Slane Co Meath.

(Slanelfiaik Shldine)

The village of Slane is situated on a hillside close to the river Boyne, this stretch of the Boyne is popular with canoeists, picnickers, walkers and fishermen, the village has some fine examples of Georgian architecture, about one mile upstream is Slane castle built in the late 18th century for the Marquis of Conyngham, who apparently was a belligerent character, because of this the castle had several architects. Capability Brown was hired to plan the gardens, he did so from a safe distance in England. The castle was badly damaged by fire in 1991.

The Marchioness Conningham was rumored to have been the last mistress of George IV. The reason, it is said the road from Dublin to Slane is so straight, was to enable George IV to reach his mistress with the utmost speed when he visited Ireland in 1821.

On the village side of the bridge, is a group of 18th century mill houses which now houses a Folk and Transport Museum. They contains vintage and classic cars and motoring memorabilia, as well as traditional interiors.

Old Mill Folk and Transport Museum is open daily during June-Aug between 12.30 5.30 pm.
Tel: +353 (0)41 51827.

A small museum near the town centre once a labourers cottage was the birthplace of lyric poet Francis Ledwich, on a plaque is inscribed one of the verses he wrote to a friend Thomas Macdonagh executed for his part in the 1916 Easter rising.

He shall not hear the bittern cry
In the wild sky, where he is lain,
Nor voices of the sweeter birds
Above the wailing of the rain.

Ledwidge was himself killed at the age of thirty on the battlefields of Flanders, although his work was not much read at the time, due no doubt to the political upheaval of the period, of recent years many hsve come to appreciate it, and lament him as a great loss to Irish literature.