The Hill of Tara NewgrangeSlieve na Calliagh County Meath from Samuel Lewis' Topographical Directory of Ireland 1837 Meath is a county in the province of Leinster, it has a total area of 2,338 sq. Km. Its name is derived from the Irish An Mhi, which was the name of an ancient kingdom. The county is known as Royal Meath because during Celtic times the high kings of Ireland had their seat at Tara.Meath is bounded by seven counties and the Irish sea. It has Dublin and the sea to the east, Kildare and Offaly to the south, Westmeath to the west, and Cavan, Monaghan, and Louth to the north. Meath is a mainly lowland which rises to hills of more than 150 meter's along its northern borders. The county is fertile with about 95 per cent of the land is agricultural, on which about 20% of the population work. of the inhabitants are Irish speakers.

The River Boyne and its tributary the Blackwater drain much of the county. The short and low coastline of Meath has several sandy beaches, on one of these between the towns of Bettystown and Laytown a horse race meeting is held each year, the date determined by the tides. The county is drained by the River Boyne which joins the sea at Droheda, and the river Nanny which meets the sea a little way south of Laytown.

County Meath from Samuel Lewis' Topographical Directory of Ireland 1837

Beef cattle production is the leading type of farming. Cattle are imported from the south and west of Ireland and fattened on the fertile land of the county. Dairy farms supply milk to Dublin and to Irish creameries elsewhere. There are some stud farms for horse breeding. One eighth of the farmland is planted with arable crops, mainly barley, oats, potatoes, vegetables, and wheat.

The county is administered by a county council which meets in Navan. Meath elects five members to Dail Eireann. English is the everyday language of almost all people. Although there are two small Gaeltacht, areas in which about half

The three major roads from Dublin to Northern Ireland pass through Meath. The N4 road and the railway from Dublin to the west of Ireland pass along the southern boundary. The railway from Dublin to Belfast goes along the coast. A new motorway system was recently opened. Largest towns in the county are Navan the capital Trim, Kells, Laytown, Dunboyne and Duleek.

One fifth of the people work in the manufacturing industry. Navan is the major industrial centre, with smaller industries in Trim, Kells, and Oldcastle. One of the world's largest lead and zinc mines is at Navan, it may still be in operation, I'm afraid I don't know.

Meath enjoys a dry mild climate it is the driest place in Ireland with just 80 centimeter's along the coast and 100 centimeter's on the higher land to the north and west. The average temperatures are 5 °C in January and 15 °C in July.