- Irish:
- An Mhí
- Originally:
- Mide, or Midhe
Meath
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Where is County Meath located?
County Meath is located in the province of Leinster, in northeastern Ireland. It is bordered by several other counties: Monaghan to the north, Louth to the northeast, Fingal to the southeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the southwest, Westmeath to the west, and Cavan to the northwest. Additionally, the Irish Sea borders it on the east coast. The county town (administrative center) is Navan, situated in central Meath.
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What is the county town (main town) of Meath?
The county town (main town) of County Meath in Ireland is Navan. Navan sits in the center of County Meath, at the meeting point of the Rivers Boyne and Blackwater. County Meath is located in the province of Leinster, in northeastern Ireland.
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What major rivers flow through County Meath?
County Meath in Leinster province, northeastern Ireland, is drained by the River Blackwater and the River Boyne. The River Boyne flows northeast for 70 miles (110 km) from its source in County Kildare to the Irish Sea below Drogheda. The River Blackwater also flows through the county.
The landscape of County Meath is mostly glacial drift with crops and pasture covering almost the entire county.
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What famous ancient sites can be found in Meath?
County Meath in Ireland is home to several famous ancient sites.
The hill of Tara was the traditional seat of the high kings of Ireland. The earliest local remains consist of a small passage grave (c. 2100 bc) known as Dumha na nGiall (\u201cMound of the Hostages\u201d).
Newgrange is a Neolithic passage grave in the valley of the River Boyne. Built about 3200 BCE, it is considered the finest of its kind in Europe. Nearby are the two big tumuli, or grave mounds, of Dowth and Knowth. At Ceanannus Mór (formerly Kells), the Book of Kells (c. 800) may have been inscribed and illuminated.
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How has agriculture influenced the economy of County Meath?
Agriculture significantly shapes County Meath's economy, with crops and pasturelands covering almost the entire county. The area's landscape, characterized by glacial drift, eskers, and rich glacial loam, provides fertile ground for agriculture and grazing.
Meath specializes in cattle raising, with three-fourths of its farmed area dedicated to permanent pasture. Important crops grown in the county include wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, and other root and green crops. The farms in Meath are highly productive, contributing to the county's agricultural prominence.
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What cultural or historical events make Meath significant in Irish history?
County Meath in Ireland holds considerable cultural and historical significance. Known as the "middle kingdom," Meath originally encompassed present-day Meath and Westmeath, along with parts of Cavan and Longford.
Key highlights:
- Hill of Tara: The hill of Tara served as the traditional seat for the high kings of Ireland. Its earthworks likely date back to the first five centuries of the Christian era when it was the seat of the Uí Néill kings.
- Historical artifacts: The county's fertile soil favored prehistoric settlement, exemplified by the vast Neolithic burial site at Newgrange. The Book of Kells may have been written and decorated in Ceanannus Mór (formerly Kells) around 800 CE.
- Battle of the Boyne: Meath's northern boundary, west of Drogheda, was the site of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, a pivotal event where William III's victory over James II solidified English Protestant rule in Ireland.
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Meath, county in the province of Leinster, northeastern Ireland. It is bounded by Counties Monaghan (north), Louth (northeast), Fingal (southeast), Kildare (south), Offaly (southwest), Westmeath (west), and Cavan (northwest); the Irish Sea lies on the east coast. Navan, in central Meath, is the county town (seat).
Crops and pasture cover almost the entire county, and there are a few patches of woodland, some peat bogs in the southwest, and small areas of hill pasture around Slieve na Calliagh in the northwest. The landscape of the county consists almost entirely of glacial drift. Rivers include the Blackwater and the Boyne. Many eskers, or long glacial gravel ridges, and deep deposits of rich glacial loam extend over a great part of Meath and north Kildare, giving the area rich agricultural and grazing lands.
Navan, Ceanannus Mór, and Trim are urban districts. Meath is administered by a county council and a county manager. Most towns are small market centres and together contain about one-third of the county’s population; however, Drogheda in County Louth serves a large area of Meath. There is some light industry, limited mostly to textiles and furniture, and the county contains important lead and zinc deposits.
Meath is well-favoured agriculturally, and it specializes in cattle raising. The farms are highly productive, and three-fourths of the farmed area is in permanent pasture. Important crops include wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, and some sugar beets and other root and green crops. There are a number of demesnes (tenant farms) in Meath, as well as farms owned by Irish- (Gaelic-) language speakers whose community originated in the poor west country.
The county’s deep, workable soil favoured prehistoric settlement. At Newgrange is a vast Neolithic burial place in the shape of a mound over a circular chamber that is entered by a passage walled with blocks of stone. Nearby are the two big tumuli, or grave mounds, of Dowth and Knowth. At Ceanannus Mór (formerly Kells), the Book of Kells (c. 800) may have been inscribed and illuminated. There are round towers at Ceanannus Mór and Donaghmore. The hill of Tara is the traditional seat of the high kings of Ireland (árd rí Éireann).
Meath, “the middle kingdom,” originally consisted of the present Meath and Westmeath, with parts of Cavan and Longford. The present county came into existence in the 13th century and was defined in the 16th century. In 1172 Henry II bestowed Meath as an earldom to Hugh de Lacy, who built strong castles at Trim, Ceanannus Mór, and elsewhere and enfeoffed 18 baronies, creating an English territorial nobility that lasted into the 17th century. As the English hold in Ireland deteriorated in the 13th and 14th centuries, only part of Meath remained inside the English Pale (territory) and under direct rule from Dublin. Meath’s northern boundary, west of Drogheda, was the scene of the Battle of the Boyne (1690), in which William III defeated James II and asserted English Protestant rule over Ireland. Area 904 square miles (2,342 square km). Pop. (2006) 162,831; (2011) 184,135.