Boyne Obelisk

The Boyne Obelisk (Irish: Obelisk Bóinne), also known as King William's Obelisk, was an obelisk located in Oldbridge, near Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland.

Boyne Obelisk
Obelisk Bóinne
The obelisk in 1890
Coordinates53°43′31.4″N 6°25′.2″W
LocationOldbridge, County Louth, Ireland
TypeObelisk
Height53 m (174 ft)
Completion date1736
Dedicated toWilliam of Orange
Dismantled date31 May 1923

History

The monument was erected in order to commemorate William of Orange's victory over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, and was located near the spot where William's forces crossed the River Boyne to engage James' forces. The foundation stone was laid on 17 April 1736 by Lionel Sackville, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.[1]

The obelisk after its destruction.

The obelisk stood until 31 May 1923, when it was destroyed during the Irish Civil War by members of the National Army, allegedly using three landmines stolen from a nearby Irish Army camp.[2] Only a small stump remains of the former monument.

Features

The Obelisk was made from granite and was built upon a large mound of rock (9 metres/30 ft high) located on the north bank of the River Boyne. At a height of 53 metres (174 ft), it was both the tallest man-made structure in Ireland and the tallest obelisk in Europe at the time of its construction.[3] It initially stood adjacent to a wooden bridge spanning the river, which was later replaced by a lattice iron bridge that was built in 1869 and named the Obelisk Bridge, after the monument.[4]

The square base of the Obelisk bore an inscription on each of its sides. The north side inscription read:

Sacred to the glorious memory of King William the Third, who, on the 1st of July, 1690, passed the river near this place to attack James the Second, and did, on that day, by a single battle, secure to us and to our posterity, our liberty, laws, and religion. In consequence of this action James II left this Kingdom and fled to France. This memorial of our deliverance was erected in the 9th year of King George II, the first stone being laid by Lionel Sackville, Duke of Dorset, Lord Lieutenant of the Kingdom of Ireland, MDCCXXXVI[5]

The south side inscription read:

Marshal the Duke of Schomberg in passing this river died bravely fighting[5]

The east side inscription read:

In defence of Liberty, July 1st MDCLXXXX[5]

The west side inscription read:

This monument was erected by the grateful contributions of several protestants of Great Britain and Ireland[5]

References
  1. "The story of the Orangemen of the Boyne Valley region - Independent.ie". Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  2. "New Orange lodge for banks of Boyne". Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  3. "Plan to restore Obelisk - Independent.ie". Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  4. "A walk 'round the Obelisk' - Independent.ie". Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  5. "The Boyne Obelisk". 31 May 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
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