Boyerstown
Baile Bháigh

The Ireland's Ancient East
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Baile Bháigh · Co. Meath

A small townland southwest of Navan, with the M3 motorway running through it.

Boyerstown (Baile Bháigh in Irish) is a small townland in County Meath, located 5 kilometres southwest of Navan town. It is part of Ardbraccan Civil Parish and sits in the administrative area of Ardbraccan Electoral Division. The N51 national secondary road runs through the area, and since 2010 the M3 motorway has also passed through the townland, with Páirc Tailteann (the GAA stadium complex) situated nearby. The village itself is small — scattered houses along the road, farmland, and the infrastructure that comes with proximity to the motorway.

When the M3 bypass was constructed, archaeological testing uncovered six sites across Boyerstown: three burnt mounds, possible medieval structures, a small group of pits, and a possible enclosure. These finds suggest occupation and use of the landscape from Bronze Age times through the medieval period. The townland is now a place of passage rather than settlement — cars moving fast on the motorway, the N51 carrying local traffic, and the deeper history buried underground, waiting for the next construction project to reveal it again.

Population

~120

Coords

53.6728° N, 6.6472° W

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At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

01 The motorway

The M3 bypass passes through.

The M3 motorway section near Navan runs through the townland of Boyerstown. Archaeological surveys during construction uncovered burnt mounds, medieval structures, and ancient pits.

Stories & lore → 02 The location

Southwest of Navan on the N51.

Boyerstown is 5km southwest of Navan town, in the parish of Ardbraccan. The N51 runs through the area, and the townland is part of the wider Navan electoral division.

Getting there → 03 The history

Bronze Age and medieval layers.

Burnt mounds and pits from ancient times, medieval features, and the landscape patterns of a working agricultural area for nearly two millennia.

Stories & lore →

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Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

Construction and discovery

The M3 archaeology

During the construction of the M3 motorway section near Navan (2008–2010), archaeological testing in Boyerstown townland uncovered six separate sites of archaeological interest. Three were burnt mounds — Bronze Age features associated with cooking or metalworking. Others included possible medieval structures, a small group of pits (purpose unknown), and a possible enclosure. The finds show continuous human use and settlement in the area over roughly 3,000 years. The discoveries are registered but the landscape itself has been reshaped by the motorway that revealed them.

The Meath GAA stadium

Páirc Tailteann

Páirc Tailteann is the home of the Meath Gaelic football and hurling teams and is located on the edge of Boyerstown, close to Navan. Built and opened in the 1990s, it replaced Pairc Táilteann in the town centre and is the focal point of GAA life in County Meath. Match days bring thousands to the area. The stadium is named after Tailltean — the ancient assembly of the high kings of Ireland, held at Taillten (in the parish of Kentstown, not far from here) in medieval times.

Getting there.

By car

From Navan: 5km southwest on the N51. The M3 motorway passes through the townland, with junctions near Dunshaughlin to the south. From Dublin: 35km via the N3 and M3 junction near Dunboyne.