AN164 - Great Tourism Products
15 April 2009

Good product is the essence of any successful tourist destination, and Ireland is particularly well served in this regard.  The massive investment, both private and public, of recent years positions Irish tourism very well to recover and prosper again, when the global economy revives.

Over the coming months we will look at a variety of our tourist attractions, some well known, some perhaps not.  All these attractions combine to provide a stimulating and rewarding product for visitors.

We will start in Co Meath, not generally regarded as a tourism mecca, yet, but it is the Royal county, and of course it was once the territory of the High Kings of Ireland.  Some of the most important historic sites and monuments are located within the county, and virtually every important aspect of Irish history from pre-historic times is associated with Meath.

But a brilliant attraction opened to the public less than a year ago at Oldbridge House, the Battle of the Boyne site, just off the M1 motorway, immediately past Drogheda.The Battle of the Boyne, between King William III and his father-in-law, King James II, was fought on 1st July 1690 (11th July according to our modern calendar).  Both Kings commanded their armies in person, 36,000 on the Williamite side and 25,000 on the Jacobite side – the largest number of troops ever deployed on an Irish battlefield.  At stake were the British throne, French dominance in Europe and religious power in Ireland.

          
King William III                                                    King James II

The Battle of the Boyne would surely make one believe in guardian angels, for how otherwise would William of Orange have survived it after at least two attempts on his life, and being grazed by a cannonball on the evening before the battle.  By snatching victory from the jaws of death, he not only won the battle but ensured that his success would alter the balance of power in Europe and change the whole history of Ireland for centuries to come.  How fate hangs from a very slender thread, and how the course of Irish and European history might have been very different had William succumbed to any one of those attacks?  But the fact is that he did survive, and consequently romped home the winner of the only European campaign that was ever fought on Irish soil.

He may not have been a great general himself or had great ones to guide him, but he was a shrewder and a better fighter than his Stuart opponent and father-in-law, James II, who only cared for the Irish when they supported him and then became ungracious about them when his lack of leadership lost the war for him, and them.

The Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre is located in the recently restored 18th century Oldbridge House, which is on the battlesite.  There are exhibitions, display of replica 17th weaponry, a brilliant walled garden, almost 500 acres of grounds, and superb audiovisual presentations of how the battle itself was fought.

The Visitor Centre is located on the South bank of the River Boyne, in the splendidly restored 18th century Oldbridge House, which is actually situated on the battlesite.

It’s a must see, it’s open all year round, it’s got a terrific Tea Rooms overlooking the splendid walled gardens, and like all the OPW owned and operated sites, it has been developed and presented to a very high standard indeed.

It is a mere €4 adult admission and an even better €10 family admission ticket is available also.  There’s no substitute for the real thing, but if you wish to learn more before you go there, click here.

April 15th 2009

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