2022:667 - Trim Millennium Bridge, Meath

The Trim wooden, pedestrian ‘Millennium’ Bridge was completed in July 2001, following testing and monitoring, 01E0262 and 01E0262 ext. (Rosanne Meenan/Alan Hayden). The abutments are mass concrete blocks roughly 6m east-west x 2m x 2m deep built onto bedrock. The 2m deep mass concrete foundations are sunk through dumps of soil 1.5-2m deep representing redeposited, dredged material from the 1970's Boyne Drainage Scheme. The mass concrete foundations are then topped with concrete block ‘masking walls’ up to 1.5m high that are surrounded by imported, modern, soils which make up the north and south ramped bridge approaches (roughly 10m x 20m each), as created in 2001.

The southern abutment is adjacent to or within lands associated with Trim Castle, National Monument No. 514. The northern abutment lies within Blackfriary 2nd Division, which forms part of State Lands of Trim Porch Field and Town Defences, National Monument No. 679. The River Boyne forms part of the Rivers Boyne and Blackwater Special Area of Conservation. This area is within the Trim Historical Core Architectural Conservation Area and there is interaction with Trim Protected View No. 9 and possibly with Protected View No. 3.

The Millennium Bridge Inspection of July 2022 condemned the wooden bridge as having seriously failed and to be removed for safety reasons. Between July and August 2022, the bridge visibly deteriorated further and, following a Natura Impact Statement and an application for Ministerial Consent C001141 (Sub-numbers E005431 and W000483), the wooden bridge deck and railings were removed on 19 August 2022 by JJ Duffy Demolition and Civil Contractors. The mass concrete bridge abutments and imported material approach ramps were left in situ and the site was cleared.

At the time of the bridge demolition the Office of Public Works (OPW) was completing renovation works on the adjacent water pump in its inspection shaft. This water pump was placed here around 2000. It takes water from the River Boyne and pumps it into Trim Castle moat (re-created c.1990s), where another pump at the southern end removes the water back into the River Boyne. OPW had excavated some riverbank material that had been mounded on the riverbank and this material was reviewed for finds. The material appeared to be mounded, dredged broken bedrock, rocks, soils, gravels and silts from the previous riverbed, but only modern metal and plastic finds were noted. The remaining OPW works were not monitored by the Meath County Council archaeologist.

In September 2022 the Irish Defence Forces were engaged to construct a replacement, temporary ‘Bailey Bridge’. The Bailey Bridge was founded on imported stone chippings placed to the west of each of the original north and south concrete and ramped abutments. This was to potentially allow a new permanent bridge to be built on the original abutments while the temporary bridge remained in situ. The Bailey Bridge was launched from the Castle (southern side) and pushed across the River Boyne between 19 and 28 September 2022. It was then made safe for public use.

All 2022 Bridge works were monitored and no archaeological deposits or material was encountered or disturbed.

C/o Meath County Council