Province of Leinster

County Meath

Known as The Royal County. For Tara, where the high kings were inaugurated, and because Meath was once a province in its own right: the fifth fifth, in the middle, with the seat of the kingship inside it.

Did you know? Newgrange is older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza. Once a year, at the winter solstice, the rising sun still threads its passage exactly as designed 5,200 years ago.

Open the atlas ↗

Through the ages — who held Meath

8,000 BC – 4,001 BC Mesolithic hunter-gatherers The First Irish

4,000 BC – 2,501 BC Neolithic farming communities The Tomb Builders

2,500 BC – 501 BC Bronze Age Ireland The Age of Gold & Bronze

500 BC – AD 99 Iron Age Ireland The Iron Age

AD 100 – AD 399 Eblani Ptolemy's Ireland

AD 400 – 1168 Mide (Kingdom of Meath) The Five Fifths Patrick & the Rise of the Uí Néill Saints & Scholars The Viking Storm Norse Cities & the Rise of Brian Kings with Opposition

1169 – 1333 Anglo-Norman Lordship of Ireland The Norman Invasion High Tide of the Colony

1334 – 1541 The English Pale The Gaelic Resurgence The Kildare Ascendancy

1542 – 1607 Kingdom of Ireland (Tudor crown) The Tudor Conquest

1608 – 1640 Kingdom of Ireland The Plantation of Ulster

1641 – 1652 Confederate Ireland Confederate Ireland & Cromwell

1653 – 1800 Kingdom of Ireland Ascendancy Ireland

1801 – 1915 United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland The Act of Union An Gorta Mór — The Great Famine Land & Liberty

1916 – 1921 Irish Republic (declared, contested) The Revolution

1922 – 1936 Irish Free State Partition — Free State & Northern Ireland

1937 – 1948 Ireland (Éire) Éire

1949 – 2026 Republic of Ireland The Republic & the Troubles Peace & the New Ireland

Clans & surnames of Meath

Conlan Ó Conalláin / Ó Caoindealbháin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Conallán — a diminutive of Conall” Connolly Ó Conghalaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Conghalach, 'valiant as a hound'” Cusack Ciomhsóg Norman · “from Cussac in Guyenne” Darcy Ó Dorchaidhe / d'Arcy Gaelic sept & Norman · “descendant of Dorchaidh, 'dark one' — or from Arcy in France” Fitzsimons Mac Síomóin Norman · “son of Simon” Fleming Pléimeann Norman-Flemish · “'the Fleming' — from Flanders” Kearney Ó Cearnaigh / Ó Catharnaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Cearnach, 'victorious'” Kelly Ó Ceallaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Ceallach, 'bright-headed' or 'strife'” O'Reilly Ó Raghallaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Raghallach” Plunkett Pluincéid Norman · “possibly from blanchet, 'little fair one'” Regan Ó Riagáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Riagán, 'little king' (or 'impulsive')” Sherlock Scurlóg Norman-English · “'fair-locked' — bright-haired”

Tap a name for its full page — story, homeland map and neighbours.

On the ground in Meath

Brú na Bóinne · tomb
Castlekeeran · high cross
Donaghmore · round tower · complete to cornice · 26.6 m
Kells · round tower · complete to cornice · 26 m
Kells Round Tower · high cross
Knowth · tomb
Lia Fáil · tomb
Monknewtown · tomb
Newgrange · tomb
Newgrange cursus · tomb
13 castles · Athcarne Castle, Athlumney Castle, Dangan Castle, Dardistown Castle, Donore Castle and more

Every pin is placed by its documented coordinates. All the monuments of Ireland →

Quick answers

What is the Irish name for County Meath?

An Mhí. Meath is one of the 12 counties of Leinster (Cúige Laighean).

Who ruled County Meath in the Middle Ages?

Around 1014 it was held by Mide (Kingdom of Meath); by 1450, The English Pale. The full era-by-era chronology is on this page.

What surnames come from County Meath?

Names historically associated with Meath include Conlan, Connolly, Cusack, Darcy, Fitzsimons, Fleming, Kearney, Kelly, among others.

Trace your ancestors in Meath

Free, from the holding institutions. How to begin: the six-step guide → · Spotted an error on this page? Suggest a correction.