Navan
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Navan An Uaimh
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Market Square
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 Navan
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| Coordinates: 53°39′10″N 6°40′53″W / 53.6528°N 6.6814°WCoordinates: 53°39′10″N 6°40′53″W / 53.6528°N 6.6814°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Meath |
| Dáil Éireann | Meath West |
| Elevation | 42 m (138 ft) |
| Population (2016). | |
| • Rank | 10th |
| • Urban | 3,608 |
| • Rural | 28,081 |
| Irish Grid Reference | N872677 |
| Website | www |
Navan (/ˈnævən/; Irish: an Uaimh) is the county town of County Meath in Ireland. In 2016, the town and its environs had a population of 31,689; making it the 5th largest town, and 10th largest urban settlement, in Ireland. Navan is along the River Boyne and the confluence of the Blackwater and the Boyne is situated in Navan.
Navan is a Norman foundation: Hugh de Lacy, who was granted the Lordship of Meath in 1172, awarded the Barony of Navan to one of his knights, Jocelyn de Angulo, who built a fort there from which the town developed.
Navan is one of the world's few towns that has a palindromic name. Variants of Navan had been in use since Norman times. It is thought to come from Irish an Uamhain, meaning "the cave/souterrain", a variant of its more common Irish name an Uaimh. In 1922, when the Irish Free State was founded, an Uaimh was adopted as the town's only official name. However, it failed to gain popularity in English and in 1971 the name was reverted to Navan in English.
Tara Mine, Europe's largest lead and zinc mine is located in Navan. The town traditionally was famous for carpets (Navan Carpets closed in 2003) and for a thriving furniture industry (Beechmount Home Park). Both are now in decline, or have ceased, as a result of the move away from manufacture to cheaper locations like Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, Navan had rapidly expanded with the Celtic Tiger to become a large dormitory town due to its proximity to Dublin. Following the Global economic crisis and the collapse of the Celtic tiger in 2008 Navan once again declined. Employment in the mining industry remained stable however tertiary industries reliant on consumer spending suffered.
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