| Ráth Cairn | |
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| — Village — | |
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Ráth Cairn
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Meath |
| Elevation | 61 m (200 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 447 |
| Irish Grid Reference | N800567 |
| Ráth Cairn is the only official name. | |
Ráth Cairn (also Ráth Chairn; English: Rathcarne or Rathcarran) is a small Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) in County Meath, Ireland. It is about 55 km northwest of Dublin.
The Ráth Cairn Gaeltacht was founded in 1935 when 41 families from Conamara were settled on land previously acquired by the Irish Land Commission. Each family was provided with a Land Commission house and a farm of approximately 8.9 hectares (22 acre), a sow, piglets and basic implements. A further 11 families joined the original settlers in 1935. In all, 443 people moved from Connemara to the Ráth Cairn area. In 1967 Ráth Cairn received official recognition as a Gaeltacht, following a local campaign.[1] Today, it and the nearby village of Baile Ghib make up the Meath Gaeltacht.
A cooperative (the "Ráth Cairn Cooperation Society") was formed in 1973. Ráth Cairn has since grown into a village with a Catholic church, sports facilities and pub. Projects undertaken or assisted by the co-op include the construction of a community centre, a second level school, and others.
Several facilities in Ráth Cairn host children and adults wishing to learn Irish, and residential Irish language courses are run for teenagers in the summer months.[2]
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