County Meath (Irish: Contae na Mí) is a county in the Republic of Ireland, often informally called The Royal County. The county town is Navan, where the county hall and government is located, although Trim, the former county town, has historical significance, and remains a sitting place of the circuit court, along with Ireland's largest castle (Norman) and was the setting for an Anglo-Norman parliament.
Meath is also home to Kells, with its round tower and monastic past, and Slane, known for its castle and annual rock concert and the Ledwidge Cottage Museum.
Meath (the "middle") was formed from the eastern part of the province of Midhe - see Kings of Mide - but now forms part of Leinster.
Historically this province of Meath included all of the current county as well as all of Westmeath and parts of Cavan, Longford, Louth and Offaly, and possibly Dublin and Kildare.
The High King of Ireland sat at Tara in Meath.
The archaeological complex of Brú na Bóinne, including the 5,000-year-old Bru na Boinne complex, including the burial sites of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, in the northeast of the county, is a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site.
The seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath, is located in Mullingar, County Westmeath - outside the county but within the historic diocese of Meath.
* Good land, with strong farming (cattle, dairying, potatoes, grain), although this is decreasing in importance due to improved wages in other sectors of the economy.
Meath is Ireland's leading producer of potatoes, and a significant producer of beef, barley, milk, wheat, and vegetables.
* Mining. Europe's largest underground Lead-Zinc mine, has operated since 1970, at a location to the West of Navan.
* An increasing proportion of Meath residents commute into Dublin, with a resulting shift to a services based economy in the developing dormitory towns.
* Meat processing
* Navan was the centre of the Irish Furniture industry. However this has declined, though it has acted as a source of inspiration for other ventures producing finished products for the construction industry.
* Navan was the centre of the Irish Carpet making industry, before this was lost to overseas competition
* Horse breeding and training
* Localized tourism in Trim, Kells, Tara and the Boyne Valley.
Sights
* Castles at Trim, Slane (private), Dunsany (limited opening), Killeen (being converted to a hotel)
* Religious ruins at Trim (two), Bective, Slane (two), Dunsany, Skryne (Skreen)
* 2500-year-old mound structures of disputed origin at Telltown.
