Navan - The Cave. But Where?

JupiterKid

As ye all know the town of Navan comes from the Irish "An Uaimh" which means The Cave. But where is this fabled cave?:( I've never even heard of anything remotely resembling a cave in and around Navan.

The landscape is pretty flat and low lying, not cliffy and mountainous, so it doesn't lend itself to caves really.

So does anyone here know if a cave exists near Navan?

kelle

I heard about this cave, don't know if it was fictitious, but it apparently went from Navan to Rathcairn.
I'll try and find out about this, interesting you have heard about it!

Irish and Proud

JupiterKid wrote: »

As ye all know the town of Navan comes from the Irish "An Uaimh" which means The Cave. But where is this fabled cave?:( I've never even heard of anything remotely resembling a cave in and around Navan.

The landscape is pretty flat and low lying, not cliffy and mountainous, so it doesn't lend itself to caves really.

So does anyone here know if a cave exists near Navan?

Well, I think there might be one to the Northwest of the town - 1/2 mile deep...

...think it might be man made though!!!

Seriously though - I never knew of any caves in Meath let alone Navan.

Regards!

chewed

I read somewhere before in an old history book that the name specifically refers to a grotto!

donmaga1

LOL. I was told the caves were up the lane on the left at the bottom of flower hill. There are rocks and grass and stuff up there. I was told the caves were there.:p.
With all the building going on it is interesting to find out if the caves are still accessible. Where ever the caves are.

Múinteoir

I think there's something about it in this book. You don't need to buy it. It's a relatively new book and should be available in the public library.

Múinteoir

Múinteoir wrote: »

I think there's something about it in this book. You don't need to buy it. It's a relatively new book and should be available in the public library.

Here's a link to the book in county library.

donmaga1

Great post

JupiterKid

Thaks everyone.:) It just intriuged me how Navan means "the cave" and yet there doesn't seem to be any apparent cave that this name is referring to.

Maybe instead of an natural underground cave, the name instead was referring to a passage tomb, like the one at Tara. Are there any passage tombs in Navan?

donmaga1

Did you try the Solar night club.... No wait.... that is a hole not a tomb. LOL

marco murphy

JupiterKid wrote: »

Thaks everyone.:) It just intriuged me how Navan means "the cave" and yet there doesn't seem to be any apparent cave that this name is referring to.

Maybe instead of an natural underground cave, the name instead was referring to a passage tomb, like the one at Tara. Are there any passage tombs in Navan?

Theres a tunnel that goes under the river apparently.

From a local man, apprently the cave is where the old mill factory is along the river.

As someone said, if you take a left at the bottom of flower hill (head toward kells direction) you'll see the old factory. Apprently they dug out ''the cave'' or some structure to build the factory.

kelle

Perestroika wrote: »

Apprently they dug out ''the cave'' or some structure to build the factory.

Would they not have filled it in;)

Dionysus

'Navan is called by the Irish An Uaimh, which means the Crypt or Cave, though O Reilly says that it means na hAibhne, i.e. the Rivers. This was a fair conjecture of O'Reilly's because the River Sele meets the Boyne at the town of Navan, but still the natives of Meath never call Navan, Na hAibhne, the Rivers, but An Uaimh, the Crypt, and there is no evidence that the ancient Irish ever called a meeting of the Rivers by the name Na hAibhne, but on the contrary we have authority to state that they called the meeting of two or more rivers either Cumber, Corick, or Suaineamh. It is my opinion that the moat near Navan was the locality originally called An Uaimh or the Crypt....

John O Donovan (1806-1861), Ordnance Survey Letters County Meath (Dublin, 1836, reprinted by Four Masters Press, 2001), no. 155, p. 59.


You can buy the paperback version for €25 as I did in Cathach Books off Grafton Street. It's a superb and very unique collection. Any more recommendations for Meath history, just message me as I've just come across this board.


PS: Here's a brief piece on Navan Motte: http://chooseireland.com/county/meath/the-motte-of-navan.html

marco murphy

kelle wrote: »

Would they not have filled it in;)

No. The alleged cave was in a rock bank, the whole thing was lifted out to fit the factory.