| Meath |
Website Links For County |
Information AboutMeath |
|
name = County Meath | gaeilge = Contae na Mí | crest image = MHwik.PNG | map image = IrelandMeath.png | area = 2,342 km&2 | county town = Navan | code = MH | population = 134,005 | census yr = 2002 | province = Leinster | web = www.meath.ie | |}} County Meath (''Contae na Mí'' in Irish ) is a county in the Republic Of Ireland , often informally called ''The Royal County''. The De Facto county town is Navan , where the county hall and government is located, although Trim has a historical significance, including the location of the Circuit Court , Norman castle and Anglo-Norman parliament. Other major towns include Ashbourne , Dunshaughlin , Dunboyne and Kells with its Round Tower and monastic past. Slane is well known both for its castle, and annual rock concert. Villages located in County Meath inlude Athboy, Ballivor, Enfield, Bettystown, Laytown, Skryne , Ratoath , Duleek, Gormanston, Summerhill, and Moynalty . Meath (the "middle") was once a province of Ireland in its own right - 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 , Dublin , Kildare , Longford , Louth and Offaly . The High King Of Ireland sat at Tara in Meath. The archaeological complex of '' Brú Na Bóinne '', including the 5,000-year-old burial site Newgrange , in the northeast of the county, is a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site . Geography
Economy An increasing proportion of Meath residents commute into Dublin , with a resulting shift to a Services Based Economy in the developing Dormitory Town s. Population Change The population in Co. Meath has been characterised since 1861 as a period of significant decline in population between 1861 and 1901 when the population was almost halved (110,373 to 67,497), stablisation from 1901 to 1971(67,497 to 71,729), and an explosion in population since then which has seen the population almost double between 1971 to 2002 from 71,729 to 134,005. 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 part of the county, principally due to overspill from Dublin . The county is considered part of the " Greater Dublin Area ". Population by Census in Co. Meath since 1861:
Politics ). Currently (January 2006) the five Dáil deputies (TD's) for the Meath constitency are:
McEntee won a by-election in 2005 caused by the resignation of the former Taoiseach , John Bruton (Fine Gael) on his appointment as the European Union Ambassador to the USA . Fianna Fail controlled Meath County Council from 1985 until 1991 and again from 1999 to 2004. The current composition of Meath County Council (elected 2004) is as follows:
Source |