81-640: The River Boyne ( Irish : An Bhóinn or Abhainn na Bóinne ) is a river in Leinster , Ireland , the course of which is about 112 kilometres (70 mi) long. It rises at Trinity Well , Newberry Hall, near Carbury , County Kildare , and flows towards the Northeast through County Meath to reach the Irish Sea between Mornington, County Meath , and Baltray , County Louth. This river has been known since ancient times. The Greek geographer Ptolemy drew
162-547: A unique dialect of Irish developed before falling out of use in the early 20th century. With a writing system , Ogham , dating back to at least the 4th century AD, which was gradually replaced by Latin script since the 5th century AD, Irish has one of the oldest vernacular literatures in Western Europe . On the island, the language has three major dialects: Connacht , Munster and Ulster Irish . All three have distinctions in their speech and orthography . There
243-717: A bargaining chip during government formation in Northern Ireland, prompting protests from organisations and groups such as An Dream Dearg . Irish became an official language of the EU on 1 January 2007, meaning that MEPs with Irish fluency can now speak the language in the European Parliament and at committees, although in the case of the latter they have to give prior notice to a simultaneous interpreter in order to ensure that what they say can be interpreted into other languages. While an official language of
324-575: A better future for Ireland and all her citizens." The Strategy was produced on 21 December 2010 and will stay in action until 2030; it aims to target language vitality and revitalization of the Irish language. The 30-page document published by the Government of Ireland details the objectives it plans to work towards in an attempt to preserve and promote both the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. It
405-478: A cultural and social force. Irish speakers often insisted on using the language in law courts (even when they knew English), and Irish was also common in commercial transactions. The language was heavily implicated in the "devotional revolution" which marked the standardisation of Catholic religious practice and was also widely used in a political context. Down to the time of the Great Famine and even afterwards,
486-553: A degree course in the NUI federal system to pass the subject of Irish in the Leaving Certificate or GCE / GCSE examinations. Exemptions are made from this requirement for students who were born or completed primary education outside of Ireland, and students diagnosed with dyslexia . NUI Galway is required to appoint people who are competent in the Irish language, as long as they are also competent in all other aspects of
567-460: A fully recognised EU language for the first time in the state's history. Before Irish became an official language it was afforded the status of treaty language and only the highest-level documents of the EU were made available in Irish. The Irish language was carried abroad in the modern period by a vast diaspora , chiefly to Great Britain and North America, but also to Australia , New Zealand and Argentina . The first large movements began in
648-623: A license to carry out restoration work on the navigation to return it to a usable waterway. The Boyne Navigation comprises two sections; the Lower Navigation from Drogheda, near mouth of the Boyne, to Slane and the Upper Navigation is from Slane to Navan. The navigation channel is partly the river itself and partly stretches of canal, mostly on the south side of the river. The route uses the river exclusively below Oldbridge while
729-594: A map of Ireland in the 2nd century which included the Boyne, which he called Βουουίνδα ( Bouwinda ) or Βουβίνδα ( Boubinda ), which in Celtic means "white cow" ( Irish : bó fhionn ). During the High Middle Ages, Giraldus Cambrensis called it the Boandus . In Irish mythology it is said that the river was created by the goddess Boann and Boyne is an anglicised form of the name. In other legends, it
810-585: A paper suggested that within a generation, non-Gaeltacht habitual users of Irish might typically be members of an urban, middle class, and highly educated minority. Parliamentary legislation is supposed to be available in both Irish and English but is frequently only available in English. This is notwithstanding that Article 25.4 of the Constitution of Ireland requires that an "official translation" of any law in one official language be provided immediately in
891-575: A pass in Leaving Certificate Irish or English, and receive lessons in Irish during their two years of training. Official documents of the Irish government must be published in both Irish and English or Irish alone (in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003, enforced by An Coimisinéir Teanga , the Irish language ombudsman). The National University of Ireland requires all students wishing to embark on
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#1732772560233972-606: A public mooring at Scotch Hall shopping centre in Drogheda will complement the Boyne Navigation. A grant has been awarded for the construction for the public moorings, as per announcement on local Councillor's (Frank Godfrey's) Facebook page. The mooring is not due to go ahead as funding was around €100,000 but the cheapest quote was around €400,000. Official restoration agents carrying out the Voluntary restoration of
1053-625: A religious context. An Irish translation of the Old Testament by Leinsterman Muircheartach Ó Cíonga , commissioned by Bishop Bedell , was published after 1685 along with a translation of the New Testament. Otherwise, Anglicisation was seen as synonymous with 'civilising' the native Irish. Currently, modern day Irish speakers in the church are pushing for language revival. It has been estimated that there were around 800,000 monoglot Irish speakers in 1800, which dropped to 320,000 by
1134-547: A result of linguistic imperialism . Today, Irish is still commonly spoken as a first language in Ireland's Gaeltacht regions, in which 2% of Ireland's population lived in 2022. The total number of people (aged 3 and over) in Ireland who declared they could speak Irish in April 2022 was 1,873,997, representing 40% of respondents, but of these, 472,887 said they never spoke it and a further 551,993 said they only spoke it within
1215-545: A wider meaning, including the Gaelic of Scotland and the Isle of Man , as well as of Ireland. When required by the context, these are distinguished as Gaeilge na hAlban , Gaeilge Mhanann and Gaeilge na hÉireann respectively. In English (including Hiberno-English ), the language is usually referred to as Irish , as well as Gaelic and Irish Gaelic . The term Irish Gaelic may be seen when English speakers discuss
1296-603: Is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family . It is a member of the Goidelic language group of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous to the island of Ireland . It was the majority of the population's first language until the 19th century, when English gradually became dominant, particularly in the last decades of the century, in what is sometimes characterised as
1377-700: Is a series of canals running 31 km (19 mi) roughly parallel to the River Boyne from Oldbridge to Navan in County Meath , in Ireland . The navigation was once used by horse-drawn boats travelling between Navan, Slane and the port of Drogheda ; however is now derelict. The Boyne Navigation branch of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland have an agreement with An Taisce – The National Trust for Ireland giving it
1458-452: Is also An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , a standardised written form devised by a parliamentary commission in the 1950s. The traditional Irish alphabet , a variant of the Latin alphabet with 18 letters , has been succeeded by the standard Latin alphabet (albeit with 7–8 letters used primarily in loanwords ). Irish has constitutional status as the national and first official language of
1539-524: Is currently undertaking works on the Slane section of the navigation. Recent works which have taken place include: removal of thick vegetation growth on the waterway section (during Summer 2014) between Slane Lock (Lock 9) to a little beyond the Bridge that crosses the Boyne Navigation and River Boyne leading to Slane . Sluices were installed in the concrete barriers at Locks 8 and 9 at this section to allow for
1620-511: Is divided into four separate phases with the intention of improving 9 main areas of action including: The general goal for this strategy was to increase the number of daily speakers from 83,000 to 250,000 by the end of its run. By 2022, the number of such speakers had fallen to 71,968. Before the partition of Ireland in 1921, Irish was recognised as a school subject and as "Celtic" in some third level institutions. Between 1921 and 1972, Northern Ireland had devolved government. During those years
1701-587: Is only in Gaeltacht areas that Irish continues to be spoken as a community vernacular to some extent. According to data compiled by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht , Sport and Media , only 1/4 of households in Gaeltacht areas are fluent in Irish. The author of a detailed analysis of the survey, Donncha Ó hÉallaithe of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology , described
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#17327725602331782-412: Is still spoken daily to some extent as a first language . These regions are known individually and collectively as the Gaeltacht (plural Gaeltachtaí ). While the fluent Irish speakers of these areas, whose numbers have been estimated at 20–30,000, are a minority of the total number of fluent Irish speakers, they represent a higher concentration of Irish speakers than other parts of the country and it
1863-423: Is to be excavated as it poses a hazard to navigation. Various species of trout inhabit the Boyne, namely brook trout , brown trout and introduced rainbow trout . There is also a steelhead in the spring and naturally reproducing salmon in the fall. Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ),
1944-666: The Fíor-Ghaeltacht (true Gaeltacht ), a term originally officially applied to areas where over 50% of the population spoke Irish. There are Gaeltacht regions in the following counties: Gweedore ( Gaoth Dobhair ), County Donegal, is the largest Gaeltacht parish in Ireland. Irish language summer colleges in the Gaeltacht are attended by tens of thousands of teenagers annually. Students live with Gaeltacht families, attend classes, participate in sports, go to céilithe and are obliged to speak Irish. All aspects of Irish culture and tradition are encouraged. The Act
2025-834: The Inland Waterways Association of Ireland are restoring the navigation to navigable status. The canal at Oldbridge which runs through the battle of the Boyne Site was the first to be restored. A rock with indications of being Prehistoric art was found in August 2013. Cliadh O’Gibne reported through the Archaeological Survey of Ireland that a boulder with geometric carvings had been found in Donore, County Meath . The Boyne Fishermen's Rescue and Recovery Service (BFRRS), near Drogheda , County Louth , were doing one of their regular operations to remove shopping trolleys from
2106-631: The Republic of Ireland , and is also an official language of Northern Ireland and among the official languages of the European Union . The public body Foras na Gaeilge is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island. Irish has no regulatory body but An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , the standard written form, is guided by a parliamentary service and new vocabulary by a voluntary committee with university input. In An Caighdeán Oifigiúil ("The Official [Written] Standard ")
2187-612: The Wayback Machine (Lock 17). The Oldbridge section is now managed for navigation. The gates at Lock 2 are closed during the Winter (river flooding periods of the year) and can opened during the summer (times of low River Boyne levels). Small boats can effectively travel from Drogheda up as far as Staleen Lock (lock 3). When complete, this will allow passage of boats from Drogheda as far upstream as Staleen Lock. The Staleen section actually passes Newgrange . The announcement of
2268-634: The 17th century, largely as a result of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland , which saw many Irish sent to the West Indies . Irish emigration to the United States was well established by the 18th century, and was reinforced in the 1840s by thousands fleeing from the Famine . This flight also affected Britain. Up until that time most emigrants spoke Irish as their first language, though English
2349-789: The 1998 Good Friday Agreement , the language gradually received a degree of formal recognition in Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom, and then, in 2003, by the British government's ratification in respect of the language of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . In the 2006 St Andrews Agreement the British government promised to enact legislation to promote the language and in 2022 it approved legislation to recognise Irish as an official language alongside English. The bill received royal assent on 6 December 2022. The Irish language has often been used as
2430-403: The 6th century, used the Latin alphabet and is attested primarily in marginalia to Latin manuscripts. During this time, the Irish language absorbed some Latin words, some via Old Welsh , including ecclesiastical terms : examples are easpag (bishop) from episcopus , and Domhnach (Sunday, from dominica ). By the 10th century, Old Irish had evolved into Middle Irish , which
2511-571: The Act all detailing different aspects of the use of Irish in official documentation and communication. Included in these sections are subjects such as Irish language use in official courts, official publications, and placenames. The Act was recently amended in December 2019 in order to strengthen the already preexisting legislation. All changes made took into account data collected from online surveys and written submissions. The Official Languages Scheme
River Boyne - Misplaced Pages Continue
2592-607: The Boyne Navigation are the Boyne Navigation section of I.W.A.I. They have agreed to carry such work with the Property owner An Taisce on sections it owner and other property which the Boyne Navigation runs through. They have recently been carrying out the workdays on both ends (Drogheda and Navan) of waterway. The Drogheda group's Facebook presence and the Navan group operates a different Facebook presence. A local Community employment group working under IWAI's Boyne Navigation Branch
2673-568: The Boyne, in May 2013, when they discovered an ancient log boat, which experts believe may be 5000 years old. Initial examination by an underwater archaeologist, suggests it could be very rare because, unlike other log-boats found here, it has oval shapes on the upper edge which could have held oars. Investigations were on-going as of 2013. In 2006, the remains of a Viking ship were found in the river bed in Drogheda during dredging operations. The vessel
2754-471: The European Union , only co-decision regulations were available until 2022, due to a five-year derogation, requested by the Irish Government when negotiating the language's new official status. The Irish government had committed itself to train the necessary number of translators and interpreters and to bear the related costs. This derogation ultimately came to an end on 1 January 2022, making Irish
2835-657: The High King of Ireland), Navan , the Hill of Slane , Brú na Bóinne (a complex of megalithic monuments), Mellifont Abbey , and the medieval town of Drogheda . In the Boyne Valley can also be found other historical and archaeological monuments, including Loughcrew, Kells , Celtic crosses, and castles. The Boyne Navigation is a series of canals running roughly parallel to the main river from Oldbridge near Drogheda to Navan . Owned by An Taisce and mostly derelict,
2916-549: The Irish language policy followed by Irish governments as a "complete and absolute disaster". The Irish Times , referring to his analysis published in the Irish language newspaper Foinse , quoted him as follows: "It is an absolute indictment of successive Irish Governments that at the foundation of the Irish State there were 250,000 fluent Irish speakers living in Irish-speaking or semi Irish-speaking areas, but
2997-582: The Oldbridge section. One company offering trips is called Boyne Boats. They have been operating for about the last two years. Tourists are offered a trip through the history of the Boyne Valley , while paddling a traditional Irish boat ( currach ) called a naomhóg along the Boyne Navigation - Oldbridge section. This company has offered boat trips above Lock 2 and Lock 8 on the River Boyne , opposite Slane Castle . A cycle track and walkway (known as
3078-620: The Republic of Ireland ), new appointees to the Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland , including postal workers , tax collectors , agricultural inspectors, Garda Síochána (police), etc., were required to have some proficiency in Irish. By law, a Garda who was addressed in Irish had to respond in Irish as well. In 1974, in part through the actions of protest organisations like the Language Freedom Movement ,
3159-643: The River Boyne is 38.8 cubic metres (50.7 cu yd) per second. Despite its short course, the Boyne has historical, archaeological and mythical connotations. The Battle of the Boyne , a major battle in Irish history , took place along the Boyne near Drogheda in 1690 during the Williamite war in Ireland . It passes through the ancient town of Trim , Trim Castle , the Hill of Tara (the ancient capital of
3240-505: The Upper Navigation is mostly canal. The designers intended that the navigation continue upstream along the Boyne to Trim where it could connect with the Royal Canal . The section from Navan to Trim was never built, and the Boyne Navigation remains disconnected from other inland waterways in Ireland. The Boyne Navigation Company began work on the lower section of the navigation from the sea lock at Oldbridge to Slane in 1748 and
3321-511: The ancient legends and myths, such as The Tragedy of the Sons of Tuireann, Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, &c. In the Acallam na Senórach the estuary has the name Inber Bic Loingsigh , abounding in ships. Inber Colpa or Inber Colptha was the principal name for the mouth of the Boyne in early medieval times. The townlands and civil parish of Colp, or Colpe on its southern shore preserve the name. It
River Boyne - Misplaced Pages Continue
3402-746: The beginning of the following academic year. For a number of years there has been vigorous debate in political, academic and other circles about the failure of most students in English-medium schools to achieve competence in Irish, even after fourteen years of teaching as one of the three main subjects. The concomitant decline in the number of traditional native speakers has also been a cause of great concern. In 2007, filmmaker Manchán Magan found few Irish speakers in Dublin , and faced incredulity when trying to get by speaking only Irish in Dublin. He
3483-664: The education system. Linguistic analyses of Irish speakers are therefore based primarily on the number of daily users in Ireland outside the education system, which in 2022 was 20,261 in the Gaeltacht and 51,707 outside it, totalling 71,968. In response to the 2021 census of Northern Ireland , 43,557 individuals stated they spoke Irish on a daily basis, 26,286 spoke it on a weekly basis, 47,153 spoke it less often than weekly, and 9,758 said they could speak Irish, but never spoke it. From 2006 to 2008, over 22,000 Irish Americans reported speaking Irish as their first language at home, with several times that number claiming "some knowledge" of
3564-474: The end of the famine, and under 17,000 by 1911. Irish is recognised by the Constitution of Ireland as the national and first official language of Republic of Ireland (English being the other official language). Despite this, almost all government business and legislative debate is conducted in English. In 1938, the founder of Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League), Douglas Hyde , was inaugurated as
3645-610: The estuary giving name to Inber Colptha. The Boyne is lowland river, which is surrounded by the Boyne Valley. It is crossed just west of Drogheda by the Mary McAleese Boyne Valley Bridge , which carries the M1 motorway , and by the Boyne Viaduct , which carries the Dublin - Belfast railway line to the east. The catchment area of the River Boyne is 2,695 km. The long term average flow rate of
3726-466: The financial year ending in April 1844 income for the navigation was £734.12s.4d. and expenses were £460.6s.9d (both in pounds, shillings and pence ). Boats with a draught of 1.4 m (4 ft 8 in) in the winter and 1.1 m (3 ft 6 in) in the summer could travel the navigation. Low water in the summer and during low tides meant that the Boyne Navigation was not always navigable. The journey from Drogheda to Slane took 7 hours in summer and 6 hours in
3807-560: The first President of Ireland . The record of his delivering his inaugural Declaration of Office in Roscommon Irish is one of only a few recordings of that dialect. In the 2016 census, 10.5% of respondents stated that they spoke Irish, either daily or weekly, while over 70,000 people (4.2%) speak it as a habitual daily means of communication. From the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922 (see History of
3888-509: The grounds of Lock 17, clearance of fallen trees, maintenance of growth along the Navan section. Other work that has taken place in the recently past: the area above the Guardlock has been dredged, considerable clearance of towpath below Staleen Lower lock (Lock 3), Restoration of stone wall bank which borders the canal above Staleen Lower Lock (Lock 3), clearance of the navigation between Athlumney and Ruxton's Lock Archived 9 March 2014 at
3969-716: The language family, is derived from the Old Irish term. Endonyms of the language in the various modern Irish dialects include: Gaeilge [ˈɡeːlʲɟə] in Galway, Gaeilg / Gaeilic / Gaeilig [ˈɡeːlʲəc] in Mayo and Ulster , Gaelainn / Gaoluinn [ˈɡeːl̪ˠən̠ʲ] in West/Cork, Kerry Munster , as well as Gaedhealaing in mid and East Kerry/Cork and Waterford Munster to reflect local pronunciation. Gaeilge also has
4050-410: The language was in use by all classes, Irish being an urban as well as a rural language. This linguistic dynamism was reflected in the efforts of certain public intellectuals to counter the decline of the language. At the end of the 19th century, they launched the Gaelic revival in an attempt to encourage the learning and use of Irish, although few adult learners mastered the language. The vehicle of
4131-425: The language. For most of recorded Irish history , Irish was the dominant language of the Irish people , who took it with them to other regions , such as Scotland and the Isle of Man , where Middle Irish gave rise to Scottish Gaelic and Manx . It was also, for a period, spoken widely across Canada , with an estimated 200,000–250,000 daily Canadian speakers of Irish in 1890. On the island of Newfoundland ,
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#17327725602334212-618: The man-made archway (locally known as the Scabby Arch ) under the stone arch road bridge to Slane up to Lock 9 and back out onto the River Boyne . A local group have established a workgroup to maintain and upkeep the Staleen Guard Lock walkway/ towpath section, between the River Boyne and back down to the Drogheda Waterworks. After the commercial feasibility of using the waterway for ferrying trade goods
4293-399: The mid-18th century, English was becoming a language of the Catholic middle class, the Catholic Church and public intellectuals, especially in the east of the country. Increasingly, as the value of English became apparent, parents sanctioned the prohibition of Irish in schools. Increasing interest in emigrating to the United States and Canada was also a driver, as fluency in English allowed
4374-497: The name of the language is Gaeilge , from the South Connacht form, spelled Gaedhilge prior the spelling reform of 1948, which was originally the genitive of Gaedhealg , the form used in Classical Gaelic . The modern spelling results from the deletion of the silent ⟨dh⟩ in Gaedhilge . Older spellings include Gaoidhealg [ˈɡeːʝəlˠəɡ] in Classical Gaelic and Goídelc [ˈɡoiðʲelɡ] in Old Irish . Goidelic , used to refer to
4455-409: The new immigrants to get jobs in areas other than farming. An estimated one quarter to one third of US immigrants during the Great Famine were Irish speakers. Irish was not marginal to Ireland's modernisation in the 19th century, as is often assumed. In the first half of the century there were still around three million people for whom Irish was the primary language, and their numbers alone made them
4536-427: The next ten years fell into disrepair. An Taisce purchased the navigation rights to the canal from the Navan baker John Spicer & Co. for one Irish pound in 1969. An Taisce also own most of the towpaths and adjoining lands however there is no public access on a section of the Lower Navigation from Rosnaree Lock to Roughgrange . A number of sections of the towpath are maintained as walking paths, particularly
4617-522: The number now is between 20,000 and 30,000." In the 1920s, when the Irish Free State was founded, Irish was still a vernacular in some western coastal areas. In the 1930s, areas where more than 25% of the population spoke Irish were classified as Gaeltacht . Today, the strongest Gaeltacht areas, numerically and socially, are those of South Connemara , the west of the Dingle Peninsula , and northwest Donegal, where many residents still use Irish as their primary language. These areas are often referred to as
4698-448: The other official language, if not already passed in both official languages. In November 2016, RTÉ reported that over 2.3 million people worldwide were learning Irish through the Duolingo app. Irish president Michael D. Higgins officially honoured several volunteer translators for developing the Irish edition, and said the push for Irish language rights remains an "unfinished project". There are rural areas of Ireland where Irish
4779-412: The other side. David Jebb was the engineer in charge of the construction. Jebb himself built a flour mill at Slane in 1766 to take advantage of the navigation that he had recently completed that far. When opened it was the largest mill of its kind in Ireland. A traditional craft used by people on the Boyne was the Boyne cóireáil (circular currachs). A group called the Boyne Currach Heritage Group
4860-415: The political party holding power in the Stormont Parliament , the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), was hostile to the language. The context of this hostility was the use of the language by nationalists. In broadcasting, there was an exclusion on the reporting of minority cultural issues, and Irish was excluded from radio and television for almost the first fifty years of the previous devolved government. After
4941-436: The relationship between the three Goidelic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx). Gaelic is a collective term for the Goidelic languages, and when the context is clear it may be used without qualification to refer to each language individually. When the context is specific but unclear, the term may be qualified, as Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic or Manx Gaelic. Historically the name "Erse" ( / ɜːr s / URS )
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#17327725602335022-432: The requirement for entrance to the public service was changed to proficiency in just one official language. Nevertheless, Irish remains a required subject of study in all schools in the Republic of Ireland that receive public money (see Education in the Republic of Ireland ). Teachers in primary schools must also pass a compulsory examination called Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge . As of 2005, Garda Síochána recruits need
5103-438: The rest of 2019 and early 2020 fitting additional parts to these lockgates to make them functional. Work has been suspended due to the covid-19 illness. A subgroup of The Boyne Navigation section of I.W.A.I. has been established back in roughly 2018. They work on the Navan section of the Boyne Navigation. The carry out work days ever Monday except bank holidays. Their work can be followed on. They have been involved in maintaining
5184-452: The revival was the Gaelic League ( Conradh na Gaeilge ), and particular emphasis was placed on the folk tradition, which in Irish is particularly rich. Efforts were also made to develop journalism and a modern literature. Although it has been noted that the Catholic Church played a role in the decline of the Irish language before the Gaelic Revival, the Protestant Church of Ireland also made only minor efforts to encourage use of Irish in
5265-401: The rewatering of the waterway section and also allow for the regulation water levels. Once or were funding sourced, it would be hoped for the installation of lockgates at Lock 8 (Morgan's Lock) and Lock 9 (Slane Weir) allowing boat passage from the River Boyne to the other using the Boyne Navigation. A boat would do this by entering the double lock chamber at Lock 8 under the engineering feat of
5346-519: The section from Stackallan Bridge to Navan. Metges Lock [Navan] and weir were removed in the 1980 by the OPW as part of a flood relief scheme. Voluntary restoration efforts have mostly been concentrated on the first section of navigation, from the Sealock Archived 9 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine (Lock 1) to the Guardlock Archived 9 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine (Lock 2) at Oldbridge (Oldbridge section). The Oldbridge section has reinstated Lockgates. Lockgates for Lock 1 were hand built on
5427-470: The towpath/ grass verge to this lock, of the course of about 4 years. Lockgates for Lock 2 were contracted out to a local joiner (Michael Black, Drogheda). They were installed over he course of a week during May 2017. A silt harbour was also reinstated above Lock 2. Lock 3 was dredged during Summer 2018. Lockgates were fabricated between the end of 2018 and early 2019. Basic gates were installed at it back in May 2019. The Boyne Navigation section of I.W.A.I. spent
5508-536: The vacancy to which they are appointed. This requirement is laid down by the University College Galway Act, 1929 (Section 3). In 2016, the university faced controversy when it announced the planned appointment of a president who did not speak Irish. Misneach staged protests against this decision. The following year the university announced that Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh , a fluent Irish speaker, would be its 13th president. He assumed office in January 2018; in June 2024, he announced he would be stepping down as president at
5589-1163: The winter. Slane to Navan took 4 hours in the summer and 9 in the winter. In 1847 the toll to travel the lower section was 1¼ d. per ton per mile and 2 d. per ton per mile on the upper section. Boat owners would charge 3 s. per ton to carry freight from Drogheda to Slane and 4 s. 6 d. per ton from Drogheda to Navan. The names of the locks on the Navigation are: Oldbridge section: {Lock 1: Oldbridge Sealock/ Tiernan's Lock , Lock 2: Oldbridge Guard/ Turf Lock ,} Staleen section: {Lock 3: Staleen Lower Lock , Lock 4: Staleen Guard Lock ,} Broe section: {Lock 5: Broe Lock , Lock 6: Broe Guard Lock ,} Slane section: {Lock 7: Morgan's/ Rosnaree Lock , Lock 8: Slane Guard Lock ,} Lock 9: Slane Castle Lock , Lock 10: Carrickdexter Lock , Lock 11: Cruicetown Lock , Lock 12: Castlefin Lock , Lock 13: Deer Park Lock , Lock 14: Stackallen Guard Lock , Navan section: {Lock 15: Stackallen Lock , Lock 16: Taffe's Lock , Lock 17: Rowley's Lock , Lock 18: Ruxton's Lock , Lock 19: Metge's Lock (removed, lock and harbour filled in, turned into Andy Brennan's Park now).} The canal passed into private ownership in 1915 and over
5670-594: The work of such writers as Geoffrey Keating , is said to date from the 17th century, and was the medium of popular literature from that time on. From the 18th century on, the language lost ground in the east of the country. The reasons behind this shift were complex but came down to a number of factors: The change was characterised by diglossia (two languages being used by the same community in different social and economic situations) and transitional bilingualism (monoglot Irish-speaking grandparents with bilingual children and monoglot English-speaking grandchildren). By
5751-431: Was also sometimes used in Scots and then in English to refer to Irish; as well as Scottish Gaelic. Written Irish is first attested in Ogham inscriptions from the 4th century AD, a stage of the language known as Primitive Irish . These writings have been found throughout Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain. Primitive Irish underwent a change into Old Irish through the 5th century. Old Irish, dating from
5832-591: Was associated in myth with Colpa of the Sword, a son of Míl Espáine , in the Milesian origin of the Irish, who drowned in the attempt to land there and is by tradition buried in the ringfort behind Colpe church. An alternative Dindsenchas tradition associates the name with the Máta, a massive aquatic creature, which having been killed was dismembered at Brú na Bóinne was thrown in the Boyne. Its shinbone (colptha) reached
5913-413: Was completed in the 1760s. The upper section from Slane to Navan was completed in 1800. The main cargo on the navigation was grain and flour between the mills on the river and the port of Drogheda and coal in the other direction. At four places along the route the towpath switches from one side of the river to the other. Where this happened the horse would step onto the barge while it was poled across to
5994-668: Was enacted 1 July 2019 and is an 18-page document that adheres to the guidelines of the Official Languages Act 2003 . The purpose of the Scheme is to provide services through the mediums of Irish and/or English. According to the Department of the Taoiseach, it is meant to "develop a sustainable economy and a successful society, to pursue Ireland's interests abroad, to implement the Government's Programme and to build
6075-554: Was establishing itself as the primary language. Irish speakers had first arrived in Australia in the late 18th century as convicts and soldiers, and many Irish-speaking settlers followed, particularly in the 1860s. New Zealand also received some of this influx. Argentina was the only non-English-speaking country to receive large numbers of Irish emigrants, and there were few Irish speakers among them. Boyne Navigation The Boyne Navigation ( Irish : Loingseoireacht na Bóinne )
6156-400: Was founded in 1997 to build replicas of the original currachs. The navigation was never a commercial success, however it did expand the local economy by making it easier to transport agricultural goods from inland County Meath to market. The total cost to build the navigation was £190,000 (in pounds sterling ) of which £30,000 was private contributions the remainder being public funds. In
6237-531: Was in this river where Fionn mac Cumhail captured Fiontán, the Salmon of Knowledge . The Meath section of the Boyne was also known as Smior Fionn Feidhlimthe (the 'marrow of Fionn Feilim'). The tidal estuary of the Boyne, which extends inland as far as the confluence with the Mattock River , 'the curly hole', had a number of names in Irish literature and was associated as a place of departure and arrival in
6318-442: Was made redundant with the advent of the train. The Boyne Navigation attracted tourists and tour boats to run trips on its waters. At least two tour boats were known to have operated on the navigation one by the name of Ros na Righ . One of these boats' journeys functioned by having a leading boat with an end, which dragged a boat behind it with its paying travellers. In the 21st century, tour boat activity has been reestablished on
6399-474: Was passed 14 July 2003 with the main purpose of improving the number and quality of public services delivered in Irish by the government and other public bodies. Compliance with the Act is monitored by the An Coimisinéir Teanga (Irish Language Commissioner) which was established in 2004 and any complaints or concerns pertaining to the Act are brought to them. There are 35 sections included in
6480-693: Was spoken throughout Ireland, Isle of Man and parts of Scotland . It is the language of a large corpus of literature, including the Ulster Cycle . From the 12th century, Middle Irish began to evolve into modern Irish in Ireland, into Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, and into the Manx language in the Isle of Man . Early Modern Irish , dating from the 13th century, was the basis of the literary language of both Ireland and Gaelic-speaking Scotland. Modern Irish, sometimes called Late Modern Irish, as attested in
6561-442: Was unable to accomplish some everyday tasks, as portrayed in his documentary No Béarla . There is, however, a growing body of Irish speakers in urban areas, particularly in Dublin. Many have been educated in schools in which Irish is the language of instruction. Such schools are known as Gaelscoileanna at primary level. These Irish-medium schools report some better outcomes for students than English-medium schools. In 2009,
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