Ancient fights and double-dealing politics — a visit to Boyne battle site

Explore the River Boyne Battle site by following the arrows along a series of walkways before joining the Boyne Canal Towpath and returning by the entrance gates to Oldbridge, having enjoyed a 5-km outing

Schomberg Memorial, Oldbridge, commemorates the spot where the Duke of Schomberg died in the Battle of the Boyne. Pictures: John G O'Dwyer

More than 30 years ago, I journeyed with few expectations to the Battle of the Boyne site near Drogheda and yet returned disappointed.

There was almost nothing to suggest where or how the battle unfolded. This wasn’t surprising since Northern Ireland’s Orange Order had, for centuries, proclaimed the outcome a great victory for King William III against what they termed the threat of Popery in Ireland. By a country mile the largest and most significant battle fought on Irish soil, it ensured that, thereafter, only a Protestant monarch would reign on the British throne.