|website=Meath County Council|access-date=18 May 2021|archive-date=18 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518094039/https://www.meath.ie/council/your-council/customer-service-and-communications/twinning}}</ref>
* [[Broccostella]], Italy<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.meathchronicle.ie/news/roundup/articles/2009/08/19/390523 |title=Group visits Navan's twin town in Italy|newspaper=[[Meath Chronicle]]|first=John|last=Donohoe|date=19 August 2009|access-date=1 September 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721125820/https://www.meathchronicle.ie/news/roundup/articles/2009/08/19/390523/|archive-date=21 July 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.meathlive.com/_news/localarticle.asp?NID=91479&NCID=13 |title=Twinning charter signed in Navan |date=20 June 2006 |access-date=1 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071117111422/http://www.meathlive.com/_news/localarticle.asp?NID=91479&NCID=13 |archive-date=17 November 2007 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Notable people==
[[File:FrancisBeaufort.jpg|thumb|upright|Sir Francis Beaufort]]
* [[Yemi Adenuga]], TV personality and Ireland's first black female elected Councillor<ref>{{cite web|url = https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/elections-2019/making-history-gogglebox-star-elected-as-irelands-first-black-female-councillor-38153615.html | publisher = Irish Independent | website = independent.ie | title = elections 2019 making-history gogglebox-star-elected as irelands-first-black-female councillor | date = 27 May 2019 | access-date = 24 July 2021 }}</ref>
* [[Rear admiral (Royal Navy)|Rear Admiral]] [[Francis Beaufort|Sir Francis Beaufort]], naval officer and scientist<ref>{{cite DNB|wstitle=Beaufort, Francis|last=Laughton|first=John Knox|author-link=John Knox Laughton|volume=04}}</ref>
* [[Pierce Brosnan]], actor<ref>{{Cite news|date=11 November 1999|title=Pierce Brosnan honoured by Navan Town|website=rte.ie|publisher=RTÉ News|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/1111/brosnan.html|access-date=13 August 2020|archive-date=3 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103074238/http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/1111/brosnan.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Shane Cassells]], Fianna Fáil politician<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.fiannafail.ie/reps/senator-shane-cassells/ | publisher = Fianna Fáil | website = fiannafail.ie | title = Senator Shane Cassells | access-date = 13 August 2020 | archive-date = 22 July 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200722033140/https://www.fiannafail.ie/reps/senator-shane-cassells/ | url-status = live }}</ref>
* [[Ian Clarke (computer scientist)|Ian Clarke]], computer scientist<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.irishtimes.com/business/irishman-to-shake-up-file-sharing-1.475774 | publisher = Irish Times | website = irishtimes.com | title = Irishman to shake up file sharing | date =3 August 2005 | access-date = 13 August 2020 }}</ref>
* [[Sam Curtis]], professional footballer<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.meathchronicle.ie/2022/01/23/curtis-brothers-sign-pro-deals-with-st-patricks-athletic/ | title=Curtis brothers sign pro deals with St Patrick's Athletic | date=23 January 2022 }}</ref>
* [[Keith Donegan]], racing driver
* [[Simon Fagan]], musician
* [[Anthony Holten]], author<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cyclist and seafaring engineer with passion for River Boyne|url=https://www.meathchronicle.ie/2020/10/02/cyclist-and-seafaring-engineer-with-passion-for-river-boyne/|access-date=2021-04-22|website=Meath Chronicle|date=2 October 2020 |language=en-US|archive-date=22 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422122127/https://www.meathchronicle.ie/2020/10/02/cyclist-and-seafaring-engineer-with-passion-for-river-boyne/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Navan Historical Society - Publications|url=http://www.navanhistory.ie/index.php?page=publications|access-date=2021-04-22|website=www.navanhistory.ie|archive-date=25 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425025439/http://www.navanhistory.ie/index.php?page=publications|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Donal Keogan]], Gaelic footballer{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
* [[Gráinne Maguire]], stand-up comedian, writer and podcaster<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/grainne-maguire-why-i-decided-to-live-tweet-my-menstrual-cycle-to-enda-kenny-1.2431917 | publisher = Irish Times | website = Irish times.com | title = Grainne Maguire: 'Why I decided to live tweet my menstrual cycle to Enda Kenny' | date = 16 November 2015 | access-date = 2 February 2022 }}</ref>
* [[Arthur Mathews (writer)|Arthur Mathews]], comedy writer{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
* [[Helen McEntee]], Fine Gael politician<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.finegael.ie/our-people/ministers/meath-east/helen-mcentee/|title=Helen McEntee, TD|website=finegael.ie|access-date=1 December 2020|archive-date=7 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207181327/https://www.finegael.ie/our-people/ministers/meath-east/helen-mcentee/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Dylan Moran]], comedian<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/dylan-moran-smoking-or-breathing-one-of-them-had-to-go-1.3564055 | publisher = Irish Times | website = irishtimes.com | title = Dylan Moran: 'Smoking or breathing, one of them had to go' | date = 13 July 2018 | access-date = 13 August 2020 | archive-date = 28 February 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210228224539/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/dylan-moran-smoking-or-breathing-one-of-them-had-to-go-1.3564055 | url-status = live }}</ref>
* [[Conor Nash]], Australian Rules Footballer 
* [[John O'Callaghan (DJ)|John O'Callaghan]], DJ{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
* [[Hector Ó hEochagáin]], TV personality<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.meath.ie/discover/discover-boyne-valley/famous-meath-people/hector-oheochagain | publisher = Meath County Council | website = meath.ie | title = Hector O'Heochagain | access-date = 13 August 2020 | archive-date = 6 September 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200906230009/https://www.meath.ie/discover/discover-boyne-valley/famous-meath-people/hector-oheochagain | url-status = live }}</ref>
* [[Joseph Rooney (priest)|Joseph Rooney]], Catholic priest{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
* [[Tommy Tiernan]], comedian<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.joe.ie/shows/not-happy-childhood-tommy-tiernan-speaks-growing-navan-651367 | website = joe.ie | title = Tommy Tiernan speaks about growing up in Navan | date = 12 December 2018 | access-date = 13 August 2020 | archive-date = 27 October 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201027145027/https://www.joe.ie/shows/not-happy-childhood-tommy-tiernan-speaks-growing-navan-651367 | url-status = live }}</ref>
* [[The Most Reverend|The Most Rev.]] [[Paul Tighe]], [[Titular Bishop]] of Drivastum, currently Secretary of the Section of Culture of the [[Dicastery for Culture and Education]] in the [[Roman Curia]] in the [[Holy See]]<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.meathchronicle.ie/2007/12/08/navan-born-priest-is-third-to-occupy-vatican-position/ | publisher = Meath Chronicle | website = meathchronicle.ie | title = Navan-born priest is third to occupy Vatican position | date = 8 December 2007 | access-date = 13 August 2020 }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland]]
* [[List of palindromic places]]

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.navanhistory.ie/ Historical Society of Navan website]

{{Towns and villages in County Meath}}
{{Largest urban areas in the Republic of Ireland by population}}
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[[Category:Navan| ]]
[[Category:County towns in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Towns and villages in County Meath]]
[[Category:Civil parishes of County Meath]]
[[Category:Former urban districts in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Former boroughs in the Republic of Ireland]]