A total of €15 million is to be spent over the next three years on developing a major visitor centre at the site of the Battle of the Boyne at Oldbridge Estate near Drogheda, Co Louth.
The work will involve the development of visitor and exhibition centre, new walkways and the construction of a peace garden, it was announced yesterday.
The core battle site forms part of the Oldbridge estate and was purchased by the State in 1999. The purchase price was also €15 million.
Under the Office of Public Works the site has been open to the public during the summer since 2002. Last year there were 20,000 visitors.
At the site yesterday, in the company of many representatives of the Northern Ireland unionist community, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said the Government recognised and appreciated the immense historical importance of this site and also the particular significance of the Battle of the Boyne for many in the unionist community.
"In the Good Friday agreement, the Government committed itself to actively promoting and developing respect, reconciliation and mutual understanding between the different traditions on the island of Ireland.
"The preservation and appropriate development of this historic battle site is a powerful and tangible expression of that commitment," he said.
The proposals on how to develop the site were drawn up after a cross-Border consultation process which led to a series of recommendations from an inter- departmental committee, which have been accepted by the Government. They will cost €15 million to implement.
Mr Ahern emphasised that the Government gave importance to the "huge historical importance of the site, particularly for the unionist tradition on the island".
The site of the 1690 battle is a short distance from the megalithic tombs at Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth and is likely to attract some of the 230,000 plus visitors they receive every year.