Navan An Uaimh
—  Town  —
Market Square
Navan Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°39′10″N 6°40′53″W / 53.6528°N 6.6814°W / 53.6528; -6.6814Coordinates: 53°39′10″N 6°40′53″W / 53.6528°N 6.6814°W / 53.6528; -6.6814
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Meath
Dáil Éireann	Meath West
Elevation	42 m (138 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
• Town	28,179
• Environs	15,855
Irish Grid Reference	N872677
Website	www.meath.ie

Navan ( /ˈnævən/; Irish: an Uaimh, meaning "the cave"; etymology disputed) is the county town of County Meath in Ireland. It is one of the few places in the world to have a palindromic name (see list of palindromic places). National legislation was enacted in 1971 which set the town's name as "Navan" in English.^[2] The population of the urban area of Navan was 3,166 in 2006. The population of the suburbs was 21,141 in the same year, giving a combined total of 24,851. The population of the town and its environs had increased by 28% since 2002.^[3] It has a population of 3,710 according to the 2006 census.

Local government[link]

Navan is the county town or administrative capital of County Meath. Navan is also the name of a Local Electoral Area which includes the town and adjacent parts of the county. The total population of Navan Electoral Area was 38,891 in 2006.^[3][4]

Economy[link]

Tara Mine, Europe's largest lead and zinc mine is located in Navan. The town traditionally was famous for carpets (Navan Carpets closed in 2003) and for a thriving furniture industry (Beechmount Home Park). Both are now in decline, or have ceased, as a result of the move away from manufacture to cheaper locations like Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, Navan has rapidly expanded with the Celtic Tiger to become a large dormitory town due to its proximity to Dublin.

Railway[link]

The town has a freight only railway line. Navan was a railway crossroads, with the GNR(I) line from Drogheda to Oldcastle and the MGWR line from Kingscourt to Clonsilla (on the Dublin to Sligo line) passing through the town, connecting at Navan Junction.

The GNR(I) line from Navan to Oldcastle and the MGWR line from Clonsilla to Navan closed in 1963, leaving the lines from Drogheda to Navan and Navan to Kingscourt in place. A spur to Tara Mines on the Navan to Oldcastle trackbed was reinstated in 1977.

As of 2005 the railway is solely used by Iarnród Éireann to bring freight from the local lead and zinc mine, Tara Mines, to Dublin Port. The line from Kingscourt was used for transport of gypsum until quite recently but now this line is unused.

A campaign to have the Clonsilla to Navan line reopened, seeks a commuter service to Dublin, initially via the existing Drogheda line, and then directly through reopening the direct line to Dublin via Dunboyne. The Transport 21 plan envisaged the reopening of Clonsilla services happening in two stages, initially to a park and ride off the M3 at Pace by 2009 and later extending to Navan by 2015. The first stage of the project as far as Pace, Co Meath was completed in 2010, and a daily commuter service to Dublin Docklands Station commenced on 2 September 2010. The second stage of the rail link to Navan has been postponed indefinitely as a consequence of cutbacks in the state's infrastructural spend announced in July 2010.

Education[link]

St. Mary's Church

Navan has a number of secondary schools both private denominational and public inter-denominational and non-denominational. St. Patrick's Classical School is a Roman Catholic boys only school. St. Michael's Loreto Secondary School and St. Joseph's Secondary School at the Mercy Convent are both girls only Roman Catholic convent schools. Beaufort College is a large state owned inter-denominational vocational school. The Abylity College was a parent owned non-denominational school.^[5][6]

Navan and the surrounding area has a number of primary schools including town's Catholic boys' primary school Scoil Mhuire which was originally run by the De La Salle Brothers. Pierce Brosnan was a former pupil of St. Anne's Loreto which is situated beside St. Mary's Catholic Church and near to St. Joseph's Mercy.There are also St. Paul's, St. Ultan's, and St. Oliver's primary schools. Scoil Éanna is the town's oldest and largest Gaelscoil. The town's only Church of Ireland secondary school, Preston School, closed in the 1970s. It is now the site of the shopping centre in the town. There is a Church of Ireland primary school known as Flowerfield School, at Connolly Avenue, a new site. It was originally situated at the Flowerfield area of the town, on the main thoroughfare to Drogheda, in a building which has been sympathetically converted into private accommodation. There is also a multi-denominational Educate Together primary school in the town, sited at Commons Road.

People[link]

Navan was the childhood home of Pierce Brosnan, who appeared in the television series Remington Steele and was the fifth film actor to play James Bond. TV personality Hector Ó hEochagáin, and comedians Dylan Moran and Tommy Tiernan also hail from Navan.

Other famous Navan people have included Sir Francis Beaufort famous for his wind scale. His birthplace was removed by the local council in the 1990s to make way for a road junction.

Brian Byrne, composer, is a native of Navan and is currently living in L.A. working on film and TV scores. Brian has recently reworked the theme tune for The Late Late Show and scored the upcoming Irish comedy movie Zonad. Brian has also scored the film The Good Doctor which was premiered at the Tribeca Festival 2011, and the upcoming movie Albert Nobbs featuring Glenn Close and Brendan Gleeson. The film has been nominated for three Golden Globes, Brian the nominee of one for best original song Lay Your Head Down, performed by Sinéad O'Connor. Brian has also been tipped for an Oscar nomination in the 2012 Oscar Awards.

Leading Trance producer John O'Callaghan is also from the area.

Stephen Manning the RTE Fall Guy^[7]

Entrepreneur Ian Clarke, the man behind Freenet, Revver and SenseArray is also a Navan native. Clarke's family owns The Sports Den,^[8] which is currently operated by his brother Simon.^[9]

Dave Murphy of Setanta Sports

Sport[link]

Navan Races (September 2007)

Navan is home to many sports teams which have won titles in many various sports. The town has had major success in the Meath Senior Football Championship. Pierce O'Mahony's and Navan Gaels are both defunct GAA clubs. Together they have won 14 Meath Senior Football Championship Titles. Navan O'Mahony's was founded in 1948 and with 17 S.F.C titles they are the most successful football club in County Meath. Páirc Tailteann is located in Navan and is home of the Meath Gaelic football and Hurling teams.

Navan R.F.C. won over 186 trophies in the 1960s and currently compete in the All Ireland League (AIL) Division 3

Knockharley Cricket Club were founded in 1982 and are the only cricket club in County Meath competing in the Leinster Cricket Union, the clubs most recent success came in 2006 when the 1st XI won the Middle 2 Leinster Cup defeating Mullingar at North Kildare.

Parkvilla Football Club^[10] were founded in 1966 and are the highest placed football club in Meath playing in the Leinster Senior League in Senior 1A. They have a very successful schoolboy/girl section which has consistently won the highest honours in the North Eastern Counties Schoolboy League. The club were honoured with a Civic reception by Navan Town Council in 2006 for their contribution to sport and the community in Navan. Their home ground is Claremont Stadium, Commons Road, Navan whom they co-own with Navan Athletic Club.

Other sporting facilities include:

• Aura swimming pool^[11]
• Horse Racing, both National Hunt racing and Flat racing, at Navan Racecourse.

Twinning[link]

Navan is twinned with the following places:

• Bobbio, Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
• Broccostella, Frosinone, Lazio, Italy^[12][13]

There is a current initiative to twin Navan with Navan, Ontario, Canada which was given its name by Michael O Meara from Navan County Meath who set up a trading post in Canada in the 1840's which became a Post Office called Navan. Navan, Ontario is now a village on the outskirts of Ottawa with an approximate population of 3500 people. The Navan2Navan Community Initiative was set up in 2012 to develop links between the two towns.

Arts[link]

Railway Street in Navan is the home of the Solstice Art Gallery, which is run by Meath County Council and leading art exhibitions are held there regularly.

Meath Arts Group is very active in the area.

Public Art[link]

Sniomh by Betty Newman Maguire in front of Navan Fire Station. A sculpture inspired by the movement of water and the merging of the rivers Boyne and Blackwater.

The Fifth Province by Richard King on the Navan Bypass. A sculpture symbolising the ideal for the cultural integration of all the people of the island of Ireland. Composed of four branches and a central upright stem that symbolises the flowering of hope and peace.

See also[link]

• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• Navan Man

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Navan

External links[link]

• Meath County Council
• Parkvilla Football Club website
• Navan O'Mahonys Hurling website
• Navan Railway Project.com - Website tracking reinstatement of Rail Passenger services to Navan
• Meath Tourism website managed by Meath County Council
• Meet in Meath website managed by Meath County Council
• Meath Event Guide
• Local Public Speaking Club - Navan Toastmasters
• Navan2Navan - Linking Ireland and Canada website of Navan2Navan Community Initiative

v t e Places in County Meath County town: Navan Towns Ashbourne Athboy Dunboyne Dunshaughlin Kells Navan Oldcastle Ratoath Trim Villages and townlands Ardcath Agher Baile Ghib Batterstown Bective Bellewstown Bettystown Boyerstown Carnaross Clonard Clonee Curraha Donacarney Drumconrath Drumone Drumree Duleek Enfield Gormanston Julianstown Kentstown Kilcloon Kildalkey Kilmainhamwood Kilmessan Kiltale Laytown Longwood Monknewton Mornington Mosney Moylagh Moynalty Mulhussey Nobber Ráth Cairn Rathmolyon Skryne Slane Stamullen Summerhill Yellow Furze Category:Geography of County Meath

Tommy Tiernan (born 16 June 1969) is an Irish comedian, actor and writer. He and Hector Ó hEochagáin presented The Tommy and Hector Show on i102-104FM. Tiernan also featured in Father Ted as a depressed priest.

Early life[link]

Tiernan was born in Carndonagh, County Donegal.^[1] His father is a native of County Kerry while his mother is from County Limerick. He moved, with his family, from County Cork as a child. After spells living in Zambia and London, he attended the same school as Irish television presenter Hector Ó hEochagáin and Dylan Moran, in St. Patrick's Classical School, Navan, Co Meath, a former Roman Catholic junior seminary.^[2][3] He later attended a boarding school, Garbally College, in Ballinasloe, County Galway.^{[citation needed]}

Appearances[link]

Tiernan has appeared several times on The Late Late Show. In the United States he has appeared several times on the Late Show with David Letterman.^[4] Recently^[when?] he appeared on the Michael McIntyre Comedy Roadshow, Lee Mack Show, DAVE's One NIght Stand and joined comedic legends Eddie Izzard and Ross Noble at Laughs in the Park.

Former World Record Holder[link]

In 2009, Tiernan set the Guinness World Record for the longest stand-up comedy show by an individual achieving 36 hours and 15 minutes at Nuns Island in Galway (12 April 2009).^[5] Later in 2009 that record was broken by Australian Comedian Lindsay Webb. However, the new record now stands at 40 hours, and was set on 23 September 2010 by the American Comedian Bob Marley.

TV career[link]

In "Going to America", the final episode of the clerical sitcom Father Ted, Tiernan plays a young priest whose suicide attempt is foiled by Ted at "It's Great Being a Priest '98". He is later cured of depression by the "Theme From Shaft", but subsequently relapses after overhearing the Radiohead song "Exit Music (For a Film)".

In the 1999 Channel4 sitcom, Small Potatoes, Tiernan took the lead role of Ed Blewitt, an underachiever who works in an east London video rental shop. It ran for 13 episodes over 2 seasons, ending in 2001.^[6]

Radio career[link]

In 2008, Tommy and Hector Ó hEochagáin formed as a radio duo on The Tommy and Hector Show on i102-104FM after hinting at a desire to be on the radio, months before on The Late Late Show. Speaking about his role, Tommy said, “I’ve always wanted to have loads of craic on the radio. What better way to have a mountain of devilment than to do a show with my best friend.”^[7] Following the success of their show on iRadio Northwest, the show moved to the nationwide slot of Saturday 10am-12pm on 2FM.

Comedic style[link]

When he started out he had an ambition to be like Lenny Bruce.^[8] He doesn't regard himself as being, like Lenny Bruce, a comedian with a message.^[8] Tommy Tiernan admits that his sense of humour is controversial, but claims that it is based on instinct and denies there is any malice or meanness in it.^[8]

In 2007 some families of people with Down Syndrome complained about a routine about people with Down Syndrome in his act.^[9] It had caused some surprise to some of the families as Tiernan has run a marathon in support of Down Syndrome Ireland.^[9] The Chief Executive of Down Syndrome Ireland, John Lindsay, National Secretary, Ingrid Murphy, National Executive member Caroline Courtney and President of Down Syndrome Ireland Mary O'Reilly attended the Tommy Tiernan show Bovinity at Vicar Street and released the following statement: "We all agreed that the section of the show devoted to Down Syndrome was not offensive in any way to individuals with Down Syndrome, one of whom was in attendance, or to their parents/siblings/friends, many of whom were in the audience. If the sketch is viewed in its totality and pieces not taken out of context it can only be interpreted as hilarious."

An appearance on The Late Late Show in 2008 led to complaints about his jokes involving a methadone user, eastern European immigrant accents, buying a motorbike from an injured biker, and a film idea about gay Traveller spacemen seeking a cure for gayness, eight of which were upheld by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission. Previous routines which went largely without remark included a comic reference to disproportionate American reaction to 9/11 and a long comic repetition on the indifferent Israeli attitude to foreign criticism of Israeli occupations of surrounding land .^[10][11][12]

Controversy over Holocaust remarks[link]

In September 2009 Tommy responded to a question concerning antisemitism at a pre performance public question and answer session at the Electric Picnic by making remarks about the Holocaust and comments about Jews and the death of Christ while he was interviewed by Olaf Tyaransen,^[13] stating "These Jews, these fucking Jew cunts come up to me. Fucking Christ-killing bastards. Fucking six million? I would have got 10 or 12 million out of that. No fucking problem! Fuck them.".^[14] He was responding to an audience member who asked if he had ever been accused of antisemitism.^[15]

The response of the audience was criticised by Alan Shatter as "disappointing" and also said "I would regard it as particularly sad that people found that sort of outburst in any way amusing".^[15]

Tommy Tiernan released a statement that said he had not meant to cause offence and that his words had been taken out of context.^[16] He said that the comments were part of an attempt to explain his belief that comedians have a duty to be irresponsible and reckless, to allow "whatever lunacy is within you to come out" and that they should never be taken out of context.^[16] He added that the statements that had caused controversy had been preceded by a statement not to take the rant seriously.^[16]

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin also criticised the remarks, describing them as "offensive to the Jewish community", "offensive to all who feel revulsion concerning the Holocaust, one of the most horrific events in human history” and “I can only decry the comments as insensitive and hurtful to the suffering of the victims and to a memory which is sacred”.^[17]

Holocaust Education Trust Ireland condemned Tiernans' statements as "appalling".^[17] Ruairi Quinn, chairman of the Trust, said that "as someone in the public eye, he has to take responsibility for his racist comments. We are equally concerned about the report of the audience’s reaction, which appears to have endorsed, sustained and enjoyed his comments. We would hope that the Irish public will choose to stay away from such racist ‘entertainment’ in future”.^[17] The Trust also said it "utterly condemns Mr Tiernan’s anti-Semitic outburst and calls upon him to repudiate completely and apologise unreservedly for the comments about the Holocaust and the Jews he is reported to have made" and "This incident highlights the necessity and relevance of the role of Holocaust education in order to educate and inform people in Ireland about the Holocaust, intolerance and anti-Semitism.”^[17]

Louis Lentin said Tiernan should be denied a visa for his shows in the U.S. in October.^[18] Lentin said Tiernan's comments at the Electric Picnic festival in County Laois were "disgraceful", and “extraordinarily racist." "He doesn’t realise what he has said. He doesn’t realise the seriousness of it. You can’t make a joke about the Holocaust and just because you say it is a joke does not make it funny or acceptable".^[18]

Rabbi Robert Alper who is also a comedian said that Tommy Tiernans' statement on the subject was an attempt to weasel out of the situation.^[19] Rabbi Alper also said about Tiernans claim that comedians have a duty to be irresponsible: "To me that’s really stupid. I don’t think that comedians should be reckless or irresponsible. Comedians should be concerned about the feelings of other human beings. It’s hurtful. Comedians (in America) don’t do anti-semitic things. I’ve rarely heard of it. There are plenty of tasteless comedians out there but none of them pick on a group of people."^[19] He also did not consider Tiernans' statement to be an apology, suggesting that Tiernan should say "I'm sorry".^[19] The Editor of Hot Press magazine, Niall Stokes later said that "To interpret it as anti-Semitism, is wrongheaded in the extreme. The way I see it, he is satirising anti-Semitism, while making a more general point that we should all be able to laugh at ourselves."

Olaf Tyaransen wrote that neither he nor Tommy Tiernan had anticipated the subsequent response to unreserved comments made by the comedian during an afternoon interview hosted by Hot Press magazine at the Electric Picnic — an end-of-season arts & music festival.^[13] Tyaransen said the last question asked from the floor (by an audience member readily identifiable by a green 'Palestina' t-shirt) about a dogged charge of anti-Semitism led to the comments at issue, and part of Tiernan's response recounted criticism of his routine by a Jewish couple after a show in New York.^[13] Olaf Tyaransen claimed Tiernan's subsequent ideas — focusing on a "two-at-a-time" efficiency concerning the systematic murder of millions of Jews — had been taken out of context, though he personally held the comedian's monologue as 'very funny' and said as much on Marian Finucane's RTÉ Radio 1 show of 26 September 2009.

Personal life[link]

Tommy married Yvonne, his partner and manager, on 9 August 2009 in County Monaghan. Guests included Ardal O'Hanlon, Gay Byrne and Dylan Moran. He has four children from a previous relationship with Jayme Street with whom he shared a home in Galway. The two met when they joined a Christian community based on the Aran Islands, but broke up in October 2002.^[20] Tiernan is a supporter of Liverpool F.C..^[21]

Awards[link]

In 1996 Tiernan won the Channel 4 "So You Think You're Funny" award. Two years later he was awarded the Perrier Comedy Award at the 1998 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and won the Best Stand-Up Award at the British Comedy Awards. In 2003 he won the Nokia Best of the Fest Award and the Orange People Choice Award at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival. In 2006 Tommy won Ireland's Funniest Living Person Award at the People of the Year Awards.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Controversial anti semitic comments
• Tommy Tiernan at the Internet Movie Database