| County Meath Contae na Mí
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| Motto: Tré Neart le Chéile (Irish) "Together Strong" |
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| Country | Ireland | ||
| Province | Leinster | ||
| Dáil Éireann | Meath East Meath West Louth |
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| EU Parliament | East | ||
| County seat | Navan | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | County Council | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 2,342 km2 (904.3 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 14th | ||
| Population (2011) | 184,034 | ||
| • Rank | 9th | ||
| Code | MH | ||
| Website | www.meath.ie | ||
County Meath (pronounced /ˈmiːð/; Irish: Contae na Mí or simply an Mhí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide (meaning "middle"). Meath County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 184,034 according to the 2011 census.[1]
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The county is drained by the River Boyne.
Meath is the 14th largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 9th largest in terms of population.[2] It is the second largest of Leinster’s 12 counties in size and third largest in terms of population. The county town is Navan, where the county hall and government are located, although Trim, the former county town, has historical significance and remains a sitting place of the circuit court. County Meath also has the only two Gaeltacht areas in the province of Leinster, at Ráth Cairn and Baile Ghib.
There are eighteen historic baronies in the county.[3] They include the baronies of Morgallion and Ratoath. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they are no longer used for many administrative purposes. Their official status is illustrated by Placenames Orders made since 2003, where official Irish names of baronies are listed under "Administrative units".
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1653 | 25,230 | — |
| 1659 | 29,096 | +15.3% |
| 1821 | 159,183 | +447.1% |
| 1831 | 176,826 | +11.1% |
| 1841 | 183,828 | +4.0% |
| 1851 | 140,748 | −23.4% |
| 1861 | 110,373 | −21.6% |
| 1871 | 95,558 | −13.4% |
| 1881 | 87,469 | −8.5% |
| 1891 | 76,987 | −12.0% |
| 1901 | 67,497 | −12.3% |
| 1911 | 65,091 | −3.6% |
| 1926 | 62,969 | −3.3% |
| 1936 | 61,405 | −2.5% |
| 1946 | 66,232 | +7.9% |
| 1951 | 66,337 | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 66,762 | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 65,122 | −2.5% |
| 1966 | 67,323 | +3.4% |
| 1971 | 71,729 | +6.5% |
| 1979 | 90,715 | +26.5% |
| 1981 | 95,419 | +5.2% |
| 1986 | 103,881 | +8.9% |
| 1991 | 105,370 | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 109,732 | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 134,005 | +22.1% |
| 2006 | 162,831 | +21.5% |
| 2011 | 184,034 | +13.0% |
| [4][5][6][7][8][9] | ||
There are 29 elected members of the local government authority - Meath County Council. Fianna Fáil has held three seats out of five in the Meath constituency since 1987. Fine Gael has won the other two seats at each in four of the five general elections in that period, with the exception of 1992, when it lost a seat to the Labour party (which was regained in 1997). Two constituencies are within the borders of the county: Meath East and Meath West. The constituencies also include part of the neighbouring county of Westmeath. Together they return 6 deputies to Dáil Éireann. Part of the county along the Irish Sea coast, which included Julianstown and Stamullen are part of the Louth constituency for general elections.
The county is colloquially known by the nickname "The Royal County" due to its history as the seat of the High King of Ireland.[10][11][12] It formed from the eastern part of the former Kingdom of Mide (see Kings of Mide) but now forms part of Leinster. Historically, the kingdom included all of the current county, all of County Westmeath and parts of counties Cavan, Longford, Louth, Offaly, Dublin and Kildare. The seat of the High King of Ireland was at Tara. The archaeological complex of Brú na Bóinne is 5,000 years old and includes the burial sites of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, in the north-east of the county. It is a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site.
Trim contains Ireland's largest Norman castle and was the setting for many Norman-Irish parliaments. Meath is also home to Kells, with its round tower and monastic past.
The population in Co. Meath has been characterised since 1861 as being in a period of significant decline. Between 1861 and 1901 the population was almost halved (110,373 to 67,497), the population stabilised from 1901 to 1971 (67,497 to 71,729) and there was a substantial increase between 1971 and 1981 to 95,419. This increase was mainly due to a baby-boom locally. The population continued to increase at a constant rate, before increasing at an explosive rate between 1996 and 2002, from 109,732 to 134,005. This is due primarily to economic factors, with the return of residents to live in the county, and also an echo effect of the 70s baby boom. The census of 2006 gives a statistic of 162,831 to include a dramatic increase in inward migration in the county, much of it from neighbouring Dublin, and Drogheda.
This population growth has seen divergent trends emerge in recent years, with mild depopulation in the north and west of the county being more than offset by large increases in the population of the eastern and south eastern part of the county, principally due to inward migration to districts which have good proximity via road, to the business parks on the Western outskirts of Dublin. The accession of Poland and Lithuania to the European Union in 2004, has resulted in a significant influx of workers from these countries to work in low wage sectors including agriculture, quarrying, construction and catering.
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