An Mhí · Leinster
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.
| Province | Leinster |
|---|---|
| County town | Navan |
| Population | 220,826 (2022) |
| Area (km²) | 2,342 |
| Population change in the Famine, 1841–51 | -24% |
| Daily Irish speakers | 2,594 (2022) |
| Highest point (m) | 276 — Slieve na Calliagh |
| All-Ireland football titles | 7 |
| Townlands | 1,596 |
| Baronies | 18 |
| Civil parishes | 146 |
| Recorded monuments | 4,921 |
| Ringforts | 722 |
| Holy wells | 54 |
| Historic buildings recorded | 1,132 |
| Castles on the site | 13 |
| Battles and sieges | 9 |
| Workhouses | 6 |
| Railway stations (with an article) | 17 |
| Blue Flag beaches | 1 |
| Towns on the site | 7 |
| Surnames on the site | 20 |
Every figure is from a page on myireland.ie that names its source — see https://myireland.ie/counties/meath/. Printed from myireland.ie, the atlas of Irish history.