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Newgrange, County Meath
Photograph: Tjp finn · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Province of Leinster

County Meath

An Mhí

“un VEE” · the middle, from mide, middle

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.
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Meath by the numbers
Leinster province 220,826 people · 2022 census 2,342 km² · 14th of 32 by size County town Navan -24% in the Famine · 183,828 people in 1841, 140,000 in 1851 (approx.) 18 baronies · 1,596 townlands 1930s folklore · the Schools' Collection ↗ 20 surnames 7 towns on the site 2,594 daily Irish speakers Highest point Slieve na Calliagh, 276 m 7 senior All-Irelands 30 notable people born here UNESCO: Brú na Bóinne 1,132 historic buildings recorded Everything on the site about Meath ↓
Carlow Cavan Cork Donegal Dublin Clare Galway Kerry Kildare Kilkenny Laois Leitrim Limerick Longford Louth Mayo Meath Monaghan Offaly Roscommon Sligo Tipperary Waterford Westmeath Wexford Wicklow Antrim Armagh Down Fermanagh Londonderry Tyrone

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The history of Meath

Meath is the Royal County, the seat of the kings of Tara. Mesolithic flints from Randalstown near Navan, found during work on Tara Mines in the 1970s, date to around 9,500 BC; Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth at Brú na Bóinne were built before 3000 BC and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the 400s, Niall of the Nine Hostages's dynasty, the Uí Néill, pushed south from Ulster and made themselves kings of Tara, and by 740 the Clann Cholmáin had united the kingdom of Mide — "the middle". The first king the annals call High King of Ireland was Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid of Mide, who died in 862.

In 1002 Brian Boru forced Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill to give up the high kingship at Tara, ending the Uí Néill's hereditary claim. Tradition has Patrick light his Paschal fire on the Hill of Slane in defiance of the king at Tara, and Meath's kings founded Kells and Clonard, where the Twelve Apostles of Ireland were taught. In 1172 Henry II granted Meath to Hugh de Lacy, who built Trim Castle, killed Tigernán Ua Ruairc at a parley on the Hill of Ward, and founded Trim, Athboy, Kells and Navan as charter towns. The lordship was shired in 1297 and became the largest and richest county in Ireland, and in 1543 it was split into Meath and Westmeath.

In the 1640s the lords of Meath joined the Ulster rebels at the Hill of Crufty, and the Catholic bishops met at Kells in 1642 to declare the rebellion a just war. The Jacobites were defeated at the Boyne in July 1690. In August 1843 Daniel O'Connell's rally on the Hill of Tara drew somewhere between half a million and a million people. The Famine took Meath from over 183,000 people in 1841 to 67,000 by 1900, and the county's Irish-speaking majority was gone by the late 1800s; Navan replaced Trim as county town in 1898. In 1916 the Battle of Ashbourne was the Rising's only success outside Dublin. Meath passed its pre-Famine population again in 2011.

Drawn from the History section of the Wikipedia article on County Meath ↗, rewritten here and adding nothing it does not say; licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. The chronology above is this site's own; where the two differ, the article is the one to check.

The land — from Wikipedia

Meath is the 14th-largest of Ireland's 32 counties by area, and the eighth-largest in terms of population. It is the second-largest of Leinster's 12 counties in size, and the third-largest in terms of population. Meath borders seven counties – Dublin and Louth to the east, Westmeath and Offaly to the west, Kildare to the south, and Cavan and Monaghan to the north. Meath's coastline stretches for roughly along the Irish Sea between the Boyne and Delvin rivers, making it the second shortest coastline of any coastal county. The county town, Navan, is the largest settlement in Meath, and is situated on the River Boyne in the middle of the county. Navan is approximately from Dublin and from Belfast.

Places of interest

As a consequence of its location in the centre of Ireland, Meath has an abundance of historic sites.

All periods of Irish history are represented in the landmarks of the county, spanning from the prehistoric tombs at Brú na Bóinne, the early Christian monasteries at Kells and Bective, the Norman-era fortifications at Trim and Dunmoe, the manor houses and estates of the 17th and 18th centuries such as those at Bellinter and Slane, the famine-era workhouse and graveyard at Dunshaughlin, all the way up to the Battle of Ashbourne historic site, which commemorates the sole victory of the Irish Volunteers during the 1916 Easter Rising.

Read the full article ↗ · Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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'” Corbett Corbaid Norman & Gaelic · “'son of Corbet' — from French corbeau, a raven” 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” Duane Ó Dubháin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Dubhán, 'black'” Fitzsimons Mac Síomóin Norman · “son of Simon” Fleming Pléimeann Norman-Flemish · “'the Fleming' — from Flanders” Gibney Ó Gibne Gaelic sept · “descendant of Gibne, ‘hound’” Gilsenan Mac Giolla Seanáin Gaelic sept · “son of the servant of St Senan” Hart Ó hAirt Gaelic sept · “descendant of Art, ‘bear, stone, noble’” Kearney Ó Cearnaigh / Ó Catharnaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Cearnach, 'victorious'” Kelly Ó Ceallaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Ceallach, 'bright-headed' or 'strife'” Lacey de Léis Norman & Gaelic sept · “Norman ‘de Laci’, of Lassy in France; or Ó Laitheasa, descendant of Flaitheas” Murtagh Mac Muircheartaigh Gaelic sept · “son of Muircheartach, 'sea-director, navigator'” O'Reilly Ó Raghallaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Raghallach” Plunkett Pluincéid Norman · “Norman Blanchet, from French blanc, 'white, pale'” Quinlan Ó Caoindealbháin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Caoindealbhán, 'gracefully shaped'” 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. Or see all surnames from County Meath, with the other counties each name is tied to.

Towns, saints and legends of Meath

Towns. Navan An Uaimh (33,886, 2022), Ashbourne Cill Dhéagláin (15,680, 2022), Dunboyne Dún Búinne (7,155, 2022), Dunshaughlin Dún Seachlainn (6,644, 2022), Athboy Baile Átha Buí (2,596, 2022), Trim Baile Átha Troim, Kells Ceanannas. What every town name means →

Saints. St Oliver Plunkett (1 July).

Legends set here. Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange) · Tara — the Lia Fáil · Loughcrew — the Hag's Chair. On the atlas →

First names that belong here. Cormac, Aonghus, Ultán, Cianán, Tailtiu, Tlachtga, Achall.

Irish in Meath today

At the 2022 census, 80,822 people in Meath said they could speak Irish. 2,594 speak it every day outside school, and 4,725 weekly.

9 primary schools here teach entirely through Irish (2025/26, 1,970 pupils), and 1 secondary school.

Meath's Gaeltacht had 2,093 people in 2022, 276 of them daily Irish speakers. The Gaeltacht in numbers →

CSO, Census 2022, table SAP2022T3T2CTY. Every county compared →

The top of Meath

Slieve na Calliagh (Sliabh na Caillí), 276 metres, in the North Midlands.

National park: Boyne Valley (Brú na Bóinne) (2023). All the national parks →

Rivers and loughs: River Boyne, River Blackwater, River Dee, River Glyde, Lough Sheelin.

MountainViews, via Wikipedia. Every county's highest point → · Rivers and loughs →

Meath in the All-Ireland

Hurling: no senior title.
Football: 7 senior titles (1949, 1954, 1967, 1987, 1988, 1996, 1999); 9 finals lost.

Every county's All-Ireland titles →

Born in Meath

From Wikidata: people whose recorded birthplace is in the county, who have a Wikipedia article and are no longer living, with dates shown only where the article confirms them, ordered by how many languages Wikipedia covers them in. Traditional birthplaces of early saints are as Wikidata records them. Dates are left off where the sources disagree.

People in Meath, census by census

Meath had 183,828 people in 1841 and has 220,826 now (+20%). its low point 61,405 in 1936, -67% of 1841. It is one of the counties that has recovered its pre-Famine population.

18411851186118711881189119011911192619361946195119561961196619711979198119861991199620022006201120162022
183,828140,748110,37395,55887,46976,98767,49765,09162,96961,40566,23266,33766,76265,12267,32371,72990,71595,419103,881105,370109,732134,005162,831184,135195,044220,826

Census returns as tabulated in the county's Wikipedia article. All 32 counties, 1821 to today →

Hidden Meath — the places the buses miss
  • Loughcrew cairns
    Thirty tombs on the 'Hill of the Witch'; Cairn T's back-stone lights up at the equinox sunrise, and the 'Hag's Chair' outside grants a wish if you sit in it.
  • Hill of Tara
    Seat of the High Kings, with the Lia Fáil that cried out under a rightful king — and, in 1899, holes dug by British Israelites hunting the Ark of the Covenant.
  • The Boyne
    1 July 1690 (12 July new style): William beats James at Oldbridge. Fewer died than at Aughrim a year later, but this is the battle everyone remembers.
On the ground in Meath

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

Everything on the site about County Meath

The county

History

Monuments and heritage

Coast and country

People and culture

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, Corbett, Cusack, Darcy, Duane, Fitzsimons, Fleming, among others.

What does An Mhí mean?

An Mhí, said “un VEE”, means the middle — from mide, middle. Once a province in its own right — the fifth fifth, in the middle, with Tara in it.

What is the population of County Meath?

220,826 at the 2022 census, against 183,828 in 1841, before the Famine.

What is the county town of Meath?

Navan. County Meath covers about 2,342 km², which makes it the 14th largest of the 32 counties.

Who are famous people from County Meath?

Among the best-known people born in Meath are Francis Beaufort, John Bruton, Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, Turlough O'Carolan, Owen Moore, Oliver Plunkett. The full list, with their birthplaces, is on this page.

What did the Famine do to County Meath?

The census counted 183,828 people in Meath in 1841 and 140,000 in 1851 (the 1851 figure is approximate): a change of -24% in ten years, through death and emigration.

Sources for this page

A clean copy for school projects or the family file; collapsed sections print in full.

The chronology of who held the county is this site's own reading of the standard histories onto today's county borders, and says so where the fit is rough. Quoted passages are marked and licensed. Spotted an error? Say so — corrections are credited.

Trace your ancestors in Meath

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