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County Meath

County Meath (/mð/ MEEDH; Irish: Contae na Mí or simply an Mhí, lit.'middle') is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the southwest, Westmeath to the west, Cavan to the northwest, and Monaghan to the north. To the east, Meath also borders the Irish Sea along a narrow strip between the rivers Boyne and Delvin, giving it the second shortest coastline of any county. Meath County Council is the local authority for the county.

County Meath
Contae na Mí
Nickname: 
The Royal County
Motto(s): 
Irish: Tré Neart le Chéile
"Stronger Together"
Anthem: "Beautiful Meath" (unofficial)
CountryIreland
ProvinceLeinster
RegionEastern and Midland
HistoryDate
Kingdom of MeathAntiquity
Lordship of Meath1172
Shired1297
Division of Meath1542
County townNavan (1898–)
Trim (1297–1898)
Government
 • Local authorityMeath County Council
 • Dáil constituencies
 • EP constituencyMidlands–North-West
Area
 • Total2,342 km2 (904 sq mi)
 • Rank14th
Highest elevation276 m (906 ft)
Population
 • Total220,826
 • Rank8th
 • Density94/km2 (240/sq mi)
Vehicle index
mark code
MH
WebsiteOfficial website

Meath is the 14th-largest of Ireland's 32 traditional counties by land area, and the 8th-most populous, with a total population of 220,826 according to the 2022 census.[2] The county town and largest settlement in Meath is Navan, located in the centre of the county along the River Boyne. Other towns in the county include Trim, Kells, Laytown, Ashbourne, Dunboyne, Slane and Bettystown.

Colloquially known as "The Royal County", the historic Kingdom of Meath was the seat of the High King of Ireland and, for a time, was also the island's fifth province. Ruled for centuries by the Southern Uí Néill dynasty, in the late 1100s the kingdom was invaded by the Anglo-Norman conqueror Hugh de Lacy, who ousted the Uí Néill and established himself as the Lord of Meath. This lordship gradually diminished in size before being formally shired as County Meath in 1297, which was further sub-divided into Meath and Westmeath in 1542. The county took its present boundaries in 1977, when much of Drogheda was transferred to County Louth.[3]

Meath has an abundance of historical sites, including the Hill of Tara, Hill of Slane, Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth, Loughcrew, the Abbey of Kells, Trim Castle and Slane Castle. The county was also the site of the seminal Battle of the Boyne, which was fought near Oldbridge in 1690, ending in the defeat of James II and his flight to France. It is the only county in Leinster to have Gaeltacht regions, at Ráth Chairn and Baile Ghib, and is also one of only two counties outside of the west of Ireland to have an official Gaeltacht (the other being County Waterford).

Geography and subdivisions edit

Meath is the 14th-largest of Ireland's 32 counties by area, and the eighth-largest in terms of population.[4] It is the second-largest of Leinster's 12 counties in size, and the third-largest in terms of population. Meath borders seven counties – Dublin and Louth to the east, Westmeath and Offaly to the west, Kildare to the south, and Cavan and Monaghan to the north. Meath's coastline stretches for roughly 20 km (12 mi) along the Irish Sea between the Boyne and Delvin rivers, making it the second shortest coastline of any coastal county.[5] The county town, Navan, is the largest settlement in Meath, and is situated on the River Boyne in the middle of the county. Navan is approximately 50 km (31 mi) from Dublin and 140 km (87 mi) from Belfast.

Physical geography edit

 
The Irish Sea at Bettystown.
 
The River Boyne at Brú na Bóinne.

Owing to the fertile agricultural plains along the Boyne valley, which dominate the county, Meath's landscape is largely rural in nature. However, it is also one of the most densely populated counties in Ireland, with a population density of 94 people per km2. Centuries of exhaustive harvesting and reclamation for agriculture have severely reduced the extent of bogland in the county, especially in comparison to the neighbouring Midland counties. However, small areas of bogland survived, such as Jamestown Bog, Girley Bog and Killyconny Bog, and are currently protected as either Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) or Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs).[6]

The River Boyne, at 112 km (70 mi) in length, is Meath's dominant geographic feature and is synonymous with the county, having defined its history and culture over millennia. The two most prominent tributaries of the Boyne are the Leinster Blackwater, which has its source in Cavan and flows south for 68 km (42 mi) before joining the Boyne at Navan, and the Enfield Blackwater, which has its source in Kildare and flows north for 25 km (16 mi) before joining the Boyne at Donore. In the east of the county, both the River Nanny and the Delvin River flow to the Irish sea, with the latter demarcating the border with County Dublin.

As of 2017, there is a total of 13,326 ha (32,929 acres) of forest cover in the county, representing 5.7% of the total land area. This is an increase from just 11,200 ha (27,676 acres) (4.8%) in 2006. Nevertheless, Meath is Ireland's third-least forested county and remains well below the national average of 11% forest cover.[7] Historically, Meath was extensively forested, but experienced a near total deforestation between the 16th and 18th centuries. Although it has rebounded in recent years, the low forest cover compared to other counties can be explained by the lack of a significant commercial forestry industry within the county. Meath is one of the smallest contributors to the national timber supply, and over two-thirds of Meath's forests are broadleaf – the highest of any county – as opposed to more commercially viable conifers. Additionally, three-quarters of forests within the county are privately owned.[8]

Climate edit

Under Köppen climate classification, Meath experiences a maritime temperate oceanic climate with cool winters, mild humid summers, and a lack of temperature extremes. Met Éireann records the climate data for Meath from their station at Dunsany, situated 83 m (272 ft) above sea level. The average maximum January temperature is 7.3 °C (45 °F), while the average maximum July temperature is 19.6 °C (67 °F). On average, the sunniest months are May and June, while the wettest month is October with 87 mm (3 in) of rain, and the driest month is June with 67 mm (3 in).[9] Humidity is high year-round and rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year. A number of synoptic stations which record rainfall are located throughout the county. The driest parts of the county are in the east and south, while the wettest are in the west. Julianstown near the east coast receives 781 mm (31 in) of rainfall per year, while Oldcastle in the west receives 1,002 mm (39 in). The annual precipitation at Dunsany is 847 mm (33 in).

Snow showers generally occur between November and March, but prolonged or heavy snow events are rare. Although frost is common in the central and western areas of the county, temperatures typically fall below 0 °C (32 °F) on just a few days per year. The lowest ever temperature in Meath was recorded in December 2010, at −13.3 °C (8 °F).[10] Summer daytime temperatures range between 15 °C (59 °F) and 22 °C (72 °F), with temperatures rarely going beyond 25 °C (77 °F). As with rainfall, the sunniest areas of the county are located along the coast. The climate gets progressively duller and wetter inland due to the convective development of clouds over land.

Geology edit

 
The Slieve na Calliagh hills

The county's geological landscape is predominantly made up of Lower Carboniferous limestone, which underlies approximately 75% of the county. These were laid down following the erosion of mountain ranges which formed due to the closure of the Iapetus Ocean. The eroded mountains became basins in which limestone sediments and carbonate mud were deposited. The oldest rocks in the county are Ordovician in age and are found in thin layers near Slane and at Stamullen, while the youngest rocks are of Paleogene age, and were formed as a result of volcanic activity. These are found in small dykes and sills throughout the county. Crustal stretching beneath Ireland during the Carboniferous allowed fluids to infiltrate through faults in the rock, and extensive mineralisation occurred.[11] Most notably, zinc-bearing Sphalerite and lead-bearing Galena were deposited in vast quantities, giving Ireland the highest concentration of zinc per square kilometre on Earth.[12] The ubiquity of these minerals gave rise to the term "Irish-type" lead-zinc deposits, which is a descriptive term for lead-zinc deposits hosted in carbonate rocks.[13]

Meath's landscape was shaped during the Last Glacial Period, which ended 11,700 years ago. The soils of the county are mostly derived from glacial till, consisting of a mix of clay, sand and gravel which were deposited by glacial melt-water. In the north of the county near the border with Cavan, a small series of drumlins were formed from boulder clay. Loughs typically form in between the poorly-drained inter-drumlin areas, however unlike in neighbouring Cavan and Westmeath, Meath has no sizable loughs, other than Lough Sheelin, on which the county shares a small coastline in its westernmost tip.[14]

Meath is largely flat and much of the county lies below 100 m (330 ft) above sea-level. The minor hills in the far west of the county at Loughcrew, and in the north at Carrickleck are the only upland areas of any significance. Slieve na Calliagh, at just 276 m (906 ft) in height, is the highest point in the county, making it the second lowest county top in Ireland. Carrickleck Hill, near the Cavan border, is the second highest peak in Meath, at 173 m (568 ft).[15] The Hill of Tara is located south of Navan and, although just 155 m (509 ft) in height, is the most prominent feature in the local topography, commanding a panoramic view of the surrounding area.

Baronies edit

There are eighteen historic baronies in the county.[16] While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they are no longer used for many administrative purposes, and the barony boundaries in County Meath which continuously changed from the 16th to 19th centuries were last finalised in 1807. Their official status is illustrated by Placenames Orders made since 2003, where official Irish names of baronies are listed under "Administrative units". The largest barony in Meath is Kells Upper, at 49,552 acres (201 km2), and the smallest barony is Dunboyne, at 16,781 acres (68 km2).

 
The Baronies of County Meath, 1900
  • Deece Upper (Déise Uachtarach)
  • Deece Lower (Déise Íochtarach)
  • Duleek Upper (Damhliag Uachtarach)
  • Duleek Lower (Damhliag Íochtarach)
  • Dunboyne (Dún Búinne)
  • Fore (Baile Fhobhair)
  • Kells Upper (Ceanannas Uachtarach)
  • Kells Lower (Ceanannas Íochtarach)
  • Lune (Luíne)
  • Morgallion (Machaire Gaileang)
  • Moyfenrath Upper (Maigh Fionnráithe Uachtarach)
  • Moyfenrath Lower (Maigh Fionnráithe Íochtarach)
  • Navan Upper (An Uaimh Uachtarach)
  • Navan Lower (An Uaimh Íochtarach)
  • Ratoath (Ráth Tó)
  • Skreen/Skryne (An Scrín)
  • Slane Upper (Baile Shláine Uachtarach)
  • Slane Lower (Baile Shláine Íochtarach)

Civil parishes and townlands edit

Townlands are the smallest officially defined geographical divisions in Ireland, there are approximately 1,634 townlands in the county. Historic town boundaries are registered as their own townlands and much larger than rural townlands which, within County Meath, are typically small in size, ranging from just 1 acre to 2,681 acres, with the average size of a townland in the county (excluding towns) being 356 acres.

Towns and villages edit

European statistical region edit

For statistical purposes at EU level, the county is part of the Mid-East Region – a NUTS III entity – which is in turn part of the level II NUTS entity – Eastern and Midland Region.

Governance and politics edit

 
 
 
 
The four symbols on Meath's coat of arms: Triskele, High cross, Salmon of Knowledge and Kings of Tara

Local government edit

Meath County Council is the local authority governing County Meath. It has 40 councillors, and the county is divided into divided into six local electoral areas, each of which also forms a municipal district: Ashbourne (6), Kells (7), Laytown–Bettystown (7), Navan (7), Ratoath (7) and Trim (6).[17][18]

Fine Gael currently hold 12 seats, Fianna Fáil hold 12, Sinn Féin hold 3, while the Labour Party, the Social Democrats and Aontú hold 1 seat each, and there are 10 independents. Council elections are held every 5 years, with the next election due to be held in May 2024. The 2019 Meath local elections had a voter turnout of 48.1%, a modest increase of 2.8% on the 2014 election. The highest turnout was at Kells (55.0%) and the lowest was at Trim (43.3%).[19]

The council has three representatives on the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly.[20]

The county town is Navan, where the county hall and government are located, although Trim, the former county town, has historical significance and remains a sitting place of the circuit court.

Party Seats % of votes % Change since 2014 Seat Change since 2014
Fine Gael 12 29.6%   6.8%   1
Fianna Fáil 12 25.3%   2.4%   2
Sinn Féin 3 9.9%   8.3%   5
Aontú 1 4.8%   4.8%   1
Labour 1 2.5%   2.7%   1
Social Democrats 1 2.2%   2.2%   1
Independent 10 23.8%   0.8%   1

Former districts edit

County Meath was divided under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 into the rural districts of Ardee No. 2, Dunshaughlin, Kells, Meath, Navan, Oldcastle, Trim, and Edenderry No. 3, and the urban districts of An Uaimh (Navan), Ceannanus Mór (Kells), and Trim.[21] The rural districts were abolished in 1925.[22] The urban districts became town councils in 2002.[23] All town councils in Ireland were abolished in 2014.[24]

National elections edit

 
John Bruton, Taoiseach (1994–97)

County Meath is within four Dáil constituencies:[25]

  • Cavan–Monaghan – comprises the entirety of counties Cavan and Monaghan, with a small portion of northern County Meath;
  • Louth – comprises the entirety of County Louth, with the electoral divisions of Julianstown and St. Marys (Part) in County Meath;
  • Meath East – lies entirely within the borders of the county;
  • Meath West – comprises the western portion of the county and includes a part of the neighbouring county of Westmeath;

From 1923 to 1937, and again from 1948 to 2007, there was one Meath constituency. From 1937 to 1948 the county was within the Meath–Westmeath constituency. Between 1923 and 2007 a total of 31 general elections and by-elections were held. Following the demise of Cumann na nGaedheal in the 1930s, national politics in the Meath and Meath–Westmeath constituencies was dominated by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour Party. During those years, the Meath and Meath–Westmeath constituencies returned a total of 106 TDs to Dáil Eireann, of which 54 were from Fianna Fáil, 34 from Fine Gael and 11 from Labour; with Cumann na nGaedheal and the Farmers' Party returning 6 and 1 TDs respectively in the 1920s and 1930s.[26] No other party would win a Dáil seat in Meath until 2011, when Peadar Tóibín was elected to Meath West for Sinn Féin.

Meath East and Meath West return 6 TDs to the Dáil. In the most recent general election in 2020, Sinn Féin won 2 of the 6 seats, Fine Gael won 2, and Fianna Fáil and Aontú both won 1 seat each. The voter turnout at the 2016 general election was 61.5% in Meath West, and 63.4% in Meath East.

European elections edit

The county is part of the 4-seat Midlands–North-West constituency for elections to the European Parliament.

History edit

The county is colloquially known by the nickname "The Royal County", owing to its history as the seat of the High King of Ireland.[27][28][29] It formed from the eastern part of the former Kingdom of Mide but now forms part of the province of Leinster. Historically, the kingdom and its successor territory the Lordship of Meath included all of the counties Meath, Fingal and Westmeath as well as parts of counties Cavan, Longford, Louth, Offaly and Kildare. The seat of the High King of Ireland was at Tara. The archaeological complex of Brú na Bóinne in the north-east of the county is 5,000 years old and is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site.[30]

 
Gold Bracelets from Tremblestown, c. 800–700 BC

Pre-history edit

 
Clonycavan Man, c. 392–201 BC

The earliest known evidence of human settlement in the county is the Mesolithic flints found at Randalstown north of Navan, which were uncovered during the construction of the tailings pond for Tara Mines in the 1970s. These flints have been dated to 9,500 BC and are one of the earliest traces of pre-historic humans in Ireland. The excavation site at Randalstown also revealed other evidence of hunter-gatherer society, such as a fulacht fiadh and mounds of burnt soil and stone.[31]

Farming was established in the area during the Neolithic period. This provided a surplus of time and resources which was spent constructing great stone monuments to the dead, such as passage graves, court carins and wedge tombs. There are hundreds of surviving examples of these dotted across the landscape, however, the most famous Neolithic monuments in Ireland are those at Brú na BóinneNewgrange, Knowth and Dowth. These tombs were constructed prior to 3,000 BC making them older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. The site is believed to have been of religious significance and is decorated with megalithic art. Newgrange, the largest pre-historic tomb in Ireland, is most famous for its alignment with the equinoxes, when sunlight shines through a 'roofbox' and floods the inner chamber.[32][33] In constructing the tomb the early settlers displayed an advanced knowledge of astronomy and a calendar system. However, a writing system would not be developed until the 1st century BC, with the emergence of Ogham.

The arrival of the Celts to Ireland around 500 BC heralded the beginning of the Iron Age and the establishment of most of what would define Gaelic Irish culture for millennia; including Primitive Irish, Irish mythology, Celtic paganism and an early form of the Gaelic calendar. The ancient monuments of the Boyne Valley were assimilated into Celtic culture and mythology, with Cú Chulainn said to have been conceived at Newgrange. Furthermore, tradition states that Sláine mac Dela, of the Fir Bolg, cleared the forest at Brú na Bóinne and built the monuments, becoming the first High King of Ireland. It was during the Celtic period that Meath was divided into 8 túatha, the primary political unit of Celtic Ireland. The túatha were independent petty kingdoms ruled by a chief who was elected by members of their extended family.

Early Christian period (400–1169) edit

Kingdom of Meath edit

 
Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Meath
 
The Lia Fáil (Stone of Destiny) at the Hill of Tara was the traditional inauguration site of the High King of Ireland.

Due to a lack of extensive written historical records prior to the 5th century AD, the early history of Meath is murky and largely mythologised. Irish legend purports that the title of "High King of Ireland" stretches back millennia, however, it is today known that the Hill of Tara did not become a seat of power until the early centuries AD.[34] In the 400s, Niall of the Nine Hostages, King of the Uí Néill, conquered southward from Ulster and established a kingdom in Meath. As was commonplace in Ireland at the time, the achievements of Niall and his sons were propagandised and mythicised by bards to such an extent that much of what is known about them is considered fictional. Nevertheless, the dynasty of the Uí Néill had become firmly established in the centre of Ireland and they proclaimed themselves the Kings of Tara and Kings of Uisnech.[35] The Uí Néill dynasty subsequently divided into two septs, the Northern Uí Néill who remained in Ulster, and the Southern Uí Néill who now ruled over several small, disjointed kingdoms established throughout modern-day Meath, Westmeath and Dublin.

Following the split, a series of internecine conflicts erupted between members of the Uí Néill septs. The feud was eventually resolved, and as part of the resolution, it was decided that the position of King of Tara would alternate between the northern and southern Uí Néill septs. The title alternated between the two septs for over 500 years, with every second king travelling south from Ulster for an inauguration ceremony at Tara.[36] By 740, Domnall Midi of the Clann Cholmáin dynasty, the most powerful branch of the southern Uí Néill, had conquered or subdued all neighbouring clans in Meath, and the Uí Néill were recognised as their suzerain. Domnall was now in possession of both Tara, the seat of the Uí Néill, and the Hill of Uisneach, which held symbolic significance as the geographical centre of Ireland. Having secured his power in the heart of the island, Domnall now presided over a unified Kingdom of Mide (Meath), a name derived from the Old Irish meaning "middle".[37]

The first annalistic mention of a "High King of Ireland" or "Ard-Rí" was Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid, King of Mide, who died in 862 AD, having achieved many victories against both the Norse and the kingdoms of Ulster. Later historians would retroactively apply the title of "High King" to the earlier Kings of Tara, although there were no contemporary references to either the Kings of Tara or Mide being referred to as Ard-Rí prior to the 9th century.[38] During the reign of Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill in the 970s, the fort of Dun-na-Scia near Lough Ennell became the permanent royal residence, thereby creating two seats of power within the kingdom – one for the High King and one for the King of Mide.[39]

 
A religious settlement at Kells was founded in 550 AD.

In the late 10th century, the Dalcassians to the south, led by Brian Boru, consolidated their hold over Munster, with Boru establishing himself as King of Munster. The ascendancy of this longtime rival kingdom posed a serious threat to High King Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, so the two leaders met at Clonfert in 997 and agreed upon a truce, whereby Boru was granted overlordship of the southern half of the island. The Kingdom of Leinster immediately rebelled against Boru and allied with the Norse Kingdom of Dublin. Mide and Munster formed a defensive alliance and, after a series of campaigns throughout 998–999, crushed the forces of Leinster and Dublin, which both became vassals of Munster.

Boru now believed that Munster was the most powerful kingdom in Ireland and therefore he, and not Máel Sechnaill, should be the High King. Máel Sechnaill's claim to the kingship was challenged by Boru in 1002 at the Hill of Tara. The Meath king requested a month-long truce to rally his subordinates to his side, which Boru accepted, however, Máel Sechnaill was quickly abandoned by his northern Uí Néill kinsmen. Having failed to raise enough troops to challenge Boru, he was forced to abdicate, thus ending the hereditary right of the Uí Néill to the title of High King. Although they remained Kings of Meath, the power and prestige of the southern Uí Néill would never recover.[40]

Monastic settlement edit

Traditional accounts of the arrival of Saint Patrick and Christianity to Ireland are centred on Meath and its legendary High Kings. Folklore states that he travelled to the kingdom to light a Paschal Fire on the Hill of Slane, in defiance of High-King Lóegaire mac Néill, who was on the nearby Hill of Tara celebrating a pagan festival. Patrick was then summoned to the king's court and so impressed Lóegaire with his teachings that he was allowed to continue preaching Christianity across Ireland. While Christian missionaries were documented in Ireland long before the time of Saint Patrick, and accounts of his activities are heavily shrouded in myth, what is known is that by the late 6th century AD Christianity had supplanted Celtic Paganism in every corner of the island.[41] In a similar manner to how the Celts assimilated prehistoric traditions into their beliefs, many Celtic pagan beliefs and festivities were adapted to Celtic Christianity, such as Samhain, which became Halloween, and Imbolc, which became St. Brigid's Day.

By the 7th century a network of monasteries and religious settlements had been set up throughout Ireland and Western Scotland, supported by local kings and chieftains. Beginning at this time, the "Golden Age of Irish Christianity" lasted for several centuries. Irish Scholars preserved invaluable Latin texts and Gaelic monasteries developed into centres of learning which attracted theologians from across Europe. These monasteries sent missionaries to northern and central Europe to re-ignite Christianity and Latin tradition in areas where it had lapsed following the fall of the Western Roman Empire. One of Ireland's national nicknames, "the land of saints and scholars", is in reference to this period.

Patronage of the Church was also used as a political tool to project wealth and prestige in Irish kingdoms until the 16th century. Successive High Kings and Kings of Meath supported the establishment of prominent religious settlements and institutions, such as Kells and Clonard Abbey, the latter of which taught Ireland's most significant saints, dubbed the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. During the golden age, the monasteries of Meath were associated with several of Ireland's most famous artefacts, which are considered to be among the finest examples of Insular and medieval Christian art in existence.[42]

As knowledge of the importance and wealth of the Irish monasteries became more widely known, they began to attract the attention of Vikings, who were raiding throughout Britain and Ireland in the 8th century. The most distinctive feature of Irish monasteries, their round towers, were built in response to these Viking raids. Eventually, the Vikings established kingdoms and founded Ireland's first cities along coastal areas, including in neighbouring Dublin. The High Kings and lesser kingdoms waged near-continuous war with these Norse-Gael settlers for over two centuries.

Lordship of Ireland (1169–1542) edit

Norman period edit

 
Trim Castle, the largest Norman castle in Ireland

In 1166, Diarmait Mac Murchada was banished from Ireland by the High King Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair for the abduction of Lady of Meath Derbforgaill ingen Maeleachlainn, wife of Tigernán Ua Ruairc, King of Breifne. Mac Murchada returned with Norman allies and landed at Bannow in Wexford in 1169, after which they conquered northward throughout 1169–70, initiating the Norman Invasion of Ireland. In response, the High King assembled an alliance which included King Magnus Ua Máel Sechlainn of Meath as well as soldiers from Connacht, Breifne and Dublin along with their respective kings. They confronted Mac Murchada's forces at Ferns and an agreement was reached whereby Mac Murchada was acknowledged as king of Leinster, in return for acknowledging Ruaidrí as his overlord and agreeing to send his foreign allies away permanently.[43] However, Mac Murchada breached the agreement and enlisted more Normans to his side before continuing his conquests, capturing Dublin in 1171 and forcing the capitulation of Magnus Ua Máel Sechlainn.

 
Hugh de Lacy, 1st Lord of Meath
 
The Pale – According to Statute of 1488

Following Mac Murchada's death in May 1171, Strongbow succeeded him as King of Leinster and, once again, Magnus joined the High-King's coalition army to oust the Normans, however, their forces were routed during an unsuccessful siege of Dublin. Fearing that Strongbow was growing too powerful and might set up his own independent kingdom in Ireland, Henry II of England landed in Ireland in October 1171 to establish control over both the Irish and the Normans. Henry's campaign in Ireland was largely successful and he managed to reign in the Normans as well as a few Irish kingdoms which also submitted to him. Most crucially, he retained the city of Dublin, and Baron Hugh de Lacy was made its bailiff.[44] Henry's appointment of de Lacy was intended to act as a counterbalance to Strongbow. However, in order to achieve this, de Lacy would need a strong holding on Irish soil and it was decided that the Kingdom of Meath was to be granted to de Lacy.

This grant posed an issue for Henry as the previous decade had been a tumultuous time in Meath. There were four rival heirs to the kingship and each claimant held a different part of the kingdom. The strongest claim came from the King of Breifne, Tigernán Ua Ruairc, who – through conquest, marriage and an alliance with the church – had subsumed almost all of eastern Meath into his kingdom by the time of the Norman arrival.[45] Strongbow also had nominal claim to Meath as King of Leinster. A war of succession within the Clann Cholmáin dynasty meant that both Magnus and Art Ua Máel Sechlainn were also vying for the kingship of Meath. To circumvent this problem, Henry defined the borders of Meath as they had been in 1153 and ignored all subsequent subdivisions. In March 1172 he granted control of Meath to de Lacy on the condition that de Lacy could personally retain the kingdom with near total autonomy if he could conquer it.

Shortly after Henry left Ireland, Hugh de Lacy invaded Meath, setting up countless motte and bailey fortifications throughout the kingdom. de Lacy made the ecclesiastic centre of Trim his stronghold, constructing a huge ringwork castle defended by a stout double palisade and external ditch on top of the hill. With de Lacy now at the border of Ua Ruairc's outermost settlement of Kells, a parlay was arranged and the two leaders met on the Hill of Ward for negotiations. During these negotiations, a dispute erupted and de Lacy's men killed Ua Ruairc. Both sides blamed the other, with the Irish annals reporting that Ua Ruairc was "treacherously slain".[46]

By 1175, de Lacy had conquered the entire territory, executing Magnus Ua Máel Sechlainn that year. He expanded existing settlements into charter towns throughout Meath, including Trim, Athboy, Kells and Navan; and he married Rose Ní Conchobair, the High-King's daughter, in order to cement his claim as Lord of Meath.

Hugh de Lacy died in 1186 and several informal divisions and feuds among de Lacy's descendants over control of the lordship followed over the next century. The Lordship was formally shired in 1297 into the County of Meath.[47] Following this, Meath developed into the largest and wealthiest shire in Ireland, with the eastern portion characterized by well-populated market towns, nucleated villages and a strong commercial focus on labour-intensive cereal cultivation, with one English official noting that Meath was "as well inhabited as any shire in England".[48] Many of the Lordship of Ireland's judges, barristers and government officials such as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer and Chief Justice of the Common Pleas for Ireland hailed from the county.

Between the 13th and 15th centuries, English power diminished significantly in Ireland for three primary reasons. Firstly, there was a reconsolidation and resurgence in the power of the Irish kingdoms which had been shattered during the Norman invasion. Secondly, the onset of the Black Death devastated nucleated settlements such as walled Anglo-Norman towns but had a significantly smaller impact in more sparsely populated Gaelic kingdoms. Lastly, and of most concern to the English crown, the gradual gaelicisation of the Normans meant that many of the most prominent Anglo-Norman families, who were meant to act as England's viceroys in Ireland, no longer followed English laws or customs.[49]

English authority continued to retreat eastward until Trim, Athboy and Kells were the outermost settlements of The Pale, an area centred around Dublin where English law was still obeyed. This situation meant that by the 1500s part of County Meath was within the Pale while other areas – which were inhabited by both the Gaelic Irish as well as Normans who were once loyal to the Crown – were now outside the control of the authorities in Dublin.[50]

Kingdom of Ireland (1542–1800) edit

Tudor conquest edit

 
Tudor-era Dunmoe Castle

The papal bull Laudabiliter of Pope Adrian IV, issued in 1155, recognised the Angevin monarch as Dominus Hibernae (Latin for "Lord of Ireland"). When Pope Clement VII excommunicated Henry VIII in 1533, the constitutional position of the lordship in Ireland became uncertain. Following Henry's split with the church, the Tudors heralded the end of monastic Meath. Church Lands which comprised roughly one-third of the county were seized and granted to Protestant English statesmen and soldiers as a form of payment. Monasteries were suppressed and their treasures were either looted or scattered by Irish scholars to protect them. [49] Meath was invaded by Tyrone and its allies in 1539 who raided as far south as Navan, which was razed to the ground. King Conn O'Neill had been recognized as "King of our realm in Ireland" by Pope Paul III and was encouraged to expel Protestant influence from the island.[51] However, the conflict stoked an unexpectedly swift reaction from the typically lethargic Dublin government, and Tyrone was defeated by Lord Deputy Grey and forced to sue for peace in 1541.

Henry had broken away from the Holy See and declared himself the head of the Church in England, and subsequently refused to recognise the Roman Catholic Church's vestigial sovereignty over Ireland. For this reason, and also to address England's waning power in Ireland, Henry proclaimed the Kingdom of Ireland in 1542, with himself as its monarch. The following year, the Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act was passed by the Parliament of Ireland and Meath was officially divided in two. The act was intended to allow a more effective administration in both counties, particularly in Westmeath, which England had lost control of. A new shire town at Mullingar was established along with four new baronies, while Trim retained its status as the shire town of Meath.[52]

Despite the general loyalty of the "Old English" of Meath to the government in Dublin, the introduction of new Anglican English settlers, seen as more reliable by the English government, undermined the power of the Anglo-Norman aristocracy who had remained overwhelmingly Catholic following the Reformation. Although there was a fervent anti-Catholic sentiment in England at this time, no punitive laws were enacted out of fear that they would provoke further rebellion. However, this changed following England's victory over the Irish kingdoms in the Nine Years' War in 1603. With Ireland subdued, the English pursued a series of Penal Laws restricting the rights of Catholics, which were accelerated following the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

Protestant Ascendancy edit

 
Cromwell shelling Drogheda from across the Boyne, 1649
 
Battle of the Boyne, 1690

The uneasy peace that had persisted between Catholics and Protestants for several decades unravelled when the anti-Catholic Long Parliament gained traction in England in 1640. Fearing further persecution, the dispossessed Irish of Ulster went into rebellion in 1641 to regain the lands they had lost to the plantations.[53] Exaggerated news of brutal Catholic massacres against Protestants spurred the English into aggressive action, and the peaceful lands of Meath were indiscriminately ransacked by puritanical armies in retribution. In response, the lords of Meath met at Trim and issued their remonstrance to King Charles I. Sir John Read was sent to deliver it; however, gripped by anti-Catholic hysteria, officials in Dublin seized Read and tortured him, questioning whether the King and his Catholic wife Henrietta were in league with the Irish rebels.

As the rebellion intensified, the Ulstermen once again conquered southward into Meath, crushing an English garrison at the Battle of Julianstown. A contingent of Old English lords led by Viscount Gormanston rode out to halt their advance. A parlay was arranged at the Hill of Crufty and the Irish, led by O'Moore and O'Reilly, met with the Anglo-Norman gentry of Meath. Seeing that they fought for a common cause, the leaders of the two sides embraced amid the acclamation of their followers, and the lords of Meath rode home to rally their forces against the English.[54]

On 22 March 1642 the Catholic hierarchy held a synod at Kells and almost unanimously agreed that the rebellion was a just war. They drafted a Confederate Oath of Association in May and Meath lawyer Nicholas Plunkett encouraged Catholic nobles to take up the oath. After the outbreak of the English Civil War, an assembly was held in Kilkenny and the provisional government of Confederate Ireland was established, which took up arms with the Royalists against the Parliamentarians. The Royalists were crushed by Oliver Cromwell, who then set about ending the Irish Confederate Wars by engaging in an unquestionably brutal conquest of Ireland, resulting in the death of up to 40% of the island's population.[55]

Following the conquest, further Penal Laws were enacted and Catholics were forbidden to hold government office and stripped of their lands under the Down Survey. Former aristocratic families were forced to send their children abroad for education to Irish seminaries in France and the Spanish Netherlands. The "New English" along with those who had converted to Anglicanism occupied the Parliament, becoming what would later be termed the Protestant Ascendancy. This period also saw an influx of Huguenots into Meath, and surnames such as Beaufort and Metge appeared in the county for the first time.

Some Old English families were able to recover their lands and return to Meath following the restoration of King James II. Although James did little to improve the overall situation of Irish Catholics, he was backed by them during the Glorious Revolution, while Protestants overwhelmingly backed William of Orange during the Williamite War in Ireland. The defeat of the Jacobites at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690 forced James to flee to France, ending the prospect of an autonomous Irish kingdom. This battle is seen as a seminal event in Irish history and is still celebrated every year by Ulster Unionists.

Towards the end of the 18th century the Penal Laws were relaxed and Catholic merchant families such as Fay and Connolly were granted trading privileges in Trim and Navan. Celebrated Meath sculptor Edward Smyth was commissioned by Catholics in Navan to produce a crucifix for the town's new chapel in 1792, which is still located in the church to this day.[31] As sectarian tensions eased, liberal ideas began to spread among members of the Protestant Ascendancy, such as Wolfe Tone and Henry Grattan, and many came to see themselves as citizens of an Irish nation and championed Catholic emancipation. Ireland briefly secured parliamentary independence through the Constitution of 1782 which ushered in Ireland's first economic boom in centuries, as trade flourished and the population grew exponentially. However, these freedoms were abruptly ended with the Act of Union 1800, when Ireland was subsumed into the United Kingdom.

19th century edit

 
Thomas Brennan, co-founder of the Irish National Land League in 1879.
 
At least 1,000 victims of the Great Famine (1845–49) are buried in a mass grave near the Dunshaughlin Workhouse
 
Farmers' market in Athboy, ca. 1890

The economic boom of the late 18th century came to a sudden and catastrophic halt following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. During the war, Ireland had become known as the "Food larder of Europe", and the tenant farmers and landlords of Meath relied heavily on tillage, which fetched an artificially high price due to a surge in wartime demand. Further, a substantial number of Irish soldiers who comprised as much as 25% of the entire British Army and Navy during the war were now made redundant. As post-war trade between Britain and Europe recovered, demand for Irish tillage collapsed; however, rents remained the same and the population continued to boom. As economic stagnation set in, the once well-managed, prosperous estates of Meath gave way to mismanagement and absenteeism, and the tenant farmers were pushed further into poverty.[56][57]

This dire economic state resulted in a surge of Irish nationalism and demands to repeal the disastrous Act of Union. Nationalist sentiment was widespread in Meath, as reflected in the Meath Parliamentary constituency, which returned several of 19th century Ireland's most prominent nationalist politicians, including Daniel O'Connell, Charles Stewart Parnell and Michael Davitt. Owing to its symbolic place in the national psyche, Daniel O'Connell held a rally on the Hill of Tara in August 1843 which was attended by between 500,000 and 1 million people, making it one of the largest crowd gatherings in Irish history.[58]

To address rising poverty and growing unrest in Ireland, the British government set up workhouses in the 1830s and began constructing railroads. However, these efforts were largely unsuccessful and the impoverished of Meath, pushed to the brink by high rents and mass unemployment, were wiped out by the Great Famine of 1845–49. Having reached over 183,000 in 1841, the population of Meath would fall to 67,000 by 1900. The famine had a lasting cultural, societal and linguistic effect on the county. Pre-famine census records show that Meath had been a region with an "undoubted Irish speaking majority",[59] but by the late 1800s the Irish language was virtually extinct within the county. The famine-era workhouse and mass grave at Dunshaughlin is today a memorial to its victims.

The famine shed light on the detrimental effects that Ireland's land laws were having on the economic and social well-being of the country, and the British government's lacklustre response to the crisis further strengthened the cause of Irish nationalists. The Protestant Ascendancy went into steep decline following the famine and many landholders were effectively bankrupt, leading to the ad hoc sale of lands to unproductive use. The push for reform escalated in the 1870s into a period of sporadic violence and civil unrest known as the Land Wars.

Thomas Brennan, of Yellow Furze, co-founded the Irish National Land League in 1879 alongside Michael Davitt. His staunch republicanism and socialist leanings put him at odds with the League's executive, and he was excluded from the Irish National League set up by Parnell in 1882. Brennan moved to the United States and raised money for the republican cause, advocating total Irish independence as opposed to Home Rule to the Irish-American diaspora.[60] This revealed an ideological divide within the nationalist movement, between those who favoured greater legislative independence under the British crown, as had been achieved in the 1780s, and those who advocated for completely severing ties with the United Kingdom.

Some of the political reforms desired by the nationalists were finally realised under the Local Government Act of 1898. The act set up urban and rural districts as well as county councils to take over local government from landlords. Under the reforms, small sub-councils and boroughs were abolished and Meath County Council was granted full control over the jurisdiction. The council sat at Navan, which became the new county town of Meath, ending Trim's 600-year status as Meath's shire town.[61][62]

20th century edit

 
Crowds disembark for the Laytown races, 1910
 
First modern revival of Ancient Meath's Tailteann Games, 1924

The reforms proposed by the UK government failed to stem the rising tide of nationalism, which spilled over into the 20th century as the 1916 Easter Rising. The Battle of Ashbourne was one of the few skirmishes which took place outside of Dublin during the rising and was its sole success. On 28 April 1916, members of the Dublin Volunteers Fifth (Fingal) battalion, led by Thomas Ashe, surrounded a Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) police station in Ashbourne and demanded their surrender. RIC reinforcements were dispatched from Navan and upon arriving at the scene a firefight ensued during which 8 RIC members were killed and 15 wounded, forcing them to retreat. On the orders of Patrick Pearse, Ashe and his battalion surrendered the following day.[63]

Meath's Eamonn Duggan served as the IRA's director of intelligence during and after the rising and was a signatory of the Anglo-Irish treaty in 1921. Meath largely sided with the pro-treaty forces during the Civil War, with the Louth–Meath constituency returning one anti-treaty and four pro-treaty TDs in the 1922 general election. Duggan later joined Cumann na nGaedheal and held various ministerial offices until his death in 1936. Following independence, various government-backed Gaelic revival efforts were centred on the county and its history, including the foundation of 5 Gaeltacht areas within Meath, and the symbolic hosting of the Tailteann Games.

The declining population of Meath gradually stabilised as emigration balanced with high natural birth rates. Outward migration from the county remained substantial until the reforms of Seán Lemass in the 1960s strengthened industry by injecting capital into the economy and abandoning the policy of autarky.[64] These reforms, coupled with EEC membership in 1973, brought jobs and investment into the county, and the extraction and textile industries prospered. By the 1971 census, Meath's population had surpassed 70,000 for the first time in eighty years. Despite a severe recession in the 1980s, the growth of Meath's economy and population became exponential in the late 1990s and early 2000s during the Celtic Tiger era.

As places such as Trim, Navan and Kells developed into major commuter towns of Dublin, the county grew increasingly reliant on the overheated construction sector, leaving Meath hard-hit by the property collapse in 2008. From 2014 onward, the economy experienced a robust recovery, and by 2016 Meath had the third lowest unemployment rate in Ireland.[65] Meath surpassed its pre-famine population in 2011, becoming one of only five counties in the State to do so.

Places of interest edit

 
Newgrange, c. 3,200 BC.

As a consequence of its location in the centre of Ireland, Meath has an abundance of historic sites.

All periods of Irish history are represented in the landmarks of the county, spanning from the prehistoric tombs at Brú na Bóinne, the early Christian monasteries at Kells and Bective, the Norman-era fortifications at Trim and Dunmoe, the manor houses and estates of the 17th and 18th centuries such as those at Bellinter and Slane, the famine-era workhouse and graveyard at Dunshaughlin, all the way up to the Battle of Ashbourne historic site, which commemorates the sole victory of the Irish Volunteers during the 1916 Easter Rising.

In terms of natural attractions, the county has a relatively tame landscape compared to other parts of Ireland, with no mountains, a short coastline and generally little forest cover. There are however a number of National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) protected sites within the county. The River Nanny Estuary & Shore and the River Boyne & River Blackwater are listed as Special Protection Areas.

Additionally, all bogs within the county; those being Mount Hevey, Girley, Killyconny, Molerick and Jamestown are listed as either Special Areas of Conservation or Natural Heritage Areas. Lough Bane, Lough Glass, White Lough, Ben Loughs and Lough Doo are all also protected by the NPWS.

Landmarks edit

 
18th century Slane Castle
 
19th century Gormanston Castle

Natural attractions edit

 
The Nanny River

Demographics edit

Main immigrant groups, 2016[66]
Country of birth Population
  United Kingdom 9,699
  Poland 4,229
  Lithuania 3,131
  Romania 1,402
  Latvia 1,092
  Nigeria 945
  United States 930
  India 465
  Moldova 456
  South Africa 442

Meath had a population of 195,044 according to the 2016 Census; an increase of 10,327 since the 2011 Census of Ireland. Population growth from 2011 to 2016 included a natural decrease of 553 people (−0.28%) since the last census, coupled with an increase of 10,880 people (5.9%) due to net migration into the county. Immigration from outside Ireland resulted in a net increase of 1,537 people, and migration within the country, primarily from County Dublin, produced a net increase of 9,343 people. Owing to its proximity to Dublin, Meath is the least indigenous county in Ireland, with just 67,798 usual residents (34.9%) recorded as being born within the county. Approximately half of all Meath residents (49.9%) were born elsewhere in Ireland, and the remaining 15.4% were born abroad.[67] The county's population density was 83.2 people/km2 in 2016, making it one of just 7 counties in the state with a population density above the national average (69.1 people/km2).

In 2016, the racial composition of the county was:

  • 94.1% White (84.4% White Irish, 9.2% Other White Background, 0.5% Irish Traveler)
  • 1.6% Black
  • 1.3% Asian
  • 1.3% Others including mixed
  • 1.9% Not stated

The five largest foreign national groups in Meath are: British (5.0 percent), Polish (2.2 percent), Lithuanian (1.6 percent), Romanian (0.7 percent) and Latvian (0.6 percent).

Several major immigrant groups within the county experienced a decline in population between the 2011 and 2016 Census, chiefly the British (−4.4 per cent), Lithuanians (−2 per cent), Latvians (−4.8 per cent) and Americans (−4.9 per cent). Meath's sizable Nigerian community, which is mostly centred around Navan, experienced the most marked decline, decreasing from 1,206 in 2011 to 945 in 2016 (−21.6 per cent). The fastest growing of the major immigrant groups during this period were the Polish (15.6 per cent), Romanians (84.2%), Brazilians (50.7 per cent) and Moldovans (55.7 per cent).

In 2016, 8.1 per cent of the county's population was reported as younger than 5 years old, 23.8 per cent were between 5 and 19, 57.5 per cent were between 20 and 65, and 10.6 per cent of the population was older than 65. 4,328 people (2.2 per cent) were over the age of 80. Females made up 50.44 per cent of the population, with women outnumbering men by approximately 1,300.

In 2018, there were 2,597 births within the county, and the average age of a first time mother was 31.0 years.[68]

Religion edit

Religion in Meath – 2016
Religion Percent
Roman Catholic
82.3%
Other Christian
6.1%
Muslim
0.8%
Other Stated Religions
0.7%
None or Not Stated
10.1%

According to the 2016 Census, published by the Central Statistics Office, 89.9% of County Meath's residents identify with a religion. 88.4% affiliate with Christianity and its various denominations, and the other 1.5% are adherents of non-Christian religions. The remaining 8.1% have no religion, with 2% of people not stating their religion.

The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2016 was the Roman Catholic Church with 160,140; followed by the Church of Ireland, England, Anglican and Episcopalian with 4,134; Orthodox Christianity with 2,915 and all other Christian denominations including Presbyterian and Pentecostal with 3,306 adherents. Among the non-Christian denominations, Muslims are by far the largest group, with 1,564 adherents, followed by Hinduism with 336 and Buddhism with 235. Additionally, 35 people (0.018%) identified as Jewish, and 3,565 people did not state their religion.[69]

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Trim was the seat of the former Diocese of Meath, which is now the Diocese of Meath and Kildare in the Church of Ireland. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath has its seat at Mullingar, County Westmeath. A former cathedral was located at Clonard Abbey, however, it was destroyed by fire in 1206. Thomas Deenihan is the current Bishop of Meath. The county's largest Presbyterian church is located in Kells, and the Navan Muslim Community Centre, which is primarily used as a mosque, is located on Kennedy Road in Navan.

Continuing the trend which has been observed throughout Ireland since the Census of 2006, a significant increase in the number of people who identified as having no religion was observed between 2011 and 2016. This demographic increased by 97.5% from 7,990 in 2011 to 15,783 in 2016. People with no religion now account for 8.1% of the county's population.

Population trends edit

 
Graph showing the population change in Meath 1841–2022

The population of Meath suffered a significant decline between 1841 and 1901, decreasing by almost two-thirds (183,828 to 67,497); it stabilised between 1901 and 1971 (67,497 to 71,729), and there was a substantial increase between 1971 and 1981 to 95,419. This increase was mainly due to a baby boom locally. The population then continued to increase at a constant rate, before increasing at an explosive rate between 1996 and 2002, from 109,732 to 134,005. This is due primarily to economic factors, with the return of residents to live in the county, and also an echo effect of the 1970s baby boom. The census of 2022 gives a figure of 220,296, including a dramatic increase in inward migration to the county. Meath is one of only 5 counties in the state which has a population higher than its 1841 pre-famine peak.

This population growth has seen divergent trends emerge in recent years, with mild depopulation in the north and west of the county more than offset by large increases in the population of the eastern and south-eastern parts of the county, principally owing to inward migration to districts that have good proximity via road to the business parks on the western outskirts of Dublin. The accession of Poland and the Baltic States to the European Union in 2004 resulted in a significant influx of workers from these countries to work in sectors such as agriculture, quarrying, construction and catering.[71]

Irish language edit

 
Irish-language road sign on a road junction in the southeast of Baile Ghib
 
Gaeltacht Areas (Green) within County Meath.

Meath contains Leinster's only Gaeltacht areas, at Ráth Chairn, close to Athboy, and Baile Ghib, located northwest of Navan. With just 1,771 native Irish speakers between them, spread over a total area of 44  km2, they are the two smallest Gaeltachts in Ireland.

Unlike the Gaeltachts of the west of Ireland, the Meath Gaeltachts are the result of a government gaelicisation scheme to reintroduce the Irish language to the east of the country. In total, 5 Irish-speaking settlements were set up in Meath between 1935 and 1939 – Ráth Chairn, Baile Ghib, Cill Bhríde, Cluain an Ghaill and Baile Ailin. They were established on fertile land which had been allowed to fall into disrepair by absentee landlords and was consequently repossessed by the Irish Land Commission. In total, 122 Irish-speaking families moved to the county. They were primarily from Connemara, but some families were also from Kerry.

Over the years Cill Bhríde was subsumed into Ráth Chairn, and Cluain an Ghaill was subsumed into Baile Ghib. The fifth and final Gaeltacht to be set up – Baile Ailin – failed after a generation, as several Irish-speaking families moved away and day-to-day use of the Irish language failed to take hold amongst the children of those who remained. The two surviving settlements were officially recognised as Gaeltacht areas in 1967.[72]

According to the 2016 Census, 38.6 per cent of Meath residents were able to speak Irish. Of that, there were 2,533 Gaeilgeoirí (people who speak Irish in their day-to-day lives) in County Meath.[73] In addition, there are 1,304 pupils attending the seven Gaelscoileanna outside the Gaeltacht areas.[74] The Greater Dublin Area has the highest number of Irish-medium schools in Ireland.

Urban areas edit

Navan is the county town and by far the largest settlement in Meath. It is also the 5th largest town in the state, excluding cities.

Meath is predominantly an urban county, although a large percentage of its residents live in rural areas. According to the 2016 Census, 58.9 per cent of the county lived in urban areas, and the remaining 41.1 per cent lived in rural areas. Just over half of the county's population (51.3 per cent) live in the ten largest towns. Historically, the largest towns in Meath were located in the north and west of the county, such as Trim, Navan and Kells. However, in recent years settlements in the south and east of the county such as Ashbourne, Dunboyne and Bettystown have expanded significantly, and many of the county's largest and fastest growing towns are now located in these areas.

Economy edit

The Central Statistics Office estimates that Meath's Total Household Income in 2017 was €5.253 billion, ranking 6th among Irish counties. Meath also ranks 6th in the country by per capita disposable income, at €20,493 or 95.8% of the State average.[76] Meath residents are also the 6th highest per capita tax contributors to the State, returning a total of €1.311 billion in taxes in 2017 – roughly equivalent to the entire Midlands Region. Major industries include services, retail, agriculture and food processing, mining, manufacturing and tourism.

Services, retail and hospitality edit

 
Cú Chulainn, Ireland's biggest rollercoaster.

Services, retail and the hospitality industry are the primary employers in the county. Navan was historically a manufacturing town, and involved in the household goods sector. Navan was also a centre in the Irish carpet-making industry, before this was lost to overseas competition.[77]

Tourism benefits from the abundance of historically important pre-historic and early Christian sites, as well as castles and manor houses within the county, many of which are currently in use as hotels. Due to its rich history, Meath is marketed by Fáilte Ireland, the country's national tourism agency, as "Ireland's Heritage Capital". Good local infrastructure means that most of Meath's tourist attractions are located within a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Dublin Airport. Despite this, Meath received just 162,000 overseas tourists in 2017 – placing it 17th out of 26 counties.[78] Tourism is worth in excess of €50 million to the local economy each year.

In addition to historic attractions, Meath is home to scenic lakes, beaches, wooded areas and several European-designated areas of ecological significance. The only permanent amusement park in Ireland is Emerald Park, located in Ashbourne, which has 3 roller coasters, including Cú Chulainn, Ireland's largest roller-coaster.

Meath also has a growing science and biotechnology field. In 2018, Shire, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, opened a €350 million international disease research centre in Dunboyne, which employs 400 people.[79]

Agriculture edit

 
Silage harvesting in Clonard.

The agricultural products of the county are beef, pork, dairy, poultry, vegetables and cereals. Meath has a strong farming tradition and up until the 1911 Census the most commonly listed occupation in the county was farm labourer. Meath is ranked 2nd in the country for the production of vegetables and 2nd for the production of rapeseed oil.

As of 2018, Meath has the country's 8th largest cattle herd with 275,301 cows. Dairy production was the largest and most profitable agricultural sector in the county and 63.7% of all cattle were dairy cows. The remaining 36.3% were beef cattle. The county also has Ireland's 9th largest sheep herd (150,571 sheep) and 14th largest pig herd (40,259).[80] Meat processors such as Kepak and Dawn Meats are large employers within the county.

There are 4,620 farms in the county, with a total farmed area of 194,886 ha (481,574 acres), accounting for 83% of land area. Of this, 31,201 ha (77,099 acres) was under tillage, the 3rd highest in the country. Although Irish agriculture is heavily dominated by pasture farming, Meath's favourable climate and easterly location give it a much greater capacity than most counties for agricultural diversification, reflected in its robust tillage and vegetable production sectors. The average size of a farm in the county is 42 ha (104 acres), well above the national average of 31 ha (77 acres).

Agriculture supports thousands of jobs within the county and, according to the Irish Farmers' Association, the total value of agricultural produce from Meath in 2018 was €541 million, ranking it 6th in Ireland.[81]

Extraction and energy edit

 
Meath is the largest producer of Zinc in Europe.

Due to the geology of the area, Meath has enormous reserves of Lead and Zinc, which are extracted at Tara Mine in Navan. Tara is both Europe's largest and deepest mine and is currently owned by Boliden AB. The mine has been in continuous operation since 1977, and a total of 85 million tonnes of ore have been extracted from it, producing 2.6 million tonnes of zinc ore annually.[82]

Glacial deposits of gravel exist in a band stretching from the Offaly border at Edenderry, to the sea at Laytown. This is the basis of a long quarrying tradition. The local availability of large deposits of limestone and shale also gave rise to a significant cement production industry within the county. The two largest cement facilities are at Kinnegad and Platin, the latter of which is owned by Irish Cement and has the capacity to produce 2.8 million tonnes of cement per annum, which is primarily transported via rail to Dublin for use or export.

Ireland's first waste-to-energy plant opened in Duleek in 2011 and produces 17 MW of electricity per annum. SSE Airtricity aim to build a 208 MW gas-fired power plant south of Drogheda. Meath has a small but growing biomass industry, however other forms of renewable energy such as wind power and hydroelectricity have stalled due to widespread objections. There is an abundance of natural subterranean faults where water from hot springs, such as those Enfield, rise to the surface at 25 °C. There is potential for these to be used for Shallow Geothermal Energy generation.[83]

Infrastructure edit

Road edit

 
The Mary McAleese Boyne Valley Bridge

The county is served by four motorway routes. The M3 connects Navan to Dublin and runs from just south of Kells to Clonee, a distance of 48 km (30 mi). The M4 passes through the south of the county and serves as the main road to both Sligo and Galway, when it divides at Kinnegad into the N4 and the M6. The M1 Dublin to Belfast route traverses East Meath for 17 km (11 mi) before bypassing Drogheda.

A 13 km (8.1 mi) stretch of the N2 from Ashbourne to the Dublin border at Ward Cross was upgraded to the M2 motorway in 2009. Two national primary routes pass through the county, The N3 and the N2. The M3 becomes the N3 south of Kells before continuing on to County Cavan, a distance of 12 km (7.5 mi). The N2 begins at Ashbourne and crosses the county for roughly 30 km (19 mi) before entering County Louth near Collon. Two national secondary routes pass through the county. The majority of the N51 Drogheda to Mullingar route is located within Meath, and crosses the county for 40 km (25 mi), passing through Slane, Navan and Athboy.[84]

The N52 which stretches from Nenagh, where it joins the M7, to Dundalk, where it joins the N1, crosses the county for 36 km (22 mi) and passes through Kells. Bus Éireann, as well as private coach operators, provide bus services to villages and towns across the county. Areas close to Dublin city in southern and eastern Meath such as Clonee and Dunboyne are also served by Dublin Bus.

Rail edit

 
M3 Parkway railway station

Irish Rail provides frequent rail services from Dunboyne and M3 Parkway to Dublin city centre. Laytown railway station and Gormanston railway station have a commuter rail service and are located along Dublin's Northern Commuter Line which runs from Dundalk to Dublin. A commuter train service (Western Commuter Line) passes through Enfield, although the service is less frequent as the station is primarily used for the long-distance Irish rail routes to Longford and Sligo.

Navan is currently served by a freight-only spur railway line from Drogheda on the Dublin-Belfast main line, for freight traffic (zinc and lead concentrate from Tara Mines in Navan to Dublin Port) connecting at Drogheda. Currently, the only commuter rail from Dublin to Navan must also pass through Drogheda. The direct Dublin–Navan railway line remains disused, though still intact. In June 2018, the Department of Transport stated that it would review reopening the line by extending the link past the M3 parkway in 2021.[85]

Air edit

For commercial and international flights, Meath is serviced by Dublin Airport, which is the closest international airport to the county and has good road links with most major towns. For light aircraft and recreational flying, there are several airstrips located throughout the county which serve as the base of operations for local flying clubs.

The Trim Aerodrome is primarily used for microlight flying. The Ballybog Airstrip opened in 1990 and provides a number of recreational aviation activities such as hot air balloon rides and air shows. There are also airfields at Navan and at Moyglare, across the river rye from Kilcock, County Kildare.

There is also a military landing strip at Gormanstown Camp which is not actively used for aircraft. However, the Irish Defence Forces continue to utilise the airstrip for ground-to-air combat training.

Sport edit

GAA edit

 
Meath supporters (green and yellow) at an All-Ireland Qualifiers game against Tyrone.

Gaelic football is the most popular sport in the county, and Meath GAA competes annually in Division 2 of the National Football League, the provincial Leinster Senior Football Championship and the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Meath has long been the second power of Leinster football, behind rivals Dublin, and 26 Leinster Senior Football Championship Finals have been contested between the two, of which Meath emerged victorious on 9 occasions. In total, Meath has won 21 Leinster titles, making the county the second most successful in the province after Dublin. Given the pre-eminence of Dublin in recent years, Meath's rivalry with Louth is now often regarded as the most heated contest, especially after Meath's highly controversial win over Louth in the 2010 Leinster Final.

Meath has won the national football league 7 times, between 1933 and 1994, the fifth most titles in Ireland. Additionally, Meath has won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the most prestigious competition in Gaelic football, on 7 occasions between 1949 and 1999, also making it the fifth most successful county in Ireland. Meath has also won Leinster's O'Byrne Cup on 10 occasions, the second most after Kildare.

Within the county, Gaelic football clubs compete annually in the Meath Senior Football Championship. The first championship was played in 1887, in which Dowdstown beat Kells by 1 goal to nothing. The most successful club in Meath is Navan O'Mahonys with 20 Senior Football Championship titles. The most successful club at the provincial level is Walterstown, which has won 2 Leinster Senior Club Football Championship titles in 1980 and 1983. No team from Meath has ever won the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship.

In Hurling, the county competes in Division 2 of the National Hurling League, as well as in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship and the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Meath is not a dual county, and has never won a provincial or national hurling title.

As with football, the Meath Senior Hurling Championship is held every year. The first championship in 1902 was won by the Navan Hibernians. The most successful hurling club in the county is Kilmessan, with 29 titles, followed by Trim, with 26. No club team from Meath has ever won the Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship, and has therefore never qualified for the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship.

 
Horse racing at Fairyhouse.

Equestrian activities edit

Horse racing, horse breeding and horse training are popular in Meath. There are 54 studs within the county, including the Dollanstown Stud and Estate, which is one of the most expensive private properties in Ireland. Race courses within the county include Navan, Fairyhouse and Bellewstown, which host both National Hunt and Flat horse races, such as the Brownstown Stakes, the Bobbyjo Chase, the Lismullen Hurdle and the Irish Grand National. The latter has been held at Fairyhouse since 1870. Beach horse racing also takes place at the Laytown Racecourse.

The Tattersalls Country House and equestrian grounds, which hosts the International Horse Trials and Country Fair each year, is located opposite the Fairyhouse Racecourse near Ratoath.

Artist Letitia Marion Hamilton from Dunboyne won an Olympic bronze medal for oils and watercolours in the 1948 Summer Olympics for her depiction of The Meath Hunt Point-to-Point Races.

Other sports edit

 
18th Hole at Killeen Castle

As with much of the rest of Ireland, association football is a popular spectator sport within Meath. The two most prominent football clubs in the county are Parkvilla F.C. and Dunboyne A.F.C., which both compete in the Leinster Senior League. The lower-tier Meath and District League comprises clubs from counties Meath, Louth, Cavan and Monaghan. Despite being one of the most populous counties in Ireland, Dunboyne's Darragh Lenihan is the first and only player from Meath to have represented the Republic of Ireland national football team, after making his debut in 2018.

Golf is also widely played, and there are numerous golf and links courses in Meath. Killeen Castle in Dunsany has an 18-hole championship golf course which was designed by Jack Nicklaus in 2009, and was the venue for the 2011 Solheim Cup. Knightsbrook Golf Club in Trim also has a championship golf course which was designed by Christy O'Connor in 2006. The County Meath Golf Club in Trim and Royal Tara Golf Club near Navan are two of the most popular golfing locations in the county. Links golf is also played adjacent to the Irish sea coast at the Laytown & Bettystown Golf Club.

Athletics within the county is organised by the Meath Athletics Board, which oversees the county's 18 athletics clubs. The board is based in Claremont Stadium in Navan, which is a 400m Tartan Athletics Track and Field Stadium. Sara Treacy of Dunboyne AC represented Ireland in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Several teams from Meath compete in the Leinster League in Rugby union, most notably Ashbourne RFC, Athboy RFC, Navan R.F.C. and North Meath RFC. Former Leinster and Ireland wing Shane Horgan, from Bellewstown, played for Boyne RFC in Drogheda at youth level.

Notable people edit


See also edit

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Attribution

  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainKingsford, Charles Lethbridge (1892). "Lacy, Hugh de (d.1186)". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 31. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

External links edit

53°40′N 6°40′W / 53.667°N 6.667°W / 53.667; -6.667

county, meath, meedh, irish, contae, simply, mhí, middle, county, eastern, midland, region, ireland, within, province, leinster, bordered, county, dublin, southeast, louth, northeast, kildare, south, offaly, southwest, westmeath, west, cavan, northwest, monagh. County Meath m iː d MEEDH Irish Contae na Mi or simply an Mhi lit middle is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland within the province of Leinster It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast Louth to the northeast Kildare to the south Offaly to the southwest Westmeath to the west Cavan to the northwest and Monaghan to the north To the east Meath also borders the Irish Sea along a narrow strip between the rivers Boyne and Delvin giving it the second shortest coastline of any county Meath County Council is the local authority for the county County Meath Contae na MiCountyCoat of armsNickname The Royal CountyMotto s Irish Tre Neart le Cheile Stronger Together Anthem Beautiful Meath unofficial CountryIrelandProvinceLeinsterRegionEastern and MidlandHistoryDateKingdom of MeathAntiquityLordship of Meath1172Shired1297Division of Meath1542County townNavan 1898 Trim 1297 1898 Government Local authorityMeath County Council Dail constituencies4 Cavan MonaghanMeath EastMeath WestLouth EP constituencyMidlands North WestArea Total2 342 km2 904 sq mi Rank14thHighest elevation Slieve na Calliagh 276 m 906 ft Population 2022 1 Total220 826 Rank8th Density94 km2 240 sq mi Vehicle indexmark codeMHWebsiteOfficial websiteMeath is the 14th largest of Ireland s 32 traditional counties by land area and the 8th most populous with a total population of 220 826 according to the 2022 census 2 The county town and largest settlement in Meath is Navan located in the centre of the county along the River Boyne Other towns in the county include Trim Kells Laytown Ashbourne Dunboyne Slane and Bettystown Colloquially known as The Royal County the historic Kingdom of Meath was the seat of the High King of Ireland and for a time was also the island s fifth province Ruled for centuries by the Southern Ui Neill dynasty in the late 1100s the kingdom was invaded by the Anglo Norman conqueror Hugh de Lacy who ousted the Ui Neill and established himself as the Lord of Meath This lordship gradually diminished in size before being formally shired as County Meath in 1297 which was further sub divided into Meath and Westmeath in 1542 The county took its present boundaries in 1977 when much of Drogheda was transferred to County Louth 3 Meath has an abundance of historical sites including the Hill of Tara Hill of Slane Newgrange Knowth Dowth Loughcrew the Abbey of Kells Trim Castle and Slane Castle The county was also the site of the seminal Battle of the Boyne which was fought near Oldbridge in 1690 ending in the defeat of James II and his flight to France It is the only county in Leinster to have Gaeltacht regions at Rath Chairn and Baile Ghib and is also one of only two counties outside of the west of Ireland to have an official Gaeltacht the other being County Waterford Contents 1 Geography and subdivisions 1 1 Physical geography 1 1 1 Climate 1 2 Geology 1 3 Baronies 1 4 Civil parishes and townlands 1 5 Towns and villages 1 6 European statistical region 2 Governance and politics 2 1 Local government 2 2 Former districts 2 3 National elections 2 4 European elections 3 History 3 1 Pre history 3 2 Early Christian period 400 1169 3 2 1 Kingdom of Meath 3 2 2 Monastic settlement 3 3 Lordship of Ireland 1169 1542 3 3 1 Norman period 3 4 Kingdom of Ireland 1542 1800 3 4 1 Tudor conquest 3 4 2 Protestant Ascendancy 3 5 19th century 3 6 20th century 4 Places of interest 4 1 Landmarks 4 2 Natural attractions 5 Demographics 5 1 Religion 5 2 Population trends 5 3 Irish language 5 4 Urban areas 6 Economy 6 1 Services retail and hospitality 6 2 Agriculture 6 3 Extraction and energy 7 Infrastructure 7 1 Road 7 2 Rail 7 3 Air 8 Sport 8 1 GAA 8 2 Equestrian activities 8 3 Other sports 9 Notable people 10 See also 11 References 12 External linksGeography and subdivisions editMeath is the 14th largest of Ireland s 32 counties by area and the eighth largest in terms of population 4 It is the second largest of Leinster s 12 counties in size and the third largest in terms of population Meath borders seven counties Dublin and Louth to the east Westmeath and Offaly to the west Kildare to the south and Cavan and Monaghan to the north Meath s coastline stretches for roughly 20 km 12 mi along the Irish Sea between the Boyne and Delvin rivers making it the second shortest coastline of any coastal county 5 The county town Navan is the largest settlement in Meath and is situated on the River Boyne in the middle of the county Navan is approximately 50 km 31 mi from Dublin and 140 km 87 mi from Belfast Physical geography edit nbsp The Irish Sea at Bettystown nbsp The River Boyne at Bru na Boinne Owing to the fertile agricultural plains along the Boyne valley which dominate the county Meath s landscape is largely rural in nature However it is also one of the most densely populated counties in Ireland with a population density of 94 people per km2 Centuries of exhaustive harvesting and reclamation for agriculture have severely reduced the extent of bogland in the county especially in comparison to the neighbouring Midland counties However small areas of bogland survived such as Jamestown Bog Girley Bog and Killyconny Bog and are currently protected as either Special Areas of Conservation SACs or Natural Heritage Areas NHAs 6 The River Boyne at 112 km 70 mi in length is Meath s dominant geographic feature and is synonymous with the county having defined its history and culture over millennia The two most prominent tributaries of the Boyne are the Leinster Blackwater which has its source in Cavan and flows south for 68 km 42 mi before joining the Boyne at Navan and the Enfield Blackwater which has its source in Kildare and flows north for 25 km 16 mi before joining the Boyne at Donore In the east of the county both the River Nanny and the Delvin River flow to the Irish sea with the latter demarcating the border with County Dublin As of 2017 there is a total of 13 326 ha 32 929 acres of forest cover in the county representing 5 7 of the total land area This is an increase from just 11 200 ha 27 676 acres 4 8 in 2006 Nevertheless Meath is Ireland s third least forested county and remains well below the national average of 11 forest cover 7 Historically Meath was extensively forested but experienced a near total deforestation between the 16th and 18th centuries Although it has rebounded in recent years the low forest cover compared to other counties can be explained by the lack of a significant commercial forestry industry within the county Meath is one of the smallest contributors to the national timber supply and over two thirds of Meath s forests are broadleaf the highest of any county as opposed to more commercially viable conifers Additionally three quarters of forests within the county are privately owned 8 Climate edit Under Koppen climate classification Meath experiences a maritime temperate oceanic climate with cool winters mild humid summers and a lack of temperature extremes Met Eireann records the climate data for Meath from their station at Dunsany situated 83 m 272 ft above sea level The average maximum January temperature is 7 3 C 45 F while the average maximum July temperature is 19 6 C 67 F On average the sunniest months are May and June while the wettest month is October with 87 mm 3 in of rain and the driest month is June with 67 mm 3 in 9 Humidity is high year round and rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year A number of synoptic stations which record rainfall are located throughout the county The driest parts of the county are in the east and south while the wettest are in the west Julianstown near the east coast receives 781 mm 31 in of rainfall per year while Oldcastle in the west receives 1 002 mm 39 in The annual precipitation at Dunsany is 847 mm 33 in Snow showers generally occur between November and March but prolonged or heavy snow events are rare Although frost is common in the central and western areas of the county temperatures typically fall below 0 C 32 F on just a few days per year The lowest ever temperature in Meath was recorded in December 2010 at 13 3 C 8 F 10 Summer daytime temperatures range between 15 C 59 F and 22 C 72 F with temperatures rarely going beyond 25 C 77 F As with rainfall the sunniest areas of the county are located along the coast The climate gets progressively duller and wetter inland due to the convective development of clouds over land Geology edit nbsp The Slieve na Calliagh hillsThe county s geological landscape is predominantly made up of Lower Carboniferous limestone which underlies approximately 75 of the county These were laid down following the erosion of mountain ranges which formed due to the closure of the Iapetus Ocean The eroded mountains became basins in which limestone sediments and carbonate mud were deposited The oldest rocks in the county are Ordovician in age and are found in thin layers near Slane and at Stamullen while the youngest rocks are of Paleogene age and were formed as a result of volcanic activity These are found in small dykes and sills throughout the county Crustal stretching beneath Ireland during the Carboniferous allowed fluids to infiltrate through faults in the rock and extensive mineralisation occurred 11 Most notably zinc bearing Sphalerite and lead bearing Galena were deposited in vast quantities giving Ireland the highest concentration of zinc per square kilometre on Earth 12 The ubiquity of these minerals gave rise to the term Irish type lead zinc deposits which is a descriptive term for lead zinc deposits hosted in carbonate rocks 13 Meath s landscape was shaped during the Last Glacial Period which ended 11 700 years ago The soils of the county are mostly derived from glacial till consisting of a mix of clay sand and gravel which were deposited by glacial melt water In the north of the county near the border with Cavan a small series of drumlins were formed from boulder clay Loughs typically form in between the poorly drained inter drumlin areas however unlike in neighbouring Cavan and Westmeath Meath has no sizable loughs other than Lough Sheelin on which the county shares a small coastline in its westernmost tip 14 Meath is largely flat and much of the county lies below 100 m 330 ft above sea level The minor hills in the far west of the county at Loughcrew and in the north at Carrickleck are the only upland areas of any significance Slieve na Calliagh at just 276 m 906 ft in height is the highest point in the county making it the second lowest county top in Ireland Carrickleck Hill near the Cavan border is the second highest peak in Meath at 173 m 568 ft 15 The Hill of Tara is located south of Navan and although just 155 m 509 ft in height is the most prominent feature in the local topography commanding a panoramic view of the surrounding area Baronies edit There are eighteen historic baronies in the county 16 While baronies continue to be officially defined units they are no longer used for many administrative purposes and the barony boundaries in County Meath which continuously changed from the 16th to 19th centuries were last finalised in 1807 Their official status is illustrated by Placenames Orders made since 2003 where official Irish names of baronies are listed under Administrative units The largest barony in Meath is Kells Upper at 49 552 acres 201 km2 and the smallest barony is Dunboyne at 16 781 acres 68 km2 See also List of baronies of Ireland nbsp The Baronies of County Meath 1900Deece Upper Deise Uachtarach Deece Lower Deise Iochtarach Duleek Upper Damhliag Uachtarach Duleek Lower Damhliag Iochtarach Dunboyne Dun Buinne Fore Baile Fhobhair Kells Upper Ceanannas Uachtarach Kells Lower Ceanannas Iochtarach Lune Luine Morgallion Machaire Gaileang Moyfenrath Upper Maigh Fionnraithe Uachtarach Moyfenrath Lower Maigh Fionnraithe Iochtarach Navan Upper An Uaimh Uachtarach Navan Lower An Uaimh Iochtarach Ratoath Rath To Skreen Skryne An Scrin Slane Upper Baile Shlaine Uachtarach Slane Lower Baile Shlaine Iochtarach Civil parishes and townlands edit Main article List of townlands of County Meath Townlands are the smallest officially defined geographical divisions in Ireland there are approximately 1 634 townlands in the county Historic town boundaries are registered as their own townlands and much larger than rural townlands which within County Meath are typically small in size ranging from just 1 acre to 2 681 acres with the average size of a townland in the county excluding towns being 356 acres Towns and villages edit Main article List of towns and villages in County Meath European statistical region edit For statistical purposes at EU level the county is part of the Mid East Region a NUTS III entity which is in turn part of the level II NUTS entity Eastern and Midland Region Governance and politics edit nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp The four symbols on Meath s coat of arms Triskele High cross Salmon of Knowledge and Kings of Tara Local government edit Meath County Council is the local authority governing County Meath It has 40 councillors and the county is divided into divided into six local electoral areas each of which also forms a municipal district Ashbourne 6 Kells 7 Laytown Bettystown 7 Navan 7 Ratoath 7 and Trim 6 17 18 Fine Gael currently hold 12 seats Fianna Fail hold 12 Sinn Fein hold 3 while the Labour Party the Social Democrats and Aontu hold 1 seat each and there are 10 independents Council elections are held every 5 years with the next election due to be held in May 2024 The 2019 Meath local elections had a voter turnout of 48 1 a modest increase of 2 8 on the 2014 election The highest turnout was at Kells 55 0 and the lowest was at Trim 43 3 19 The council has three representatives on the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly 20 The county town is Navan where the county hall and government are located although Trim the former county town has historical significance and remains a sitting place of the circuit court Party Seats of votes Change since 2014 Seat Change since 2014Fine Gael 12 29 6 nbsp 6 8 nbsp 1Fianna Fail 12 25 3 nbsp 2 4 nbsp 2Sinn Fein 3 9 9 nbsp 8 3 nbsp 5Aontu 1 4 8 nbsp 4 8 nbsp 1Labour 1 2 5 nbsp 2 7 nbsp 1Social Democrats 1 2 2 nbsp 2 2 nbsp 1Independent 10 23 8 nbsp 0 8 nbsp 1Former districts edit County Meath was divided under the Local Government Ireland Act 1898 into the rural districts of Ardee No 2 Dunshaughlin Kells Meath Navan Oldcastle Trim and Edenderry No 3 and the urban districts of An Uaimh Navan Ceannanus Mor Kells and Trim 21 The rural districts were abolished in 1925 22 The urban districts became town councils in 2002 23 All town councils in Ireland were abolished in 2014 24 National elections edit nbsp John Bruton Taoiseach 1994 97 County Meath is within four Dail constituencies 25 Cavan Monaghan comprises the entirety of counties Cavan and Monaghan with a small portion of northern County Meath Louth comprises the entirety of County Louth with the electoral divisions of Julianstown and St Marys Part in County Meath Meath East lies entirely within the borders of the county Meath West comprises the western portion of the county and includes a part of the neighbouring county of Westmeath From 1923 to 1937 and again from 1948 to 2007 there was one Meath constituency From 1937 to 1948 the county was within the Meath Westmeath constituency Between 1923 and 2007 a total of 31 general elections and by elections were held Following the demise of Cumann na nGaedheal in the 1930s national politics in the Meath and Meath Westmeath constituencies was dominated by Fianna Fail Fine Gael and Labour Party During those years the Meath and Meath Westmeath constituencies returned a total of 106 TDs to Dail Eireann of which 54 were from Fianna Fail 34 from Fine Gael and 11 from Labour with Cumann na nGaedheal and the Farmers Party returning 6 and 1 TDs respectively in the 1920s and 1930s 26 No other party would win a Dail seat in Meath until 2011 when Peadar Toibin was elected to Meath West for Sinn Fein Meath East and Meath West return 6 TDs to the Dail In the most recent general election in 2020 Sinn Fein won 2 of the 6 seats Fine Gael won 2 and Fianna Fail and Aontu both won 1 seat each The voter turnout at the 2016 general election was 61 5 in Meath West and 63 4 in Meath East European elections edit The county is part of the 4 seat Midlands North West constituency for elections to the European Parliament History editThe county is colloquially known by the nickname The Royal County owing to its history as the seat of the High King of Ireland 27 28 29 It formed from the eastern part of the former Kingdom of Mide but now forms part of the province of Leinster Historically the kingdom and its successor territory the Lordship of Meath included all of the counties Meath Fingal and Westmeath as well as parts of counties Cavan Longford Louth Offaly and Kildare The seat of the High King of Ireland was at Tara The archaeological complex of Bru na Boinne in the north east of the county is 5 000 years old and is a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site 30 nbsp Gold Bracelets from Tremblestown c 800 700 BCPre history edit nbsp Clonycavan Man c 392 201 BCThe earliest known evidence of human settlement in the county is the Mesolithic flints found at Randalstown north of Navan which were uncovered during the construction of the tailings pond for Tara Mines in the 1970s These flints have been dated to 9 500 BC and are one of the earliest traces of pre historic humans in Ireland The excavation site at Randalstown also revealed other evidence of hunter gatherer society such as a fulacht fiadh and mounds of burnt soil and stone 31 Farming was established in the area during the Neolithic period This provided a surplus of time and resources which was spent constructing great stone monuments to the dead such as passage graves court carins and wedge tombs There are hundreds of surviving examples of these dotted across the landscape however the most famous Neolithic monuments in Ireland are those at Bru na Boinne Newgrange Knowth and Dowth These tombs were constructed prior to 3 000 BC making them older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids The site is believed to have been of religious significance and is decorated with megalithic art Newgrange the largest pre historic tomb in Ireland is most famous for its alignment with the equinoxes when sunlight shines through a roofbox and floods the inner chamber 32 33 In constructing the tomb the early settlers displayed an advanced knowledge of astronomy and a calendar system However a writing system would not be developed until the 1st century BC with the emergence of Ogham The arrival of the Celts to Ireland around 500 BC heralded the beginning of the Iron Age and the establishment of most of what would define Gaelic Irish culture for millennia including Primitive Irish Irish mythology Celtic paganism and an early form of the Gaelic calendar The ancient monuments of the Boyne Valley were assimilated into Celtic culture and mythology with Cu Chulainn said to have been conceived at Newgrange Furthermore tradition states that Slaine mac Dela of the Fir Bolg cleared the forest at Bru na Boinne and built the monuments becoming the first High King of Ireland It was during the Celtic period that Meath was divided into 8 tuatha the primary political unit of Celtic Ireland The tuatha were independent petty kingdoms ruled by a chief who was elected by members of their extended family Early Christian period 400 1169 edit Kingdom of Meath edit Main articles Kingdom of Meath List of Kings of Meath and High King of Ireland nbsp Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Meath nbsp The Lia Fail Stone of Destiny at the Hill of Tara was the traditional inauguration site of the High King of Ireland Due to a lack of extensive written historical records prior to the 5th century AD the early history of Meath is murky and largely mythologised Irish legend purports that the title of High King of Ireland stretches back millennia however it is today known that the Hill of Tara did not become a seat of power until the early centuries AD 34 In the 400s Niall of the Nine Hostages King of the Ui Neill conquered southward from Ulster and established a kingdom in Meath As was commonplace in Ireland at the time the achievements of Niall and his sons were propagandised and mythicised by bards to such an extent that much of what is known about them is considered fictional Nevertheless the dynasty of the Ui Neill had become firmly established in the centre of Ireland and they proclaimed themselves the Kings of Tara and Kings of Uisnech 35 The Ui Neill dynasty subsequently divided into two septs the Northern Ui Neill who remained in Ulster and the Southern Ui Neill who now ruled over several small disjointed kingdoms established throughout modern day Meath Westmeath and Dublin Following the split a series of internecine conflicts erupted between members of the Ui Neill septs The feud was eventually resolved and as part of the resolution it was decided that the position of King of Tara would alternate between the northern and southern Ui Neill septs The title alternated between the two septs for over 500 years with every second king travelling south from Ulster for an inauguration ceremony at Tara 36 By 740 Domnall Midi of the Clann Cholmain dynasty the most powerful branch of the southern Ui Neill had conquered or subdued all neighbouring clans in Meath and the Ui Neill were recognised as their suzerain Domnall was now in possession of both Tara the seat of the Ui Neill and the Hill of Uisneach which held symbolic significance as the geographical centre of Ireland Having secured his power in the heart of the island Domnall now presided over a unified Kingdom of Mide Meath a name derived from the Old Irish meaning middle 37 The first annalistic mention of a High King of Ireland or Ard Ri was Mael Sechnaill mac Maele Ruanaid King of Mide who died in 862 AD having achieved many victories against both the Norse and the kingdoms of Ulster Later historians would retroactively apply the title of High King to the earlier Kings of Tara although there were no contemporary references to either the Kings of Tara or Mide being referred to as Ard Ri prior to the 9th century 38 During the reign of Mael Sechnaill mac Domnaill in the 970s the fort of Dun na Scia near Lough Ennell became the permanent royal residence thereby creating two seats of power within the kingdom one for the High King and one for the King of Mide 39 nbsp A religious settlement at Kells was founded in 550 AD In the late 10th century the Dalcassians to the south led by Brian Boru consolidated their hold over Munster with Boru establishing himself as King of Munster The ascendancy of this longtime rival kingdom posed a serious threat to High King Mael Sechnaill mac Domnaill so the two leaders met at Clonfert in 997 and agreed upon a truce whereby Boru was granted overlordship of the southern half of the island The Kingdom of Leinster immediately rebelled against Boru and allied with the Norse Kingdom of Dublin Mide and Munster formed a defensive alliance and after a series of campaigns throughout 998 999 crushed the forces of Leinster and Dublin which both became vassals of Munster Boru now believed that Munster was the most powerful kingdom in Ireland and therefore he and not Mael Sechnaill should be the High King Mael Sechnaill s claim to the kingship was challenged by Boru in 1002 at the Hill of Tara The Meath king requested a month long truce to rally his subordinates to his side which Boru accepted however Mael Sechnaill was quickly abandoned by his northern Ui Neill kinsmen Having failed to raise enough troops to challenge Boru he was forced to abdicate thus ending the hereditary right of the Ui Neill to the title of High King Although they remained Kings of Meath the power and prestige of the southern Ui Neill would never recover 40 Monastic settlement edit See also Hiberno Scottish mission Traditional accounts of the arrival of Saint Patrick and Christianity to Ireland are centred on Meath and its legendary High Kings Folklore states that he travelled to the kingdom to light a Paschal Fire on the Hill of Slane in defiance of High King Loegaire mac Neill who was on the nearby Hill of Tara celebrating a pagan festival Patrick was then summoned to the king s court and so impressed Loegaire with his teachings that he was allowed to continue preaching Christianity across Ireland While Christian missionaries were documented in Ireland long before the time of Saint Patrick and accounts of his activities are heavily shrouded in myth what is known is that by the late 6th century AD Christianity had supplanted Celtic Paganism in every corner of the island 41 In a similar manner to how the Celts assimilated prehistoric traditions into their beliefs many Celtic pagan beliefs and festivities were adapted to Celtic Christianity such as Samhain which became Halloween and Imbolc which became St Brigid s Day By the 7th century a network of monasteries and religious settlements had been set up throughout Ireland and Western Scotland supported by local kings and chieftains Beginning at this time the Golden Age of Irish Christianity lasted for several centuries Irish Scholars preserved invaluable Latin texts and Gaelic monasteries developed into centres of learning which attracted theologians from across Europe These monasteries sent missionaries to northern and central Europe to re ignite Christianity and Latin tradition in areas where it had lapsed following the fall of the Western Roman Empire One of Ireland s national nicknames the land of saints and scholars is in reference to this period Patronage of the Church was also used as a political tool to project wealth and prestige in Irish kingdoms until the 16th century Successive High Kings and Kings of Meath supported the establishment of prominent religious settlements and institutions such as Kells and Clonard Abbey the latter of which taught Ireland s most significant saints dubbed the Twelve Apostles of Ireland During the golden age the monasteries of Meath were associated with several of Ireland s most famous artefacts which are considered to be among the finest examples of Insular and medieval Christian art in existence 42 nbsp Tara Brooch c 7th century nbsp Donore Handle c 8th century nbsp Book of Kells c 9th century nbsp Kells Crozier c 10th century nbsp St Patrick s Shrine c 11th centuryAs knowledge of the importance and wealth of the Irish monasteries became more widely known they began to attract the attention of Vikings who were raiding throughout Britain and Ireland in the 8th century The most distinctive feature of Irish monasteries their round towers were built in response to these Viking raids Eventually the Vikings established kingdoms and founded Ireland s first cities along coastal areas including in neighbouring Dublin The High Kings and lesser kingdoms waged near continuous war with these Norse Gael settlers for over two centuries Lordship of Ireland 1169 1542 edit Norman period edit Main article Lordship of Meath nbsp Trim Castle the largest Norman castle in IrelandIn 1166 Diarmait Mac Murchada was banished from Ireland by the High King Ruaidri Ua Conchobair for the abduction of Lady of Meath Derbforgaill ingen Maeleachlainn wife of Tigernan Ua Ruairc King of Breifne Mac Murchada returned with Norman allies and landed at Bannow in Wexford in 1169 after which they conquered northward throughout 1169 70 initiating the Norman Invasion of Ireland In response the High King assembled an alliance which included King Magnus Ua Mael Sechlainn of Meath as well as soldiers from Connacht Breifne and Dublin along with their respective kings They confronted Mac Murchada s forces at Ferns and an agreement was reached whereby Mac Murchada was acknowledged as king of Leinster in return for acknowledging Ruaidri as his overlord and agreeing to send his foreign allies away permanently 43 However Mac Murchada breached the agreement and enlisted more Normans to his side before continuing his conquests capturing Dublin in 1171 and forcing the capitulation of Magnus Ua Mael Sechlainn nbsp Hugh de Lacy 1st Lord of Meath nbsp The Pale According to Statute of 1488Following Mac Murchada s death in May 1171 Strongbow succeeded him as King of Leinster and once again Magnus joined the High King s coalition army to oust the Normans however their forces were routed during an unsuccessful siege of Dublin Fearing that Strongbow was growing too powerful and might set up his own independent kingdom in Ireland Henry II of England landed in Ireland in October 1171 to establish control over both the Irish and the Normans Henry s campaign in Ireland was largely successful and he managed to reign in the Normans as well as a few Irish kingdoms which also submitted to him Most crucially he retained the city of Dublin and Baron Hugh de Lacy was made its bailiff 44 Henry s appointment of de Lacy was intended to act as a counterbalance to Strongbow However in order to achieve this de Lacy would need a strong holding on Irish soil and it was decided that the Kingdom of Meath was to be granted to de Lacy This grant posed an issue for Henry as the previous decade had been a tumultuous time in Meath There were four rival heirs to the kingship and each claimant held a different part of the kingdom The strongest claim came from the King of Breifne Tigernan Ua Ruairc who through conquest marriage and an alliance with the church had subsumed almost all of eastern Meath into his kingdom by the time of the Norman arrival 45 Strongbow also had nominal claim to Meath as King of Leinster A war of succession within the Clann Cholmain dynasty meant that both Magnus and Art Ua Mael Sechlainn were also vying for the kingship of Meath To circumvent this problem Henry defined the borders of Meath as they had been in 1153 and ignored all subsequent subdivisions In March 1172 he granted control of Meath to de Lacy on the condition that de Lacy could personally retain the kingdom with near total autonomy if he could conquer it Shortly after Henry left Ireland Hugh de Lacy invaded Meath setting up countless motte and bailey fortifications throughout the kingdom de Lacy made the ecclesiastic centre of Trim his stronghold constructing a huge ringwork castle defended by a stout double palisade and external ditch on top of the hill With de Lacy now at the border of Ua Ruairc s outermost settlement of Kells a parlay was arranged and the two leaders met on the Hill of Ward for negotiations During these negotiations a dispute erupted and de Lacy s men killed Ua Ruairc Both sides blamed the other with the Irish annals reporting that Ua Ruairc was treacherously slain 46 By 1175 de Lacy had conquered the entire territory executing Magnus Ua Mael Sechlainn that year He expanded existing settlements into charter towns throughout Meath including Trim Athboy Kells and Navan and he married Rose Ni Conchobair the High King s daughter in order to cement his claim as Lord of Meath Hugh de Lacy died in 1186 and several informal divisions and feuds among de Lacy s descendants over control of the lordship followed over the next century The Lordship was formally shired in 1297 into the County of Meath 47 Following this Meath developed into the largest and wealthiest shire in Ireland with the eastern portion characterized by well populated market towns nucleated villages and a strong commercial focus on labour intensive cereal cultivation with one English official noting that Meath was as well inhabited as any shire in England 48 Many of the Lordship of Ireland s judges barristers and government officials such as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer and Chief Justice of the Common Pleas for Ireland hailed from the county Between the 13th and 15th centuries English power diminished significantly in Ireland for three primary reasons Firstly there was a reconsolidation and resurgence in the power of the Irish kingdoms which had been shattered during the Norman invasion Secondly the onset of the Black Death devastated nucleated settlements such as walled Anglo Norman towns but had a significantly smaller impact in more sparsely populated Gaelic kingdoms Lastly and of most concern to the English crown the gradual gaelicisation of the Normans meant that many of the most prominent Anglo Norman families who were meant to act as England s viceroys in Ireland no longer followed English laws or customs 49 English authority continued to retreat eastward until Trim Athboy and Kells were the outermost settlements of The Pale an area centred around Dublin where English law was still obeyed This situation meant that by the 1500s part of County Meath was within the Pale while other areas which were inhabited by both the Gaelic Irish as well as Normans who were once loyal to the Crown were now outside the control of the authorities in Dublin 50 Kingdom of Ireland 1542 1800 edit Tudor conquest edit Main article Tudor conquest of Ireland nbsp Tudor era Dunmoe CastleThe papal bull Laudabiliter of Pope Adrian IV issued in 1155 recognised the Angevin monarch as Dominus Hibernae Latin for Lord of Ireland When Pope Clement VII excommunicated Henry VIII in 1533 the constitutional position of the lordship in Ireland became uncertain Following Henry s split with the church the Tudors heralded the end of monastic Meath Church Lands which comprised roughly one third of the county were seized and granted to Protestant English statesmen and soldiers as a form of payment Monasteries were suppressed and their treasures were either looted or scattered by Irish scholars to protect them 49 Meath was invaded by Tyrone and its allies in 1539 who raided as far south as Navan which was razed to the ground King Conn O Neill had been recognized as King of our realm in Ireland by Pope Paul III and was encouraged to expel Protestant influence from the island 51 However the conflict stoked an unexpectedly swift reaction from the typically lethargic Dublin government and Tyrone was defeated by Lord Deputy Grey and forced to sue for peace in 1541 Henry had broken away from the Holy See and declared himself the head of the Church in England and subsequently refused to recognise the Roman Catholic Church s vestigial sovereignty over Ireland For this reason and also to address England s waning power in Ireland Henry proclaimed the Kingdom of Ireland in 1542 with himself as its monarch The following year the Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act was passed by the Parliament of Ireland and Meath was officially divided in two The act was intended to allow a more effective administration in both counties particularly in Westmeath which England had lost control of A new shire town at Mullingar was established along with four new baronies while Trim retained its status as the shire town of Meath 52 Despite the general loyalty of the Old English of Meath to the government in Dublin the introduction of new Anglican English settlers seen as more reliable by the English government undermined the power of the Anglo Norman aristocracy who had remained overwhelmingly Catholic following the Reformation Although there was a fervent anti Catholic sentiment in England at this time no punitive laws were enacted out of fear that they would provoke further rebellion However this changed following England s victory over the Irish kingdoms in the Nine Years War in 1603 With Ireland subdued the English pursued a series of Penal Laws restricting the rights of Catholics which were accelerated following the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 Protestant Ascendancy edit nbsp Cromwell shelling Drogheda from across the Boyne 1649 nbsp Battle of the Boyne 1690The uneasy peace that had persisted between Catholics and Protestants for several decades unravelled when the anti Catholic Long Parliament gained traction in England in 1640 Fearing further persecution the dispossessed Irish of Ulster went into rebellion in 1641 to regain the lands they had lost to the plantations 53 Exaggerated news of brutal Catholic massacres against Protestants spurred the English into aggressive action and the peaceful lands of Meath were indiscriminately ransacked by puritanical armies in retribution In response the lords of Meath met at Trim and issued their remonstrance to King Charles I Sir John Read was sent to deliver it however gripped by anti Catholic hysteria officials in Dublin seized Read and tortured him questioning whether the King and his Catholic wife Henrietta were in league with the Irish rebels As the rebellion intensified the Ulstermen once again conquered southward into Meath crushing an English garrison at the Battle of Julianstown A contingent of Old English lords led by Viscount Gormanston rode out to halt their advance A parlay was arranged at the Hill of Crufty and the Irish led by O Moore and O Reilly met with the Anglo Norman gentry of Meath Seeing that they fought for a common cause the leaders of the two sides embraced amid the acclamation of their followers and the lords of Meath rode home to rally their forces against the English 54 On 22 March 1642 the Catholic hierarchy held a synod at Kells and almost unanimously agreed that the rebellion was a just war They drafted a Confederate Oath of Association in May and Meath lawyer Nicholas Plunkett encouraged Catholic nobles to take up the oath After the outbreak of the English Civil War an assembly was held in Kilkenny and the provisional government of Confederate Ireland was established which took up arms with the Royalists against the Parliamentarians The Royalists were crushed by Oliver Cromwell who then set about ending the Irish Confederate Wars by engaging in an unquestionably brutal conquest of Ireland resulting in the death of up to 40 of the island s population 55 Following the conquest further Penal Laws were enacted and Catholics were forbidden to hold government office and stripped of their lands under the Down Survey Former aristocratic families were forced to send their children abroad for education to Irish seminaries in France and the Spanish Netherlands The New English along with those who had converted to Anglicanism occupied the Parliament becoming what would later be termed the Protestant Ascendancy This period also saw an influx of Huguenots into Meath and surnames such as Beaufort and Metge appeared in the county for the first time Some Old English families were able to recover their lands and return to Meath following the restoration of King James II Although James did little to improve the overall situation of Irish Catholics he was backed by them during the Glorious Revolution while Protestants overwhelmingly backed William of Orange during the Williamite War in Ireland The defeat of the Jacobites at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690 forced James to flee to France ending the prospect of an autonomous Irish kingdom This battle is seen as a seminal event in Irish history and is still celebrated every year by Ulster Unionists Towards the end of the 18th century the Penal Laws were relaxed and Catholic merchant families such as Fay and Connolly were granted trading privileges in Trim and Navan Celebrated Meath sculptor Edward Smyth was commissioned by Catholics in Navan to produce a crucifix for the town s new chapel in 1792 which is still located in the church to this day 31 As sectarian tensions eased liberal ideas began to spread among members of the Protestant Ascendancy such as Wolfe Tone and Henry Grattan and many came to see themselves as citizens of an Irish nation and championed Catholic emancipation Ireland briefly secured parliamentary independence through the Constitution of 1782 which ushered in Ireland s first economic boom in centuries as trade flourished and the population grew exponentially However these freedoms were abruptly ended with the Act of Union 1800 when Ireland was subsumed into the United Kingdom 19th century edit nbsp Thomas Brennan co founder of the Irish National Land League in 1879 nbsp At least 1 000 victims of the Great Famine 1845 49 are buried in a mass grave near the Dunshaughlin Workhouse nbsp Farmers market in Athboy ca 1890The economic boom of the late 18th century came to a sudden and catastrophic halt following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 During the war Ireland had become known as the Food larder of Europe and the tenant farmers and landlords of Meath relied heavily on tillage which fetched an artificially high price due to a surge in wartime demand Further a substantial number of Irish soldiers who comprised as much as 25 of the entire British Army and Navy during the war were now made redundant As post war trade between Britain and Europe recovered demand for Irish tillage collapsed however rents remained the same and the population continued to boom As economic stagnation set in the once well managed prosperous estates of Meath gave way to mismanagement and absenteeism and the tenant farmers were pushed further into poverty 56 57 This dire economic state resulted in a surge of Irish nationalism and demands to repeal the disastrous Act of Union Nationalist sentiment was widespread in Meath as reflected in the Meath Parliamentary constituency which returned several of 19th century Ireland s most prominent nationalist politicians including Daniel O Connell Charles Stewart Parnell and Michael Davitt Owing to its symbolic place in the national psyche Daniel O Connell held a rally on the Hill of Tara in August 1843 which was attended by between 500 000 and 1 million people making it one of the largest crowd gatherings in Irish history 58 To address rising poverty and growing unrest in Ireland the British government set up workhouses in the 1830s and began constructing railroads However these efforts were largely unsuccessful and the impoverished of Meath pushed to the brink by high rents and mass unemployment were wiped out by the Great Famine of 1845 49 Having reached over 183 000 in 1841 the population of Meath would fall to 67 000 by 1900 The famine had a lasting cultural societal and linguistic effect on the county Pre famine census records show that Meath had been a region with an undoubted Irish speaking majority 59 but by the late 1800s the Irish language was virtually extinct within the county The famine era workhouse and mass grave at Dunshaughlin is today a memorial to its victims The famine shed light on the detrimental effects that Ireland s land laws were having on the economic and social well being of the country and the British government s lacklustre response to the crisis further strengthened the cause of Irish nationalists The Protestant Ascendancy went into steep decline following the famine and many landholders were effectively bankrupt leading to the ad hoc sale of lands to unproductive use The push for reform escalated in the 1870s into a period of sporadic violence and civil unrest known as the Land Wars Thomas Brennan of Yellow Furze co founded the Irish National Land League in 1879 alongside Michael Davitt His staunch republicanism and socialist leanings put him at odds with the League s executive and he was excluded from the Irish National League set up by Parnell in 1882 Brennan moved to the United States and raised money for the republican cause advocating total Irish independence as opposed to Home Rule to the Irish American diaspora 60 This revealed an ideological divide within the nationalist movement between those who favoured greater legislative independence under the British crown as had been achieved in the 1780s and those who advocated for completely severing ties with the United Kingdom Some of the political reforms desired by the nationalists were finally realised under the Local Government Act of 1898 The act set up urban and rural districts as well as county councils to take over local government from landlords Under the reforms small sub councils and boroughs were abolished and Meath County Council was granted full control over the jurisdiction The council sat at Navan which became the new county town of Meath ending Trim s 600 year status as Meath s shire town 61 62 20th century edit nbsp Crowds disembark for the Laytown races 1910 nbsp First modern revival of Ancient Meath s Tailteann Games 1924The reforms proposed by the UK government failed to stem the rising tide of nationalism which spilled over into the 20th century as the 1916 Easter Rising The Battle of Ashbourne was one of the few skirmishes which took place outside of Dublin during the rising and was its sole success On 28 April 1916 members of the Dublin Volunteers Fifth Fingal battalion led by Thomas Ashe surrounded a Royal Irish Constabulary RIC police station in Ashbourne and demanded their surrender RIC reinforcements were dispatched from Navan and upon arriving at the scene a firefight ensued during which 8 RIC members were killed and 15 wounded forcing them to retreat On the orders of Patrick Pearse Ashe and his battalion surrendered the following day 63 Meath s Eamonn Duggan served as the IRA s director of intelligence during and after the rising and was a signatory of the Anglo Irish treaty in 1921 Meath largely sided with the pro treaty forces during the Civil War with the Louth Meath constituency returning one anti treaty and four pro treaty TDs in the 1922 general election Duggan later joined Cumann na nGaedheal and held various ministerial offices until his death in 1936 Following independence various government backed Gaelic revival efforts were centred on the county and its history including the foundation of 5 Gaeltacht areas within Meath and the symbolic hosting of the Tailteann Games The declining population of Meath gradually stabilised as emigration balanced with high natural birth rates Outward migration from the county remained substantial until the reforms of Sean Lemass in the 1960s strengthened industry by injecting capital into the economy and abandoning the policy of autarky 64 These reforms coupled with EEC membership in 1973 brought jobs and investment into the county and the extraction and textile industries prospered By the 1971 census Meath s population had surpassed 70 000 for the first time in eighty years Despite a severe recession in the 1980s the growth of Meath s economy and population became exponential in the late 1990s and early 2000s during the Celtic Tiger era As places such as Trim Navan and Kells developed into major commuter towns of Dublin the county grew increasingly reliant on the overheated construction sector leaving Meath hard hit by the property collapse in 2008 From 2014 onward the economy experienced a robust recovery and by 2016 Meath had the third lowest unemployment rate in Ireland 65 Meath surpassed its pre famine population in 2011 becoming one of only five counties in the State to do so Places of interest edit nbsp Newgrange c 3 200 BC As a consequence of its location in the centre of Ireland Meath has an abundance of historic sites All periods of Irish history are represented in the landmarks of the county spanning from the prehistoric tombs at Bru na Boinne the early Christian monasteries at Kells and Bective the Norman era fortifications at Trim and Dunmoe the manor houses and estates of the 17th and 18th centuries such as those at Bellinter and Slane the famine era workhouse and graveyard at Dunshaughlin all the way up to the Battle of Ashbourne historic site which commemorates the sole victory of the Irish Volunteers during the 1916 Easter Rising In terms of natural attractions the county has a relatively tame landscape compared to other parts of Ireland with no mountains a short coastline and generally little forest cover There are however a number of National Parks and Wildlife Service NPWS protected sites within the county The River Nanny Estuary amp Shore and the River Boyne amp River Blackwater are listed as Special Protection Areas Additionally all bogs within the county those being Mount Hevey Girley Killyconny Molerick and Jamestown are listed as either Special Areas of Conservation or Natural Heritage Areas Lough Bane Lough Glass White Lough Ben Loughs and Lough Doo are all also protected by the NPWS Landmarks edit See also List of National Monuments in County Meath nbsp 18th century Slane Castle nbsp 19th century Gormanston CastleAthcarne Castle Athlumney Castle Ballinlough Castle Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre Bective Abbey Bellinter House Boyne Hill Estate Clonard Abbey Dangan Castle Dardistown Castle Donaghmore Round Tower Dowth Dunsany Castle and Demesne Dunmoe Castle Dunshaughlin Famine Workhouse Fairyhouse Fourknocks Passage Tomb Gormanston Castle Hill of Slane Hill of Tara Hill of Ward Irish Military War Museum Kells Abbey Killeen Castle Knowth Loughcrew Newgrange Oldcastle World War I POW Camp Robertstown Castle St Mary s Abbey Skryne Castle Skryne Monastic Site Slane Castle Spire of Lloyd Tailteann Tattersalls Country House Trim Castle Trim Cathedral Natural attractions edit nbsp The Nanny RiverBalrath Woods Bettystown Beach Boyne Valley Girley Bog Grove Gardens Jamestown Bog Killyconny Bog Larchill Arcadian Gardens Loughs of the Upper Boyne Valley Leinster Blackwater Lough Sheelin Loughcrew Historic Gardens Molerick Bog Mount Hevey Bog Nanny Estuary Rathbeggan Lakes Slieve na Calliagh Sonairte National Ecology CentreDemographics editMain immigrant groups 2016 66 Country of birth Population nbsp United Kingdom 9 699 nbsp Poland 4 229 nbsp Lithuania 3 131 nbsp Romania 1 402 nbsp Latvia 1 092 nbsp Nigeria 945 nbsp United States 930 nbsp India 465 nbsp Moldova 456 nbsp South Africa 442Meath had a population of 195 044 according to the 2016 Census an increase of 10 327 since the 2011 Census of Ireland Population growth from 2011 to 2016 included a natural decrease of 553 people 0 28 since the last census coupled with an increase of 10 880 people 5 9 due to net migration into the county Immigration from outside Ireland resulted in a net increase of 1 537 people and migration within the country primarily from County Dublin produced a net increase of 9 343 people Owing to its proximity to Dublin Meath is the least indigenous county in Ireland with just 67 798 usual residents 34 9 recorded as being born within the county Approximately half of all Meath residents 49 9 were born elsewhere in Ireland and the remaining 15 4 were born abroad 67 The county s population density was 83 2 people km2 in 2016 making it one of just 7 counties in the state with a population density above the national average 69 1 people km2 In 2016 the racial composition of the county was 94 1 White 84 4 White Irish 9 2 Other White Background 0 5 Irish Traveler 1 6 Black 1 3 Asian 1 3 Others including mixed 1 9 Not statedThe five largest foreign national groups in Meath are British 5 0 percent Polish 2 2 percent Lithuanian 1 6 percent Romanian 0 7 percent and Latvian 0 6 percent Several major immigrant groups within the county experienced a decline in population between the 2011 and 2016 Census chiefly the British 4 4 per cent Lithuanians 2 per cent Latvians 4 8 per cent and Americans 4 9 per cent Meath s sizable Nigerian community which is mostly centred around Navan experienced the most marked decline decreasing from 1 206 in 2011 to 945 in 2016 21 6 per cent The fastest growing of the major immigrant groups during this period were the Polish 15 6 per cent Romanians 84 2 Brazilians 50 7 per cent and Moldovans 55 7 per cent In 2016 8 1 per cent of the county s population was reported as younger than 5 years old 23 8 per cent were between 5 and 19 57 5 per cent were between 20 and 65 and 10 6 per cent of the population was older than 65 4 328 people 2 2 per cent were over the age of 80 Females made up 50 44 per cent of the population with women outnumbering men by approximately 1 300 In 2018 there were 2 597 births within the county and the average age of a first time mother was 31 0 years 68 Religion edit Religion in Meath 2016Religion PercentRoman Catholic 82 3 Other Christian 6 1 Muslim 0 8 Other Stated Religions 0 7 None or Not Stated 10 1 According to the 2016 Census published by the Central Statistics Office 89 9 of County Meath s residents identify with a religion 88 4 affiliate with Christianity and its various denominations and the other 1 5 are adherents of non Christian religions The remaining 8 1 have no religion with 2 of people not stating their religion The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2016 was the Roman Catholic Church with 160 140 followed by the Church of Ireland England Anglican and Episcopalian with 4 134 Orthodox Christianity with 2 915 and all other Christian denominations including Presbyterian and Pentecostal with 3 306 adherents Among the non Christian denominations Muslims are by far the largest group with 1 564 adherents followed by Hinduism with 336 and Buddhism with 235 Additionally 35 people 0 018 identified as Jewish and 3 565 people did not state their religion 69 The Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Trim was the seat of the former Diocese of Meath which is now the Diocese of Meath and Kildare in the Church of Ireland The Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath has its seat at Mullingar County Westmeath A former cathedral was located at Clonard Abbey however it was destroyed by fire in 1206 Thomas Deenihan is the current Bishop of Meath The county s largest Presbyterian church is located in Kells and the Navan Muslim Community Centre which is primarily used as a mosque is located on Kennedy Road in Navan Continuing the trend which has been observed throughout Ireland since the Census of 2006 a significant increase in the number of people who identified as having no religion was observed between 2011 and 2016 This demographic increased by 97 5 from 7 990 in 2011 to 15 783 in 2016 People with no religion now account for 8 1 of the county s population Historical populationYearPop 1841183 828 1851140 748 23 4 1861110 373 21 6 187195 558 13 4 188187 469 8 5 189176 987 12 0 190167 497 12 3 191165 091 3 6 192662 969 3 3 193661 405 2 5 194666 232 7 9 195166 337 0 2 195666 762 0 6 196165 122 2 5 196667 323 3 4 197171 729 6 5 197990 715 26 5 198195 419 5 2 1986103 881 8 9 1991105 370 1 4 1996109 732 4 1 2002134 005 22 1 2006162 831 21 5 2011184 135 13 1 2016195 044 5 9 2022220 296 12 9 2 70 Population trends edit nbsp Graph showing the population change in Meath 1841 2022The population of Meath suffered a significant decline between 1841 and 1901 decreasing by almost two thirds 183 828 to 67 497 it stabilised between 1901 and 1971 67 497 to 71 729 and there was a substantial increase between 1971 and 1981 to 95 419 This increase was mainly due to a baby boom locally The population then continued to increase at a constant rate before increasing at an explosive rate between 1996 and 2002 from 109 732 to 134 005 This is due primarily to economic factors with the return of residents to live in the county and also an echo effect of the 1970s baby boom The census of 2022 gives a figure of 220 296 including a dramatic increase in inward migration to the county Meath is one of only 5 counties in the state which has a population higher than its 1841 pre famine peak This population growth has seen divergent trends emerge in recent years with mild depopulation in the north and west of the county more than offset by large increases in the population of the eastern and south eastern parts of the county principally owing to inward migration to districts that have good proximity via road to the business parks on the western outskirts of Dublin The accession of Poland and the Baltic States to the European Union in 2004 resulted in a significant influx of workers from these countries to work in sectors such as agriculture quarrying construction and catering 71 Irish language edit nbsp Irish language road sign on a road junction in the southeast of Baile Ghib nbsp Gaeltacht Areas Green within County Meath Meath contains Leinster s only Gaeltacht areas at Rath Chairn close to Athboy and Baile Ghib located northwest of Navan With just 1 771 native Irish speakers between them spread over a total area of 44 km2 they are the two smallest Gaeltachts in Ireland Unlike the Gaeltachts of the west of Ireland the Meath Gaeltachts are the result of a government gaelicisation scheme to reintroduce the Irish language to the east of the country In total 5 Irish speaking settlements were set up in Meath between 1935 and 1939 Rath Chairn Baile Ghib Cill Bhride Cluain an Ghaill and Baile Ailin They were established on fertile land which had been allowed to fall into disrepair by absentee landlords and was consequently repossessed by the Irish Land Commission In total 122 Irish speaking families moved to the county They were primarily from Connemara but some families were also from Kerry Over the years Cill Bhride was subsumed into Rath Chairn and Cluain an Ghaill was subsumed into Baile Ghib The fifth and final Gaeltacht to be set up Baile Ailin failed after a generation as several Irish speaking families moved away and day to day use of the Irish language failed to take hold amongst the children of those who remained The two surviving settlements were officially recognised as Gaeltacht areas in 1967 72 According to the 2016 Census 38 6 per cent of Meath residents were able to speak Irish Of that there were 2 533 Gaeilgeoiri people who speak Irish in their day to day lives in County Meath 73 In addition there are 1 304 pupils attending the seven Gaelscoileanna outside the Gaeltacht areas 74 The Greater Dublin Area has the highest number of Irish medium schools in Ireland Urban areas edit Navan is the county town and by far the largest settlement in Meath It is also the 5th largest town in the state excluding cities Meath is predominantly an urban county although a large percentage of its residents live in rural areas According to the 2016 Census 58 9 per cent of the county lived in urban areas and the remaining 41 1 per cent lived in rural areas Just over half of the county s population 51 3 per cent live in the ten largest towns Historically the largest towns in Meath were located in the north and west of the county such as Trim Navan and Kells However in recent years settlements in the south and east of the county such as Ashbourne Dunboyne and Bettystown have expanded significantly and many of the county s largest and fastest growing towns are now located in these areas Largest cities or towns in Meath Census 2016 Source 75 Rank Constituency Pop nbsp Navan nbsp Ashbourne 1 Navan Meath West 30 173 nbsp Laytown Bettystown Mornington Donacarney nbsp Ratoath2 Ashbourne Meath East 12 6793 Laytown Bettystown Mornington Donacarney Louth 11 8724 Ratoath Meath East 9 5335 Trim Meath West 9 1946 Dunboyne Meath East 7 2727 Kells Meath West 6 1358 Drogheda Southern Environs Louth 5 0009 Duleek Meath East 4 21910 Dunshaughlin Meath East 4 035Economy editThe Central Statistics Office estimates that Meath s Total Household Income in 2017 was 5 253 billion ranking 6th among Irish counties Meath also ranks 6th in the country by per capita disposable income at 20 493 or 95 8 of the State average 76 Meath residents are also the 6th highest per capita tax contributors to the State returning a total of 1 311 billion in taxes in 2017 roughly equivalent to the entire Midlands Region Major industries include services retail agriculture and food processing mining manufacturing and tourism Services retail and hospitality edit nbsp Cu Chulainn Ireland s biggest rollercoaster Services retail and the hospitality industry are the primary employers in the county Navan was historically a manufacturing town and involved in the household goods sector Navan was also a centre in the Irish carpet making industry before this was lost to overseas competition 77 Tourism benefits from the abundance of historically important pre historic and early Christian sites as well as castles and manor houses within the county many of which are currently in use as hotels Due to its rich history Meath is marketed by Failte Ireland the country s national tourism agency as Ireland s Heritage Capital Good local infrastructure means that most of Meath s tourist attractions are located within a one and a half hour drive from Dublin Airport Despite this Meath received just 162 000 overseas tourists in 2017 placing it 17th out of 26 counties 78 Tourism is worth in excess of 50 million to the local economy each year In addition to historic attractions Meath is home to scenic lakes beaches wooded areas and several European designated areas of ecological significance The only permanent amusement park in Ireland is Emerald Park located in Ashbourne which has 3 roller coasters including Cu Chulainn Ireland s largest roller coaster Meath also has a growing science and biotechnology field In 2018 Shire one of the world s largest pharmaceutical companies opened a 350 million international disease research centre in Dunboyne which employs 400 people 79 Agriculture edit nbsp Silage harvesting in Clonard The agricultural products of the county are beef pork dairy poultry vegetables and cereals Meath has a strong farming tradition and up until the 1911 Census the most commonly listed occupation in the county was farm labourer Meath is ranked 2nd in the country for the production of vegetables and 2nd for the production of rapeseed oil As of 2018 Meath has the country s 8th largest cattle herd with 275 301 cows Dairy production was the largest and most profitable agricultural sector in the county and 63 7 of all cattle were dairy cows The remaining 36 3 were beef cattle The county also has Ireland s 9th largest sheep herd 150 571 sheep and 14th largest pig herd 40 259 80 Meat processors such as Kepak and Dawn Meats are large employers within the county There are 4 620 farms in the county with a total farmed area of 194 886 ha 481 574 acres accounting for 83 of land area Of this 31 201 ha 77 099 acres was under tillage the 3rd highest in the country Although Irish agriculture is heavily dominated by pasture farming Meath s favourable climate and easterly location give it a much greater capacity than most counties for agricultural diversification reflected in its robust tillage and vegetable production sectors The average size of a farm in the county is 42 ha 104 acres well above the national average of 31 ha 77 acres Agriculture supports thousands of jobs within the county and according to the Irish Farmers Association the total value of agricultural produce from Meath in 2018 was 541 million ranking it 6th in Ireland 81 Extraction and energy edit nbsp Meath is the largest producer of Zinc in Europe Due to the geology of the area Meath has enormous reserves of Lead and Zinc which are extracted at Tara Mine in Navan Tara is both Europe s largest and deepest mine and is currently owned by Boliden AB The mine has been in continuous operation since 1977 and a total of 85 million tonnes of ore have been extracted from it producing 2 6 million tonnes of zinc ore annually 82 Glacial deposits of gravel exist in a band stretching from the Offaly border at Edenderry to the sea at Laytown This is the basis of a long quarrying tradition The local availability of large deposits of limestone and shale also gave rise to a significant cement production industry within the county The two largest cement facilities are at Kinnegad and Platin the latter of which is owned by Irish Cement and has the capacity to produce 2 8 million tonnes of cement per annum which is primarily transported via rail to Dublin for use or export Ireland s first waste to energy plant opened in Duleek in 2011 and produces 17 MW of electricity per annum SSE Airtricity aim to build a 208 MW gas fired power plant south of Drogheda Meath has a small but growing biomass industry however other forms of renewable energy such as wind power and hydroelectricity have stalled due to widespread objections There is an abundance of natural subterranean faults where water from hot springs such as those Enfield rise to the surface at 25 C There is potential for these to be used for Shallow Geothermal Energy generation 83 Infrastructure editRoad edit nbsp The Mary McAleese Boyne Valley BridgeThe county is served by four motorway routes The M3 connects Navan to Dublin and runs from just south of Kells to Clonee a distance of 48 km 30 mi The M4 passes through the south of the county and serves as the main road to both Sligo and Galway when it divides at Kinnegad into the N4 and the M6 The M1 Dublin to Belfast route traverses East Meath for 17 km 11 mi before bypassing Drogheda A 13 km 8 1 mi stretch of the N2 from Ashbourne to the Dublin border at Ward Cross was upgraded to the M2 motorway in 2009 Two national primary routes pass through the county The N3 and the N2 The M3 becomes the N3 south of Kells before continuing on to County Cavan a distance of 12 km 7 5 mi The N2 begins at Ashbourne and crosses the county for roughly 30 km 19 mi before entering County Louth near Collon Two national secondary routes pass through the county The majority of the N51 Drogheda to Mullingar route is located within Meath and crosses the county for 40 km 25 mi passing through Slane Navan and Athboy 84 The N52 which stretches from Nenagh where it joins the M7 to Dundalk where it joins the N1 crosses the county for 36 km 22 mi and passes through Kells Bus Eireann as well as private coach operators provide bus services to villages and towns across the county Areas close to Dublin city in southern and eastern Meath such as Clonee and Dunboyne are also served by Dublin Bus Rail edit nbsp M3 Parkway railway stationIrish Rail provides frequent rail services from Dunboyne and M3 Parkway to Dublin city centre Laytown railway station and Gormanston railway station have a commuter rail service and are located along Dublin s Northern Commuter Line which runs from Dundalk to Dublin A commuter train service Western Commuter Line passes through Enfield although the service is less frequent as the station is primarily used for the long distance Irish rail routes to Longford and Sligo Navan is currently served by a freight only spur railway line from Drogheda on the Dublin Belfast main line for freight traffic zinc and lead concentrate from Tara Mines in Navan to Dublin Port connecting at Drogheda Currently the only commuter rail from Dublin to Navan must also pass through Drogheda The direct Dublin Navan railway line remains disused though still intact In June 2018 the Department of Transport stated that it would review reopening the line by extending the link past the M3 parkway in 2021 85 Air edit For commercial and international flights Meath is serviced by Dublin Airport which is the closest international airport to the county and has good road links with most major towns For light aircraft and recreational flying there are several airstrips located throughout the county which serve as the base of operations for local flying clubs The Trim Aerodrome is primarily used for microlight flying The Ballybog Airstrip opened in 1990 and provides a number of recreational aviation activities such as hot air balloon rides and air shows There are also airfields at Navan and at Moyglare across the river rye from Kilcock County Kildare There is also a military landing strip at Gormanstown Camp which is not actively used for aircraft However the Irish Defence Forces continue to utilise the airstrip for ground to air combat training Sport editGAA edit nbsp Meath supporters green and yellow at an All Ireland Qualifiers game against Tyrone Gaelic football is the most popular sport in the county and Meath GAA competes annually in Division 2 of the National Football League the provincial Leinster Senior Football Championship and the All Ireland Senior Football Championship Meath has long been the second power of Leinster football behind rivals Dublin and 26 Leinster Senior Football Championship Finals have been contested between the two of which Meath emerged victorious on 9 occasions In total Meath has won 21 Leinster titles making the county the second most successful in the province after Dublin Given the pre eminence of Dublin in recent years Meath s rivalry with Louth is now often regarded as the most heated contest especially after Meath s highly controversial win over Louth in the 2010 Leinster Final Meath has won the national football league 7 times between 1933 and 1994 the fifth most titles in Ireland Additionally Meath has won the All Ireland Senior Football Championship the most prestigious competition in Gaelic football on 7 occasions between 1949 and 1999 also making it the fifth most successful county in Ireland Meath has also won Leinster s O Byrne Cup on 10 occasions the second most after Kildare Within the county Gaelic football clubs compete annually in the Meath Senior Football Championship The first championship was played in 1887 in which Dowdstown beat Kells by 1 goal to nothing The most successful club in Meath is Navan O Mahonys with 20 Senior Football Championship titles The most successful club at the provincial level is Walterstown which has won 2 Leinster Senior Club Football Championship titles in 1980 and 1983 No team from Meath has ever won the All Ireland Senior Club Football Championship In Hurling the county competes in Division 2 of the National Hurling League as well as in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship and the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Meath is not a dual county and has never won a provincial or national hurling title As with football the Meath Senior Hurling Championship is held every year The first championship in 1902 was won by the Navan Hibernians The most successful hurling club in the county is Kilmessan with 29 titles followed by Trim with 26 No club team from Meath has ever won the Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship and has therefore never qualified for the All Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship nbsp Horse racing at Fairyhouse Equestrian activities edit Horse racing horse breeding and horse training are popular in Meath There are 54 studs within the county including the Dollanstown Stud and Estate which is one of the most expensive private properties in Ireland Race courses within the county include Navan Fairyhouse and Bellewstown which host both National Hunt and Flat horse races such as the Brownstown Stakes the Bobbyjo Chase the Lismullen Hurdle and the Irish Grand National The latter has been held at Fairyhouse since 1870 Beach horse racing also takes place at the Laytown Racecourse The Tattersalls Country House and equestrian grounds which hosts the International Horse Trials and Country Fair each year is located opposite the Fairyhouse Racecourse near Ratoath Artist Letitia Marion Hamilton from Dunboyne won an Olympic bronze medal for oils and watercolours in the 1948 Summer Olympics for her depiction of The Meath Hunt Point to Point Races Other sports edit nbsp 18th Hole at Killeen CastleAs with much of the rest of Ireland association football is a popular spectator sport within Meath The two most prominent football clubs in the county are Parkvilla F C and Dunboyne A F C which both compete in the Leinster Senior League The lower tier Meath and District League comprises clubs from counties Meath Louth Cavan and Monaghan Despite being one of the most populous counties in Ireland Dunboyne s Darragh Lenihan is the first and only player from Meath to have represented the Republic of Ireland national football team after making his debut in 2018 Golf is also widely played and there are numerous golf and links courses in Meath Killeen Castle in Dunsany has an 18 hole championship golf course which was designed by Jack Nicklaus in 2009 and was the venue for the 2011 Solheim Cup Knightsbrook Golf Club in Trim also has a championship golf course which was designed by Christy O Connor in 2006 The County Meath Golf Club in Trim and Royal Tara Golf Club near Navan are two of the most popular golfing locations in the county Links golf is also played adjacent to the Irish sea coast at the Laytown amp Bettystown Golf Club Athletics within the county is organised by the Meath Athletics Board which oversees the county s 18 athletics clubs The board is based in Claremont Stadium in Navan which is a 400m Tartan Athletics Track and Field Stadium Sara Treacy of Dunboyne AC represented Ireland in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro Several teams from Meath compete in the Leinster League in Rugby union most notably Ashbourne RFC Athboy RFC Navan R F C and North Meath RFC Former Leinster and Ireland wing Shane Horgan from Bellewstown played for Boyne RFC in Drogheda at youth level Notable people editMain article List of Meath people See also Category People from County MeathSee also 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original on 24 June 2021 Retrieved 9 November 2019 New Shire plant to focus on treatment of rare diseases Meath Chronicle 12 July 2018 Archived from the original on 16 July 2018 Retrieved 9 November 2019 eAnimal Identification amp Movement DAFM Archived from the original on 20 May 2020 Retrieved 9 November 2019 The Value of Irish Agriculture IFA Archived from the original on 28 July 2020 Retrieved 9 November 2019 Boliden Annual Report 2016 PDF Boliden AB Archived from the original PDF on 24 September 2021 via alertir com Renewable Energy Strategy for County Meath 2017 PDF Meath Environmental Network Archived PDF from the original on 17 November 2017 Retrieved 9 November 2019 Meath County Development Plan Meath County Council Archived from the original on 24 May 2019 Retrieved 9 November 2019 Rail Network Expansion Tuesday 12 June 2018 Oireachtas Archived from the original on 24 July 2021 Retrieved 9 November 2019 Attribution nbsp This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Kingsford Charles Lethbridge 1892 Lacy Hugh de d 1186 In Lee Sidney ed Dictionary of National Biography Vol 31 London Smith Elder amp Co External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to County Meath nbsp Wikivoyage has a travel guide for County Meath Meath County Council Meath Tourism Archived 8 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine 53 40 N 6 40 W 53 667 N 6 667 W 53 667 6 667 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title County Meath amp oldid 1185859070, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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