A-Z Placefinder
Towns of Meath
Slane —County Meath
A beautiful manorial village built around a crossroads, the central focus of the village is the four fine Georgian houses facing each other where the N2 and N52 roads meet. The Conyghams, successors of the great Norman Lords of Slane, planned Slane. It was here, from on top of the hill overlooking the village, that St. Patrick lit the paschal flame on Easter eve (in the second half of the fifth century), a symbol of the light of Christianity, which was about to sweep away the old pagan order. A short distance from the village on the Navan road is Slane Castle, an imposing castellated mansion with towers and embattled parapets, built on a beautiful site overlooking the river valley. Built by the Conyngham family, it is the home of Lord Henry, Earl of Mountcharles, and has become famous as a concert venue; the surrounding grounds boasting a natural amphitheatre of immense size.
