Is this to be the Third Battle of the Boyne? A fairly friendly one, anyway. The First Battle we know all about. Even to that odd by product, a painting showing the Pope blessing the Williamite side. Yes, the Williamite side. The picture was on display in Belfast and someone, outraged, slashed it or otherwise tried to destroy it. People forget. But years later, it is known, it was restored and hung in a Minister's office at Stormont.
The Second Battle was over the arterial drainage of the river and its tributaries, which caused more than a little disquiet, expressed also in the columns of this newspaper. Some land, not much, was regained, some temporary winter flooding averted, but the main result was to have water - which we are told is a precious commodity - run off into the sea through unimpeded channels.
The Third Battle of the Boyne is partly aimed at undoing some of the damage. For example, one of the proposals is to appoint a Boyne fisheries manager at £50,000 annually. But the main aim of the Boyne Valley Integrated Development Plan is to convince the tourist that there is more to Meath than Bru na Boinne, with Newgrange, Dowth and other megaliths. And because that can be seen in a day trip, the priority, as their document says, "is to concentrate on the development of other amenities, to diversify the market and appeal to a wider cross section of the population." As a headline in the Meath Chronicle put it, when John Bruton announced the plan: "Boyne Valley Plan Could Put Meath on Tourism At Last" (our italics, as they say).
The plans reach out as far as the Loughcrew mountains. There are excellent, large scale maps. One of the priorities is the enhancement of towns and villages such as Kells, Trim, Slane. Slane was left out of earlier reckonings, but now will have money and effort invested. But the river itself is a major factor. Navigation on it will be worked at. There used to be considerable river traffic for tourists. As for angling, Mr Bruton spoke of restoring "its glory as a famous salmonoid river". He will have to contend with pollution the whole length of the river and its tributaries. In these days of modern farming, not easy. Also, he acknowledged that for the public at large, the river banks of the Boyne are inaccessible on many stretches.
You would wish him and them well, and hope that any improvement in visitors will be spread out over the country as a result of all the work. The report is most attractively and clearly set out. It costs £5.