- Site of the most iconic battle in Irish history.
- Excellent background information available in multi-media presentations.
- Relaxing walks on historic ground.
- Living history demonstrations on summer weekends.
- Development of site ongoing, some areas are threatened by housing developments.
- Only part of the actual battlesite has been preserved or developed for visitors,
- Extensive site west of Drogheda provided an opportunity for the Williamite army to cross.
- Defended by Jacobite troops the site became a "last stand" to protect Dublin.
- William III's victory over James II became iconic - though the Battle of the Boyne was far from decisive.
- New visitor center has improved site to no ends.
This was the unloved bastard child amongst historic places since Irish independence. Seen as a symbol of Protestant-English oppression the cenotaph marking William's victory was razed, the site allowed to go to seed. Only in recent years has a new way of thinking set in - the Battle of the Boyne was stripped of its mythological connotations and the Irish government and the Orange Order agreed to develop the site together.
Today most visitors still seem to hail from the Loyalist side of the Northern Irish divide, but a steady trickle of non-partisan tourists has been noted. These are met by a landscaped parkland now - but nothing to rival the battlesites at Gettysburg or Verdun.
Opened in May 2008, the new Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre re-uses the Oldbridge Estate. Basically you get a landscaped park on (presumably) historic ground and a museum. Dotted around the landscape are a few (replica) artillery pieces. The exhibition itself is small, consisting of some life-size figurines, murals and very few relics. Highlight here is a large model of the Boyne Valley as it was in 1690, with display screens showing battle scenes and lasers simulating troop movements. Simply the best representation of a historical battle I have seen. Outside in the courtyard is an artillery exhibition, replicas all. Through the courtyard you’ll also get to the audiovisual show, a 13 minute long action-packed spectacular that manages to recreate the conflict with actors, reenactors and clever use of CGI. Again - spectacular and well worth the entrance fee.
Summer weekends also see living history demonstrations - artillery pieces being fired and cavalry drill. While these are spectacular enough they are unfortunately rare.
