Royal Meath is worthy of the title

This county has been central to Irish identity for 5,000 years

YOU CAN’T escape history in Meath. Granted, you could say that about all of our counties, but the hand of history is particularly visible in what, after all, is called the Royal County.

The royal monicker comes from Tara, the legendary inauguration site of the High Kings of Ireland, but the county is also the site of the battle of the two kings.

Yes, the Battle of the Boyne was the only time in Ireland that two kings faced each other on the field of honour. The Protestant William of Orange had usurped the throne of his Catholic father-in-law, James II of England, and the Boyne was where the Dutch prince would confirm his hold on the crown.

Oldbridge House and its 500-acre estate sit ..........