County Westmeath (Irish: Contae na hIarmhí) is a county situated in the Irish midlands, also popularly called the "Lake county" and the "great county" in the western part of the province of Leinster.
Area: 1,764 km².
The county was once part of the ancient province of Meath and later of County Meath, this association was ended in 1543 when County Westmeath was created under the Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act.
Mullingar with a population 18,529 is the urban and county administrative centre, while being the largest ubban district of the county.
Athlone (population 16,888), Mote, Kilbeggan, and Castlepollard are also important commerce and marketing urban activity centres within the county.
The county is famous for its cattle, lakes such as Lough Derravaragh, Lough Ennell, Lough Lene, Lough Owel and Lough Ree, pewter such as Mullingar Pewter, scenery, the canal, the drug company élan and is rapidly becoming part of the outer commuter belt of Dublin.
According to the Irish Independent, 12 December 2006, Westmeath is the goat capital of Ireland, with five times as many goats as Kerry.
Notable Westmeath people include Michael O'Leary the CEO of Ryanair, Joe Dolan and Nuala Holloway, former Miss Ireland, model and actress, now artist and academic.
Westmeath's main achievements in Gaelic Games were winning the Leinster Senior Football Championship, or Delaney Cup, in 2004, and winning the Christy Ring Cup in hurling in 2005. |
