Gardai rushed to a busy Irish walkway on Easter Sunday after a suspect device was discovered by the public.
The busy boardwalk forms part of a pedestrian link from Oldbridge in Co Meath and Drogheda in Co Louth.
It is believed that the device, which resembled a mortar, was found by a member of the public near Oldbridge at around 11am.
A number of people walking in the Easter Sunday sunshine strolled through the area before the discovery was made.
It is possible that the device was lodged in or close to the canal, which runs alongside the pedestrian route, for some time. However, this has yet to be confirmed.
The boardwalk, which is extremely popular with pedestrians, is approximately a 8km round trip from the car park at the Battle of the Boyne site to Drogheda.
The device was found around 400 metres away along the walkway in the direction of Ireland's largest town.
Gardai closed off access to the pedestrian route from beside the entrance to the Battle of the Boyne site as far as the junction with the Donore Road.
The Army bomb disposal team was requested.
A garda spokesman said: "Gardaí have been alerted to the discovery of a suspicious device at Oldbridge, Co. Meath this morning 4th April 2021.
"The area has been cordoned off and the army EOD have been notified. No further information is available at this time."
