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Meath is where the soul of Ireland lies  Meath
is the home of one of Ireland’s three World Heritage Sites, Newgrange.
Despite sounding like a suburb in Essex, the passage graves of Newgrange
are more than 5,000 years old, among the oldest man-made structures in
the world.
Brú na Bóinne, to give it its Irish name, is seriously
interesting and it has, consequently, huge visitor numbers only a limited
number of tickets per day are issued.
But the rest of the county is relatively uncrowded, its beauty and tranquillity
awaiting discovery.
Meath lies at the heart of a different Ireland from the better-known destinations
such as Killarney or Bunratty.
In many ways it represents the real soul of the nation, largely untouched
by mass tourism yet rich in scenery, a history that stretches back 5,000
years to the first Megalithic builders in European history and people
who still have time to wish you the length of your days and a good end
to your journey.
Modern-day Meath is made up of most of the ancient province of Midhe,
which means centre.
Probably for religious reasons, ancient Ireland was divided into five
provinces, representing the four cardinal points, plus a central core.
Within ancient Midhe, at the ‘centre of the centre’, stood
Tara.
The very name exudes vanished glory.
According to ancient tradition Tara, from the dawn of history, was the
seat of the High Kings, or Ard Rí.
Here St. Patrick is said to have arrived at the very start of his mission
to convert the High King Laoghaire.
The king looked out to the north and saw Patrick’s paschal fire
burning on the hill of Slane and was thus converted.
Slane is now the venue for rock concerts of the calibre
of Bryan Adams and U2 poor old Patrick must be revolving in his grave
like a lathe.
This verdantly beautiful countryside is one of the most hallowed spots
in Ireland and one of the most important Christian sites in Europe.
Because it was from here, in the centre of ancient Ireland, that the flame
of Christianity was re-ignited and the Gospel spread back through a Europe
(or Christendom as it then was) which had been ravaged by the Dark Ages.
Although standing only 300 feet high, almost a quarter of Ireland can
be seen from the summit of Tara and some 13 of the island’s counties.
You’ll not be able to stop yourself humming Thomas Moore’s
words “The harp that once through Tara's
halls. The soul of music shed.
Now hangs as mute on Tara's walls.
As if that soul were fled.”
Further south Trim Castle the largest and just about the most important
castle in Ireland was where the Anglo Normans watched over the dangerous
natives.
Every precaution was taken to ensure their castle was unwelcoming in the
extreme.
Uninvited guests of which you can be sure there were many were treated
to boiling water, tar, arrows, rocks and other early weapons of mass destruction,
which rained down on them from overhead murder-holes.
The very model of impregnability, the castle’s thick granite walls
are equipped with slit-like embrasures for the archers, and the unevenly
spaced stumble-steps in the keep made the going as difficult as possible
for intruders.
Other castles in Meath include: Dunmoe Castle and Athlumney Castle, set
in rolling countryside and worth a visit for castle fanciers and civilians
alike.
Two of Meath’s most famous treasures the Tara Brooch and the Book
of Kells now reside in Dublin.
The brooch was found in Bettystown in 1850 and can be viewed in the National
Museum in Dublin.
The Book of Kells is housed in Trinity College, Dublin.
But Meath has many other treasures to boast of such as the Butterstream
Gardens just outside Trim.
This lush paradise includes the likes of a laburnum tunnel, a white garden
with white butterflies, a rose garden, a pool garden and many others,
all containing a riot of flowers and shrubs separated by sculpted hedges
and leafy screens.
If you still have a hankering to peer into Meath’s passage graves,
you can forego the crowds at Newgrange and instead visit the Loughcrew
Hills near Oldcastle.
About 30 passage tombs are scattered over four green hilltops, each commanding
superb 360-degree views over the lush landscape. Unrushed by coach tours
which bedevil the busier sites, you’ll be able to walk from grave
to grave, marvelling at the intricate engravings on the walls of the tombs.
Local folklore has it that the Loughcrew cairns were stones dropped from
the apron of a hag as she flew over the mountain, called Sliabh na Caillighe,
‘the Hag’s Hill’. Truly a Meathylated spirit.
Should you happen to find yourself in Co. Meath in September, you could
witness a unique sporting event the Laytown Races.
Laytown is a small seaside resort on the east coast of Ireland, some 30
miles north of Dublin and every year a race meeting is held on the strand.
These are the only grandstand races held in Europe which have the approval
of the governing bodies.
The enclosure consists of a three-acre field, elevated above the beach.
Steps which have been built up into the face of the sand dunes form the
Grandstand.
Marquees are erected on the day before the races and these are used to
provide a weigh room, bars and snack bars.
Local folklore has it that it was the parish priest who, in 1876, organised
the first race meeting on Laytown’s three miles of golden strand.
Held intermittently since then, it was not until 1901 that local landowner
Paddy Delaney established the meeting as we know it today.
Nothing, not even two World Wars, has stopped it taking place since then.
This year’s races will be held on September 6.
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