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Hill of Tara  NewgrangeSlieve
na Calliagh
County Meath from Samuel
Lewis' Topographical
Directory of Ireland 1837
Meath is a county in the
province of Leinster, it has a total area of 2,338 sq. Km.
Its name is derived from the Irish An Mhi, which was
the name of an ancient kingdom.
The county is known as
Royal Meath because during Celtic times the high kings of
Ireland had their seat at Tara.Meath
 is
bounded by seven counties and the Irish sea. It has Dublin
and the sea to the east, Kildare and Offaly to the south,
Westmeath to the west, and Cavan, Monaghan, and Louth to the
north. Meath is a mainly lowland which rises to hills of more
than 150 meter's along its northern borders. The county is
fertile with about 95 per cent of the land is agricultural,
on which about 20% of the population work. |
The River Boyne and its
tributary  the Blackwater drain much
of the county. The short and low coastline of Meath has several
sandy beaches, on one of these between the towns of Bettystown and
Laytown a horse race meeting is held each year, the date determined
by the tides. The county is drained by the River Boyne which joins
the sea at Droheda, and the river Nanny which meets the sea a little
way south of Laytown.
County Meath from Samuel Lewis' Topographical
Directory of Ireland 1837
Beef cattle production is the leading type
of farming. Cattle are imported from the south and west of Ireland
and fattened on the fertile land of the county. Dairy farms supply
milk to Dublin and to Irish creameries elsewhere. There are some
stud farms for horse breeding. One eighth of the farmland is planted
with arable crops, mainly barley, oats, potatoes, vegetables, and
wheat.
The county is administered by a county council
which meets in Navan. Meath elects five members to Dail Eireann.
English is the everyday language of almost all people. Although
there are two small Gaeltacht, areas in which about half of the
inhabitants are Irish speakers.
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The three major roads from Dublin to Northern Ireland
pass through Meath. The N4 road and the railway from Dublin to the west
of Ireland pass along the southern boundary. The railway from Dublin to
Belfast goes along the coast. A new motorway system was recently opened.
Largest towns in the county are Navan the capital Trim, Kells, Laytown,
Dunboyne and Duleek.
One fifth of the people work in the manufacturing
industry. Navan is the major industrial centre, with smaller industries
in Trim, Kells, and Oldcastle. One of the world's largest lead and zinc
mines is at Navan, it may still be in operation, I'm afraid I don't know.
Meath enjoys a dry mild climate it is the driest
place in Ireland with just 80 centimeter's along the coast and 100 centimeter's
on the higher land to the north and west. The average temperatures are
5 °C in January and 15 °C in July.
Tourism Department.
Meath County Council
Tourisn Dept
Ashbourne Civic Offices
Killegland Street,
Ashbourne
Co. Meath.
Tel + 353 (0) 1 835 8022
Fax + 353 (0) 1 835 8120
E Mail
Web
Site
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Meath
County Council.
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