Man-made underground passage in Dillonsland

Sir William Wilde (1849, 135-6) describes how a large quantity of artefacts relating to horse harness was found in Athlumney, on the E side of A SE-NW section of the Boyne, in constructing the NE-SW railway line into the station at Navan. The artefacts, including bridle-bits, bronze, iron and silver rings, buckles and head-pieces together with human and animal bones were donated to the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy and are now in the National Museum of Ireland. The railway crosses the river on a viaduct but the station is only c. 250m from the river. On this side of the river the ground slopes down gently to the stream, and according to Wilde a Man-made underground passage consisting of a straight passage ’53 and a half feet long, eight feet broad and six feet high (L c. 16.3m; Wth c. 2.45m; H c. 1.8m)’ with two spurs leading to beehive chambers came to light in constructing the railway line. Although Wilde thought that much of the structure was preserved, its precise location is not known. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 10 July 2007 Revised: 29 March 2023 Wilde, W. R. W. 1849 (reprinted 1978) The Beauties of the Boyne and its tributary, the Blackwater. McGlashan, Dublin