Irish County Colours - Meath |
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There is much to interest the visitor by way of scenic beauty and of historic sites, particularly in the Boyne Valley. There are also seaside resorts along the county's coastline. Meath, a county in Leinster province in eastern Ireland, is located on the Irish Sea coast. With an area of 2,336 sq km (902 sq mi). The chief rivers are the Blackwater and the Boyne. Newgrange is the site of one of the largest of the prehistoric passage graves in the Boyne valley. It measures approximately 85 m (280 ft) wide and still stands 12 m (40 ft) high, rivaling a companion structure at nearby Knowth. A single passage 25 m (82.5 ft) in length leads to a cruciform chamber with characteristic corbeled roof and with side chambers containing ornamental stone basins among its grave furniture. Around the outside of the mound stood a circle of standing stones, of which 12 now survive. The stones of the passage and of its entrance curbstone were ornamented with spiral and other designs characteristic of megalithic art in the Atlantic region of prehistoric Europe. The tomb was in use throughout the late Neolithic Period of the 3d millennium BC. For years Meath's tourism potential remained practically untapped, but this state of affairs is rapidly hanging. There is an increasing awareness and pride in the breathtaking beauty of the Boyne Valley and its capacity to attract visitors today just as it enticed the Celts and Normans who came and remained.
Trim Castle Trim Castle Trim Castle was founded by Hugh De Lacy, who was granted the kingdom of Meath. In 1173 the work commenced on the castle. Because Trim was close to the Pale, yet outside it, it was embroiled between the native Irish and the settlers. De Lacy left the castle in the hands of Hugh Tyrell, but Roderick O'Connor, King of Connaught marched in to Trim village. Tyrell set fire to the castle rather than have O'Connor destroy it. The castle was eventually finished in 1220, by the Peppard Brothers. It passed on to De Lacy's daughter Matilda, who passed it to the Mortimer family. Thecastle did house two royal children, Prince Henry, later Henry V, and his brother Humphrey. But was chiefly unoccupied after their incarceration by Richard II. During the rebellion of Silken Thomas, it was repaired, but fell into ruins by 1599. It was used again briefly, by Lord Fennick and the Cromwellites, but was never used again after the English civil war.
Slane castle George IV's writing desk is here in the home of his mistress, Lady Conyngham. Beautifully located on the banks of the Boyne, the castle boasts a gothic revival ballroom, one of the finest in Europe.
Talbot Castle Talbot Castle or St. Mary's Abbey as it is also known is an adapted Augustinian Priory and was used in the eighteenth century as an exclusive Protestant school. It was here that the then Arthur Wellesley was educated. The castle can still be seen on the north bank of the Boyne, facing the Norman fortress.
Athlumney Castle This is a settlement complex where one can trace the changing forms of manorial building in Meath since the norman conquest; there is the motte or artificial hill of the first settlement in the late 12th century.
Newgrange One of the great wonder of the ancient world, Newgrange is older than Stonehenge, Mycenae or even the pyramids in Egypt. Foremost among the passage-tombs of Europe, Newgrange has long evoked the wonder of archaeologists and laymen alike. The most penetrating excavation work undertaken at any prehistoric site in Ireland so far has revealed much about its construction and purpose; but other secrets, such as the cryptic symbolism of its beautifully decorated stones, remain inviolate. The magnificent entrance slab - 'one of the most famous stones in the entire repertory of megalithic art' - is especially satisfying, the confidently executed spiral and lozenge motifs still crisply defined after 5,000 years. The triple spiral, found only at Newgrange, occurs both on the entrance stone and inside the chamber. The passage is long, over 60 feet, and leads to a cruciform burial chamber with a corbelled roof which rises steeply upwards to a height of nearly 20 feet. A revetment of large horizontal stones surrounds the base of the mound and many of these are also decorated with geometric designs. Formerly the mound was encircled by an outer ring of immense standing stones of which twelve remain. At Newgrange Farm folklife heritage is being preserved. As part of a farm tour there is wide-ranging display of farm tools and implements which include spring wheels, scythes, ploughs, threshing machines, etc. Facilities include car and bus parking, toilets, indoor and outdoor picnic areas and coffee shop. Eight kilomtres east of the picturesque village of Slane, the river Boyne makes a dramatic loop to the south, this is the location of Newgrange.There are two related tombs in the vicinity, Knowth and Dowth. There is also a wealth of history in the surrounding area, including the Hill of Slane.
Tara Old Royal Site Tara Hill was one of the most venerated spots in early Ireland. From the time of the legendary king Cormac Mac Airt in the 3rd century, it came into the historical limelight, but it probably had a religious significance long before that. The seat of priest-kings going back to a time long before Irish history began, it developed from being a religious-royal site of small local priest-kings to become the seat of the High Kings of Ireland. These kings were not a hereditary line of kings based in Tara, but were chosen to be High King or fought their way to the title, which became largely symbolic after the 7th century. The kings were thus not always resident at Tara, but spent a considerable part of their time in the areas from whence they came. When St. Patrick visited the site in an effort to convert the High King of his day, Laoire, the king-priests were at the height of their power, but with the advent of Christianity, Tara gradually lost its religious significance and became the nominal seat of the High King, until it was finally abandoned by Mael-Sheachlainn in 1022. A skirmish took place here in 1798, and in the last century O'Connell held a mammoth meeting on the Hill to reinforce his demand for the repeal of the Act of Union. The visitor to the Hill may be disappointed in what he sees; there are no signs of great regal places - nothing but simple earthworks remain. The buildings must have been made of wood or wattle and daub, and all have long since disappeared. Indeed the old literary sources suggest that many more buildings existed than there are earthworks on the hill. But the visitor must use his imagination, and create in his mind's eye a number of comparatively small buildings dotting the hill, and he must use his fantasy to see these buildings peopled by the King and his supporters busying themselves with 'old forgotten far-off things and battles long ago'. The most prominent monument on the hill is also the oldest. It is the Mound of the Hostages, which, on excavation, proved to be a small Passage-tomb (locked) having a narrow passage (with a decorated stone) leading to a small chamber. It dates to around 1800 B.C. but was also used in the ensuing centuries for secondary burials. The mound stands in the northern part of a large enclosure surrounded by a bank with a ditch outside it. This enclosure is a Hill Fort, a type of fortification typical of Iron Age, and therefore much later than the Mound of the Hostages. In the middle of this enclosure stand two linked ringforts known as the Royal Seat and Cormac's House respectively. Cormac's House has two banks and two ditches around it, the outer one making a bend on the north side to include an old burial mound. In the centre of it, beside the atrocious statue of St. Patrick, is the Lia Fail, Ireland's most obvious prehistoric phallic symbol, which originally stood near the Mound of the Hostages but which was re-erected here in honour of those who died in the skirmish in 1798. The Kings were crowned on the stone, and tradition says that it roared when the king was accepted. To the south of the royal enclosure are the remains of another circular earthwork known as the Fort of King Laoghaire. To the north of the Royal enclosure, on the other side of the fence, is the Rath of the Synods, a ringfort with three banks which was devastated in the early years of this century by British Israelites who dreamed that they would find the Ark of the Covenant in it. But while their dream did not come true, their dig found objects which, taken together with later excavated material, helped to show that houses which stood on the site were surrounded by palisades and were built in the first three centuries of our era. In the graveyard beside it there are two stones, one decorated with a small figure with crossed legs. To the north of the Rath of the Synods is a long hollow area surrounded by banks. This is allegedly the 'Banqueting Hall' where everyone sat, graded by his status, but it could just as easily have been the grand entrance road to the site, as all old Irish roads led to Tara. To the north-west of the Banqueting Hall there are other round earthworks, one called Grainne's fort after King Cormac's daughter who was the heroine of the tragic love tale of Diarmuidand Grainne, and the others known as the Sloping Trenches. About half a mile to the south of Tara Hill is another hill crowned with another Hill-fort called Rath Maeve. An area about 7520 feet in diameter is enclosed by a large bank and ditch which has partly disappeared, but a portion of it is well preserved near the road. Francis Ledwidge cottage The manager, Slan, Slane, Meath .The former cottage of the Irish soldier poet, Francis Ledwidge is now a museum. It is located at Janeville, near Slane, a manorial village built where the N2 and N51 roads converge and meet. Facing each other on either side of the cross-roads are four splendid Georgian houses, the hub from which the village radiates outwards. An imposing view of slane castle can be seen from the bridge crossing the Boyne. Open seven days from 10.00 am - 1.00 pm. 2.00 pm - 6.00 pm. Rates: Adults: IR2.00 Children: .50p Students & O.A.P.'s: IR1.00 Family: IR5.00 15.00 per Bus (40 people) Teachers/Guides Free.
Bective Abbey Bective Abbey was founded in 1150 by Murchadh O' Melaghin, King of Meath, for the Cistercians, and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. It was an abbey of some importance as the Abbot was a spiritual lord and sat in the Parliament of the Pale. Hugh De Lacy, was buried there in 1195, but was eventually moved to Dublin. The abbey was suppressed in 1536 and the lands were rented to Thomas Asgarde, and eventually bought by Andrew Wyse in 1552. It passed into the hands of the Dillons and then the Boltons, before fallling into ruin. The chief features of the ruins are the combination of both Church and Defence. The Cloister is the best preserved of the buildings and there is a pillar of a figure carrying a crozier. There are also some beautiful arches which are still intact. Ashbourne Situated on the N2, Ashbourne is a thriving village. On the northern outskirts of the valley is a monument to the only major incident of the 1916 Easter Rebellion to take place outside Dublin. This monument carries a plaque inscribed with a line from a poem by Thomas Ashe, the local schoolmaster at that time: 'Let me carry your cross for Ireland, Lord'. The monument has a dual image - on one side the figure is in the form of Christ, on the other Insurgent. Beside the village are the kennels and deerpark of the Ward Union Hunt. Fairyhouse Racecourse, southwest of Ashbourne, holds race meetings, on Easter Monday and Tuesday every year with the famous Irish Grand National among the races. There are other meetings during the year. Athboy This is a small agricultural town on the Athboy River, in a wooded country near the County Westmeath border. In medieval times it was a walled stronghold of the Pale. Owen Roe O' Neill took it in 1643, and six years later Cromwell camped his army on the Hill of Ward nearby. The tower of the Protestant church is a remnant of a fourteenth-century Carmelite priory. Behind the church are remains of the town walls. Bettystown >{? Meath is chiefly an inland county, the coastal stretch of the county includes the village of Bettystown, Baile an Bhiataigh. Drogheda The ancient and historic town of Drogheda is situated on the River Boyne, which at this point seperates the counties of Louth and Meath. It is an important industrial centre. Although 4 miles (6 km) from the coast, Drogheda is also a notable port with a fine harbour formed by the estuary of the River Boyne. Home to Oliver Plunkett's head and one of Ireland's finest Samba bands. A bustling town full of young people yet rich in ancient history. Check out McPheals Pub for some lively craic and a guaranteed good night out - Gerry Larkin is a must to see if you enjoy excellent live acoustic music, don't forget the Samba festival during the summer. A map of the area is available Drumconrath 17 miles (27 kms) north-west of Kells is the village of Drumconrath, surrounded by small lakes. The small islands in these lakes are mostly crannogs (artificial island) on which people lived from the late bronze Age until, in some cases, well into the 17th century. The village is also renowned as an angling centre. Duleek Duleek - Daimhliag Chianain (the churchstone of St Cianan) This little village is 5 miles (8km) south-west of Drogheda in the valley of the River Nanny. Its name comes from an ancient stone church - one of the first in Ireland - said to have been founded in the fifth century by St Patrick for his disciple St Cianan; no trace of the church remains. The remains of St Mary's an Augustinian priory founded in 1182 by Hugh de Lacy stand on the site. In a cemetery overlooking the village is the belfry of the ruined Priory of the Blessed Virgin (12th century). Grave slabs of the 16th and 17th centuries can be seen in the ruins, and the graveyards has two interesting crosses. On a pedestal in the village is an unusual pillar cross, the Dowdall Cross, erected in 1601 as a memorial to the Bathe family. South east of the village an inscribed plaque bearing he date 1587 is set in the parapet of the bridge; this is reputedly the same bridge over which the Irish Jacobite Army retreated from the Boyne in 1690. Dunshaughlin The name of the village is from Secundinus or Seachnall, a disciple of St. Patrick who founded a church here in the 5th century. |
County Meath consists almost entirely of a rich limestone plain, with occasional low hills. 'Royal Meath' was for centuries a separate province which included the area of County Westmeath. Meath was part of the Irish middle kingdom from the 2d century BC. It was chartered as a county in 1296. The Royal County.so called because it contained the seat of the High Kings of Ireland on Tara Hill. Proof of human habitation has been discovered in Co Meath which dates back 9,000 years. The richness of its soil has sustained hunters and farmers from ancient times up to the present day and will continue to do so, we hope, into the distant future. This abundance gave artisans and carftsmen the time and sustenance to provide complex structures such as Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth and the passage graves at Lough Crew; to ceate the High Crosses of Kells and Castlekiernan as well as the striking calligraphy of the Book of Kells.
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