Navan plans to attract visitors with interactive walking tour

A 5km interactive walking tour of Navan taking in local historical sites as well as modern developments in the town is expected to be up and running in May. The 'Points of Pride' walking tour tells the story of Navan, both past and present, and is based on the historical walk of Navan compiled by noted Meath historian, Fr Gerry Rice. The looped walk will begin at the Solstice Arts Centre where visitors can purchase an audio set or download the guide to accompany the walk, which will also be available in other languages. Information plates of polished stainless steel will be erected at each of the sites of interest which will be 1.8m in height, with acid etching writing. The design is inspired by the Newgrange keystone and Town Clerk Shane Donnelly explained that they would be artistic features in their own right. He added that the plates would be vandal-proof insofar as possible and would also require very low maintenance. The total cost of the project is €30,000 - €25,000 for the information plates and €5,000 for brochures. Mr Donnelly said the idea behind 'Points of Pride' is to acknowledge the positive difference made by current generations while also embracing that carried out by past generations. In planning the walk, he said they were conscious of the need to tell the story of Navan, past and present, that the walk would be interesting and of a reasonable length and that the walk would be looped and interactive. He said that "no other town in the country would have what is being proposed for Navan" and that it was "unique". The walk has been designed to allow it to be extended easily in the future. The walk commences at the Solstice Arts Centre and continues in a 5km loop, taking in sites of historical interest such as the former St Finian's Secondary School, Athlumney Castle and the town hall, as well as modern developments in the town such as St Mary's Credit Union which won an award for its architectural design, and Kennedy Place. A brochure of the walk with a map will be available and different language options are being examined. Visitors will be able to download the guided audio of the walk itself onto their MP3 players or iPods at various locations around the town or they can purchase an audio set for a fee of €4 (or a return fee of €10). The council is also working with local businesses to include a voucher pack with every purchase of an audio set which will also benefit the economy of the town. Councillors were told that the total cost of the plaques/information plates is €25,000 and that the cost of the brochures would be €5,000. The audio guided walking tour would cost €3,000, but this would be recouped. The project was warmly welcomed by all councillors who thanked the town clerk and his team for the work that had been put into the development of the walk. Cllr Francis Deane said the walking tour would encourage people to come into Navan and Cllr Anton McCabe said he had previously spoken about branding the town, and that this was "a major step forward in that". Cllr Padraig Fitzsimons said: "It is very innovative. At last, Navan is selling itself. For a long time, Navan was left behind Trim, Kells and Slane and it didn't get the recognition that a county town deserves. This is not a step - it is a leap." He said that taken with the Tara/Skyrne conservation plan, it would be of huge cultural economic benefit to the town. Cllr Fitzsimons added there should be reference to the site at St Benildus Villas, as An Uaimh, means the cave. He suggested that St Patrick's Classical School be included for the entertainers it had produced, the now "half moat" at Moat Hill and Tara Mines, as the town's biggest employer. Cllr Shane Cassells said they had been talking about Athlumney Castle and he was glad they were pursing this objective of the development plan. He said that to get this level of exposure for such a competitive price was impressive. Cllr Phil Brennan also welcomed the proposal and said it had come as a surprise to him that he lived in such an interesting area and had forgotten some of the areas that are so old and are well worth a visit. He asked when the project would be ready. Mr Donnelly told him it would be completed by May. Cllr Jim Holloway said it would the ideal opportunity for what the French call the "flaneur" - to saunter about and, at the same time, to be informed and enjoy oneself. Cllr Suzanne Jamal said the benefit for the town speaks for itself. When the new town park gets underway, they would work in tandem, she claimed. Cllr Joe Reilly said: "It is the first stage of us aggressively marketing our town and to have our own strategy. We have never had a fair crack at the whip from the county and now we are doing it for ourselves," he said. He added that he would like to see the town's railway viaduct included and said if Iarnrod Eireann could be persuaded to light it, it would make for a magnificent night view. Cllr Reilly also suggested that they include the art sculptures at Poolboy, the fire station, the Garda station and Kennedy Place.