County Dossier
Meath
A royal county of passage graves, plains and great river valleys.
Meath lies at the heart of eastern Ireland and has long been associated with kingship, ceremony and centrality. The Hill of Tara and the Brú na Bóinne complex make it one of the most historically resonant counties on the island.
At a glance
Meath at a glance
A royal county of passage graves, plains and great river valleys.
- The Royal County
- County by the 12th century
- Tara, Boyne and Brú na Bóinne
- Area: 904 sq miles / 2,341 sq km
- Population: 184,135
- County Top: Carnbane East (915ft / 279m)
County Geography
Meath meets Louth to the north-east, Dublin to the east, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the south-west, Westmeath to the west, and Cavan to the north-west. The county is shaped by the Boyne and Blackwater systems, the open plains at the heart of the old province of Mide, and the gradual rise toward the north-western hills.
Meath is easy to recognise through the Boyne valley, central plain, and north-western rise.
Map Reference
View Meath on the map
Meath is the county. The map shows its boundary, places, and neighbouring counties.
The county.
The county boundary.
Nearby counties and places.
Places and routes
Navan, Trim, Kells, Tara, and Slane show the county from its central towns and royal hill to the lower Boyne side and northern market district.
Connections
The county’s routes have long crossed through Navan and Trim, followed the Boyne corridor, and run north-west toward Kells and Oldcastle. Movement follows the same Boyne, plain, and upland-edge pattern.
Names
- Meath
- County Meath
- County of Meath
An Mhí is the Irish form of Meath. County Meath is the formal historical style, the county name preserves Mide, the middle kingdom or province of early Ireland, and Tara and Brú na Bóinne keep the older royal and ceremonial associations in view.
Meath was a county by the medieval period, and later boundary changes did not erase its role as the royal county at the heart of eastern Ireland. The Boyne-centred plain still gives the historic county a clear shape.