"Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type =

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

, subdivision_name =

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

, subdivision_type1 =

Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

, subdivision_name1 = , subdivision_type2 =

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

, subdivision_name2 = Eastern and Midland , seat_type = County town , seat =

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeath ...

, parts_type = Largest settlement , parts =

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

, leader_title = Local authority , leader_name =

Westmeath County Council Westmeath County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae na hIarmhí) is the authority responsible for local government in County Westmeath, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for ...

, leader_title2 =

Dáil constituencies There are 39 multi-member electoral districts, known as Dáil constituencies, that elect 160 TDs (members of parliament), to Dáil Éireann, Ireland's lower house of the Oireachtas, or parliament, by means of the single transferable vote, to ...

, leader_name2 = , leader_title3 = EP constituency , leader_name3 = Midlands–North-West , area_total_km2 = 1840 , area_rank = 21st , population_total = 95,840. , population_as_of = 2022 , population_footnotes = , population_density_km2 = auto , population_rank = 22nd , blank_name_sec1 = Vehicle index
mark code , blank_info_sec1 = WH , website = , timezone = WET , utc_offset = ±0 , timezone_DST = IST , utc_offset_DST = +1 , established_title = Established , established_date = 1542 , area_code_type = Telephone area codes , area_code = 044, 090 (primarily) , postal_code_type =

Eircode A "postal address" in Ireland is a place of delivery defined by Irish Standard (IS) EN 14142-1:2011 ("Postal services. Address databases") and serviced by the universal service provider, ''An Post''. Its addressing guides comply with th ...

routing keys , postal_code = N37, N91 (primarily) , elevation_max_m = 258 , elevation_max_point =

Mullaghmeen Mullaghmeen (), at , is the county top for Westmeath in Ireland, and is the lowest county top in Ireland. Mullaghmeen is located in the Mullaghmeen Forest, known for having the largest planted beech forest in Europe. Geography Mullaghmeen ...

, official_name = County Westmeath (; ga, Contae na hIarmhí or simply ) is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. It is in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic

Kingdom of Meath Meath (; Old Irish: ''Mide'' ; spelt ''Mí'' in Modern Irish) was a kingdom in Ireland from the 1st to the 12th century AD. Its name means "middle," denoting its location in the middle of the island. At its greatest extent, it included all o ...

, which was named Mide because the kingdom was located in the geographical centre of Ireland (the word Mide meaning 'middle').

is the administrative body for the county, and the county town is Mullingar. At the 2022 census, the population of the county was 95,840.

History

Following the

Norman invasion of Ireland The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land from the Irish, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty, all allegedly sanc ...

, the territory of the Gaelic

formed the basis for the Anglo-Norman Lordship of Meath granted by King

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...

to Hugh de Lacy in 1172. Following the failure of de Lacy's male heirs in 1241, the Lordship was split between two great-granddaughters. One moiety, a central eastern portion, was awarded to Maud (de Geneville) as the

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society f ...

of Trim; the other moiety, comprising north-eastern and western portions, went to Maud's sister Margery (de Verdun) and in 1297 became the royal county of Meath. The liberty and royal county were merged in 1461. While the east of the county was in the English Pale, the west was Gaelicised in the fourteenth century and outside the control of the sheriff of Meath. As a part of the better administration of the newly established

Kingdom of Ireland The Kingdom of Ireland ( ga, label= Classical Irish, an Ríoghacht Éireann; ga, label=Modern Irish, an Ríocht Éireann, ) was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed f ...

, the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland ( ga, Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chambe ...

passed the

Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 An Act for the division of Meath into two shires (referred to in the modern Irish Statute Book as the Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543) was an Act of the Parliament of Ireland passed in 1542 which resulted in the division of County Mea ...

, the eastern portion retaining the name Meath and the western portion called Westmeath.

Geography and subdivisions

Westmeath is the 20th largest of Ireland's 32 counties by area and the 22nd largest in terms of population. It is the sixth largest of Leinster's 12 counties in size and eighth largest in terms of population. The

Hill of Uisneach , alternate_name = Ushnagh (anglicisation) , image = Hill of Uisneach.jpg , alt = , caption = Information sign , map = , map_caption = , map_type = island of Ireland , map_alt = A map of Ireland , map_size = , location = ...

in the barony of Moycashel is sometimes regarded as the notional geographical centre of Ireland although the actual geographic centre of Ireland lies in neighbouring

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

. The summit of

is the highest point in County Westmeath. At just 258 metres this makes it the lowest county top in Ireland.

Local government and politics

The head office of Westmeath County Council is located in

. There are currently 20 councillors. The three local electoral areas of Westmeath are Athlone (7 seats), Mullingar–Coole (7 seats) and Mullingar–Kilbeggan (6 seats). The

Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 37) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that established a system of local government in Ireland similar to that already created for England, ...

provided the framework for the establishment of County Councils throughout Ireland. The first meeting of Westmeath County Council was held on 22 April 1899. Westmeath's population growth has been stronger than the national average. After the Great Famine, the population of Westmeath declined dramatically. It stabilised in the middle of the 20th century, and has continued to grow. Westmeath's proximity to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...

, with good motorway facilities and frequent rail service, has made commuting popular. County Westmeath's population fell in the century following the Great Famine, with many leaving for better opportunities in America. The largest town in the county is

, followed by the County town

. Westmeath is the largest county by population in the Irish Midlands. Important commercial and marketing centres include

Moate Moate (; ) is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland. The name ''An Móta'' is derived from the term motte-and-bailey, as the Normans built an example of this type of fortification here. The earthwork is still visible behind the buildings on the m ...

, Kilbeggan, Kinnegad, Ballinahown,

Delvin Delvin () is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland; it is located on the N52 road at a junction with the N51 to Navan. The town is from Mullingar (along the N52). The word Delvin comes from Delbhna. That tribe settled in what is present ...

, Rochfortbridge, Killucan and Castlepollard. According to the 2011 census, 51.9% of Westmeath households have at least one member reporting an ability in Irish. Westmeath is one of the few counties in Ireland where some census records from 1841 are still available. Some of the records of that census have been digitised and maintained by the National Archives of Ireland. As of the 2022 census, Westmeath had a population of 95,840, consisting of 47,522 males and 48,318 females. The Central Statistics Office also said that despite the overall increase in population, the rural population had still fallen (2016 census).

Economy

Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Sh ...

. Mullingar gained considerable advantage from the development of the Royal Canal. The canal facilitated cheap transport of produce to Dublin, Britain and Europe. Athlone and Mullingar expanded further with the coming of the

Midland Great Western Railway The Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) was the third largest Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland. It was incorporated in 1845 and absorbed into the Great Southern Railways in 1924. At its peak the MGWR had a network of , making it Irela ...

network in the nineteenth century. Tourism in Westmeath is generally based on its many water amenities. The county lakes include Lough Derravaragh, Lough Ennell, Lough Owel, Lough Lene, Lough Sheelin and Lough Ree. Both the Grand Canal, and the Royal Canal flow through Westmeath, and the

(Ireland's key tourism waterway) has a modern inland harbour in Athlone. In 2017 the largest employment sectors within Westmeath were: Two major "Greenway" projects are intended to improve cycling facilities. The Athone - Mullingar section of the Dublin – Galway Greenway, along the old railway corridor between Athlone and Mullingar, was constructed in 2015. The Royal Canal Greenway takes tourists from the county boundary to Mullingar, and then on towards Longford. Those wishing to use the Dublin-Galway Greenway can transfer from the Royal Canal route to the old rail corridor onwards towards Athlone. The development of industry in Westmeath has been mainly based on food processing and consumer products. Whiskey is distilled in Kilbeggan and tobacco is processed in Mullingar. The county has an extensive beef and dairy trade. In recent times, the manufacturer Alkermes has located in Athlone. The eastern part of the county is home to commuters, many of whom work at the technology parks on the western side of

. Mullingar is renowned for the high quality of its beef and veal. Weaned cattle from the west of the Shannon are fattened for market on the lush

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natu ...

s of Meath and Westmeath. The cattle are also used to maintain grassland to help sustain wildlife in the areas fringing the Bog of Allen. Westmeath is home to many stud farms. The plains of Westmeath, covered in calcium-rich

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part ...

, contribute significantly to calcification of foal bones during their formative years. Westmeath mares are usually put into foal in spring to facilitate summer growth. Pregnancy lasts for approximately 335–340 days and usually results in one foal. Horses mature when they are around four years old.

Railways

Westmeath also has railway infrastructure with a number of trains passing through towns in the county. The Dublin–Westport/Galway railway line runs through the county, with services from Dublin Heuston to

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on t ...

/ Westport/ Ballina inter-city train service stops at

, while the Dublin-Sligo railway line service stops at

. The line from

via Moate railway station to

could be reopened for trains from

to Dublin Connolly. Other major infrastructural projects and plans for the county include Transport 21.

Road transport

Roads are of good quality in the county. As part of the Transport 21 infrastructure programme undertaken by the government, both the N4 and N6 roads have been upgraded to

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

dual carriageway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

standard. All towns that these roads passed through are now bypassed, such as

and Kinnegad. Both

and

are within commuting distance from Westmeath following the completion of the

M6 motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at t ...

in December 2009. * Midlands (ATM) Gateway * National Development Plan * Transport 21

Sport

Westmeath is an active sporting county. The Westmeath GAA senior football team won the Leinster Senior Football Championship, the Delaney Cup, in 2004. They also won the National Football League Division 2 in 2001, 2003 and 2008. The Westmeath senior

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

team has enjoyed much recent success winning the Christy Ring Cup in 2005, 2007 and 2010. Athlone Town F.C. have won the League of Ireland Championship on two occasions, in 1980 and 1982, and the FAI Cup in 1924. Westmeath Ladies won the 2011 All-Ireland Intermediate Football Championship.

Athlone Institute of Technology The Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT; ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Luain) was an institute of technology, located in Athlone, Ireland. Established in 1970, the institute's campus was located on University Road. A cons ...

boasts a €10 million international athletics arena, which opened in early 2013. The International Arena has a footprint of 6,818m2 and an overall building floor area of 9,715m2. Some 850 tonnes of structural steel and fifty thousand concrete blocks went into the construction of the facility, which can house two thousand spectators. Westmeath Snooker Ranking Tournaments officially recognised by The Republic of Ireland Billiards & Snooker Association are organised and run by St Mary's Snooker Club Bishopgate Street Mullingar. The Ranking events in Junior, Intermediate and Senior events are: #Mullingar Open Snooker Championship #Westmeath Open Snooker Championship #St.Mary's Open Classic Snooker Championship #The Midland Open Snooker Championship

People

Notable Westmeath natives include: * Tony Allen, of music duo Foster & Allen * The Blizzards, music group * Arthur Booth-Clibborn, pioneering Salvation Army officer in France and Switzerland * Cecil Boyd-Rochfort, British thoroughbred racehorse trainer * George Arthur Boyd-Rochfort, awarded

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

*Emmet Cahill, singer from Irish group Celtic Thunder * Michael Joseph Curley, Archbishop of Washington * Joe Dolan, singer * Domnall Midi, King of Mide * Thomas Duffy, awarded

* Gormflaith ingen Flann Sinna, Queen of Tara *

Laurence Ginnell Laurence Ginnell (baptised 9 April 1852 – 17 April 1923) was an Irish nationalist politician, lawyer and Member of Parliament (MP) of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as member of the Irish Parliamentary ...

, Irish nationalist political figure, Irish Party MP and later a Sinn Féin TD in the

First Dáil The First Dáil ( ga, An Chéad Dáil) was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919 to 1921. It was the first meeting of the unicameral parliament of the revolutionary Irish Republic. In the December 1918 election to the Parliament of the United ...

* Robbie Henshaw, Irish Rugby international * Nuala Holloway, artist and former Miss Ireland *

Niall Horan Niall James Horan ( ; born 13 September 1993) is an Irish singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence as a member of the boy band One Direction, formed in 2010 on the singing competition ''The X Factor''. The group released five albums and went ...

, singer-songwriter and former member of band One Direction * James Lennon, member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

* Máel Sechnaill II, King of Mide and King of Ireland * John Count McCormack, tenor * John Joe Nevin, boxer * TP O'Connor, journalist, Irish nationalist political figure, British MP * Niall mac Aed Ó hUiginn, poet * Michael O'Leary, CEO of

Ryanair Ryanair is an Irish ultra low-cost carrier founded in 1984. It is headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland and has its primary operational bases at Dublin and London Stansted airports. It forms the largest part of the Ryanair Holdings family ...

* Edward Michael Pakenham, politician and Irish officer in the British army * Peg Plunkett, Dublin brothel keeper *

Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellio ...

, spent time at Killua Castle * Nessa Robins, food writer, blogger and photographer *

Brendan Shine Brendan Shine (born 2 June 1947) is an Irish folk and country singer, television presenter and accordion player from Athlone. He has achieved 40 chart singles in Ireland and 5 Irish number one singles, and is best known for his songs about every ...

, singer * Túathal Techtmar,

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned ana ...

* George Wade, British Army Field Marshal

Gallery

File:Mullingar 01 area.JPG, Map File:Castlepollard 01.JPG, The roundabout, Castlepollard File:Moulin à Pierre.jpg, Mullingar Famine Memorial File:Les tours Christ le Roi Mullingar.jpg, Christ the King Cathedral, Mullingar File:St Peter's and St Paul's Church (RC), Athlone - geograph.org.uk - 167216.jpg, Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Athlone File:Austin Friars 01.jpg, Austin Friars, Mullingar File:Mullingar Centre.jpg, Mullingar Centre File:Canal à Mullingar.jpg, The Royal Canal, Mullingar File:Celtic Cross Columb Barracks Mullingar.JPG, Celtic Cross at Columb
Military Barracks, Mullingar File:Knockeyon 07.jpg, Lough Derravaragh & Knockeyon File:Lough ennell ireland.png, Lough Ennell File:Hill of Ben Fore.JPG, Hill of Ben Fore File:Plaque de la caserne Columb Mullingar.JPG, Columb Barracks,

File:Stile line drawing.jpg, 19th century concrete stile File:Stile 01 Ranaghan.jpg, 19th century concrete stile,(v1) Mass-Path, Ranaghan, Collinstown File:Stile 02 Ranaghan.jpg, Alternative 19th century concrete stile (v-2) mass path, Ranaghan File:Lough Lene Bell Riplica.JPG, Bell of Lough Lene File:NunsTurgesius Castle isles Lough Lene.JPG, Turgesius Island, Lough Lene File:Couché de Soleil Lough Lene.jpg, Sunset on Lough Lene File:Lough Lene bathing.JPG, The Cut, Lough Lene File:Dublin Mullingar Train.JPG, Dublin-Mullingar Train File:An Muileann gCearr.JPG, Kiloutou, Mullingar File:Athlone Ireland and river Shannon.jpg, Church of St. Peter and Paul,

File:De Lacey Castle 01.jpg, Delvin Castle

Towns/villages

* Ballinahown * Ballinalack * Ballykeeran * Ballymore * Ballynacargy * Castledaly * Castlepollard * Castletown-Geoghegan * Clonmellon * Collinstown * Coole * Crookedwood *

* Drumcree * Drumraney * Finnea * Fore * Glassan * Horseleap * Kilbeggan * Killucan and Rathwire * Kinnegad * Milltownpass *

* Mount Temple * Moyvoughly *

, the county town *

Multyfarnham Multyfarnham or Multyfarnam () is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland. History First founded in 1268, the Franciscan monastery at Multyfarnham is still home to a community of friars. During the English conquest of Ireland in the 17th cen ...

* Raharney *

Rathconrath Rathconrath () is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is situated on the R392 regional road west of Mullingar. Rathconrath is also one of the baronies in Co. Westmeath, see list of baronies of Ireland This is a list of the bar ...

* Rathowen * Rochfortbridge * Rosemount * Streamstown * Tang * Tubberclare *

Tyrrellspass Tyrrellspass (, IPA: �bʲaləxˈanˠˈtʲɪɾʲiəliː is a Georgian village in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is from Dublin, in the south of the county on the R446 (formerly the N6) road. Tyrrellspass won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition ...

References

External links

Westmeath Census information

Westmeath Community Development

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK FOR THE MIDLANDS GATEWAY; Census statistics page 27

Westmeath Enterprise

Westmeath Examiner (Local Newspaper)

Westmeath Bands

Westmeath Architectural Heritage (NIAH)

Westmeath Tourism Official Website
{{Coord, 53, 30, N, 7, 30, W, region:IE_type:adm1st_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title

Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivi ...