Meath

I

Introduction

Meath, county in Leinster province, north-eastern Republic of Ireland, bounded on the north by Cavan, Monaghan, and Louth, on the east by the Irish Sea, on the south-east by Dublin, on the south by Kildare, on the south-west by Offaly, and on the west by Westmeath. It has a land area of 2,336 sq km (902 sq mi).

II

Land and Resources

Meath has a short coastline but is essentially an inland county. The Carboniferous limestone rock underlying the county is covered with rich topsoil, especially in the valleys of the rivers Blackwater and Boyne, and farming and fishing are the chief economic activities. Peatland in the west marks the beginning of the Bog of Allen and there are small loughs in the north. The highest point is the hill of Slane (163 m/529 ft) where in 433 St Patrick reputedly lit the Paschal Fire to announce the arrival of Christianity. Both deciduous and coniferous woodland may be found throughout the county.

Meath has a mild climate. The average annual temperature is 7° C (45° F) in January and 16° C (61° F) in July. The average annual rainfall is 1,000 to 1,200 mm (39 to 47 in).

III

Population and Administration

The county has an estimated population of 105,370 (1991). Though most people speak English (the official second language), Meath contains two officially designated Gaeltacht areas (areas where Irish is the first language) and there are about 41,480 Irish speakers (1996) (see Celtic Languages).

Navan is the county town and the centre of administration; there are town councils (formerly urban district councils) at Kells, Navan, and Trim. Other important towns are Ashbourne, Dunshaughlin, and Laytown.

IV

Places of Interest

Two towns in Meath, Kells and Trim, have been designated as “heritage towns”. Kells was one of Western Europe’s important religious centres in early medieval times. A monastery was first established in the town in 804 as a refuge from Viking raids by followers of St Columba. It is possible that these monks took the Book of Kells, now kept at Trinity College, Dublin, to the monastery at Kells from Iona. The town is also home to one of Ireland's most important collections of high crosses, some of which still stand in the shadow of the Round Tower in the grounds of St Columba’s Church. King John's Castle, in Trim, is the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Europe and was used as a location for the film Braveheart. Trim is the county’s only cathedral town. St Patrick's Cathedral was reconstructed in 1802 on the site of a medieval church; the graveyard contains a number of tombstones dating from 1458.

Many country house estates and celebrated landscaped gardens are located in the county. Hamwood House, in Dunboyne, is an 18th-century Palladian-style house, featuring a walled garden, rose gardens, and pine woodland. At Grove Gardens, near Kells, one of Europe’s largest collections of clematis can be seen. The 6-hectare (15-acre) site also houses a zoo and a tropical bird sanctuary.

The wealth of important Neolithic archaeological sites makes the county popular with tourists and historians alike. The Newgrange tumulus and the Hill of Tara draw large numbers of visitors (see History). The Loughcrew Cairns, a group of passage tombs dating from around 3000 bc, stand on the hillside near Oldcastle. Cairn T, one of the largest in the complex, has impressive examples of prehistoric art. Other archaeological monuments, including passage tombs, chambers, and megaliths, have been excavated at Knowth, Dowth, and Fourknocks.