List of people from County Meath

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

This is a list of notable people who were either born in County Meath, have lived there for a significant portion of their lives or are otherwise generally associated with the county.

## Aristocracy

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* Nicholas St Lawrence (c. 1550 – 1607), 9th Baron Howth
* Egidia de Lacy (1205-?), Lady of Connacht
* Hugh de Lacy (c. 1176 – 1242), Earl of Ulster
* Hugh de Lacy (c. 1135 – 1186), First Lord of Meath, built Trim Castle
* Walter de Lacy (1172–1241), Lord of Meath
* Garret Wesley (1735–1781), 1st Earl of Mornington
* John Netterville (1603–1659), 2nd Viscount Netterville
* Nicholas Netterville (1581–1654), 1st Viscount Netterville
* Elizabeth Darcy (1332–1390), Countess of Ormond
* Jenet Sarsfield (1528–1598), noblewoman
* Simon Fleming (died 1370), 1st Baron Slane
* Lady Anne Culling Smith (1775–1844), sister of the Duke of Wellington
* John Barnewall (died 1538), 3rd Baron Trimlestown

## Politics

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* Yemi Adenuga (born 1971), first black woman to be elected to local government in Ireland
* Thomas Brennan (1853–1912), co-founder of the Irish National Land League
* John Bruton (born 1947), Taoiseach 1994–1997
* Christopher Fleming (1669–1726), Member of Parliament
* Thomas Fleming (1358–1435), Member of Parliament
* Thomas Fleming (died 1601), Member of Parliament
* Thomas Hussey (1749–1824), MP for Aylesbury
* Sir William Johnson (c. 1715 – 1774), diplomat
* Frank McLoughlin (born 1946), TD for Meath
* Matthew O'Reilly (1880–1962), TD for Meath
* William Wellesley-Pole (1763–1845), Chief Secretary for Ireland
* Nicholas Plunkett (1602–1680), Member of Parliament
* John Reilly (1646–1717), Member of Parliament
* Francis Singleton (1812–1887), member of the Western Australian Legislative Council

## Law

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* John Lowth (1822–1877), lawyer
* Peter Metge (1740–1809), judge
* Luke Netterville (1510–1560), judge
* Richard Netterville (1540–1607), barrister
* Nicholas Nugent (1525–1582), Solicitor-General for Ireland
* Thomas Plunket (1440–1519), Chief Justice of the Common Pleas for Ireland
* Thomas Fitz-Christopher Plunket (1407–1471), Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
* Richard Plunkett (1340–1393), judge and statesman
* Richard Rede (fl. 1416), statesman
* Edward George Ryan (1810–1880), 3rd chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
* Patrick Segrave (died 1610), judge
* Richard Segrave (1540–1598), judge
* James Alleyn (died 1457), Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
* William Skrene (1350–1421), Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer
* Barnaby Skurloke (1520–1587), lawyer
* Richard Sydgrave (died 1425), Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer
* Richard White (died 1367), Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
* Patrick White (1480–1561), Baron of the Court of Exchequer

## Military

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* Guy Johnson (c. 1740 – 1788), British officer in the American Revolutionary War
* Patrick James Leonard (1847–1899), United States Army sergeant and Medal of Honor recipient
* Tony Magan (1910–1981), Chief of Staff of the IRA
* Simon Mangan (died 1906), Lord Lieutenant of Meath
* Thomas Meredyth (died 1719), officer
* John Nangle (died 1508), soldier
* Richard Ridgeway (1848–1924), Victoria Cross recipient
* Frederick Augustus Smith (1826–1887), Victoria Cross recipient
* Thomas Sullivan (1859–1940), soldier and US Medal of Honor recipient
* Thomas Preston (1585–1655), soldier and mercenary
* Peter Warren (1703–1752), Royal Navy officer
* Arthur Wellesley (1769–1852), defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo

## Royalty

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* Máel Dóid mac Suibni (died 653), King of Uisneach
* Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid (died 862), High King of Ireland
* Rose Ní Conchobair (fl. 1180), Lady of Meath
* Cormac mac Art Ó Melaghlain (1182–1239), King of Meath
* Órlaith íngen Cennétig (died 941), Queen of Ireland
* Tigernach mac Fócartai (died 865), King of Loch Gabhair
* Túathal Máelgarb (died 540s), High King of Ireland
* Donnell Mor Mideach Ua Conchobair (1144–1176), Prince of Connacht

## Sports

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* Darragh Burns (born 2002), footballer
* Sam Curtis (born 2005), footballer
* Dawson Devoy (born 2001), footballer
* Luke Heeney (born 1999), footballer
* Evan Ferguson (born 2004), footballer
* James Finnerty (born 1999), footballer
* Conor Keeley (born 1997), footballer
* Josh Keeley (born 2003), footballer
* Darragh Lenihan (born 1994), footballer
* Tommy Lonergan (born 2004), footballer
* Adrian Maguire (born 1971), trainer and jockey
* Dónal McDermott (born 1989), footballer
* Séamus McDonagh (born 1962), boxer
* Jamie McGrath (born 1996), footballer
* Luke McNally (born 1999), footballer
* Brendan Murphy (born 1975), footballer
* Éamonn O'Brien (born 1960), footballer and manager of Meath
* Georgie Poynton (born 1997), footballer
* Andrew Quinn (born 2002), footballer
* Ger Robinson (born 1982), footballer
* Gary Rogers (born 1981), football goalkeeper
* Edward Rooney (1880–1950), cricketer
* Tom Sheridan (born 1969), handball player
* Brian Smyth (1924–2016), footballer
* Kevin Toner (born 1996), footballer
* Emre Topçu (born 2005), footballer
* Adderley Wilkinson (1887–1978), cricketer

## Religion

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* Felim of Kilmore (6th century), saint
* Ia of Cornwall (died 5th century), saint
* Lommán of Trim (died 6th century), saint
* Mac Nisse of Connor (died 514), saint
* Tola of Clonard (died 700s), saint
* Robert Barnewall (1704–1779), religious rights activist
* Thomas Hussey (1746–1803), bishop and diplomat
* James Keene (1849–1919), bishop
* Richard Lacy (1841–1929), Bishop of Middlesbrough
* Petronilla de Meath (1300–1324), first known person in Ireland to be burned for heresy
* Thomas Messingham (died 1638), hagiologist
* Denis Nulty (born 1963), Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin
* Thomas Nulty (1818–1898), Bishop of Meath
* Eugene O'Growney (1863–1899), priest
* Peter Joseph O'Reilly (1850–1923), Auxiliary bishop of Peoria
* John Payne (died 1507), Bishop of Meath
* Oliver Plunkett (1625–1681), Archbishop of Armagh[1]
* Joseph Rooney (died 1857), missionary
* Secundinus (died 448), Bishop of Armagh
* Michael Smith (born 1940), Bishop of Meath
* Paul Tighe (born 1958), prelate
* Walter Wellesley (1470–1539), Bishop of Kildare
* William Walsh (1512–1577), Bishop of Meath

## Entertainment

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* Pierce Brosnan (born 1953), actor[2]
* Robin McAuley (born 1953), rock vocalist
* Joe Moore (1894–1926), actor
* Matt Moore (1888–1960), actor
* Owen Moore (1886–1939), actor
* Tom Moore (1883–1955), actor and director
* Dylan Moran, comedian
* Henry Mountcharles (born 1951), organiser of the Slane Concert
* Daráine Mulvihill (born 1983), television personality
* Sibéal Ní Chasaide (born 1998), singer
* Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh (born 1970), television presenter
* Maighréad Ní Dhomhnaill (born 1955), singer
* Sinéad Noonan (born 1987), model
* Ciarán Ó Cofaigh (born 1968), director and producer
* Hector Ó hEochagáin radio and television presenter
* Nathan O'Toole (born 1998), actor
* Angela Scanlon (born 1983), television presenter
* Tommy Tiernan comedian, actor and television presenter
* Sharon Horgan (born 1970), actor
* Justine Stafford, comedian and Youtuber

## Science and education

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* Francis Beaufort (1774–1857), hydrographer, creator of the Beaufort scale[3]
* Sir Thomas Molyneux (1661–1733), physician
* C. Y. O'Connor (1843–1902), engineer
* Peadar Ó Gealacáin (1792–1860), scribe
* Francis Porter (fl. 1650–1702), professor
* Francis Webb Sheilds (1820–1906), engineer

## Art and literature

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* Anthony Holten (1945–2020), author
* Francis Ledwidge (1887–1917), poet
* J.S. Anna Liddiard (1773–1819), poet
* Liam Mac Cóil (born 1952), Irish language novelist
* Séamas Dall Mac Cuarta (c. 1647 – 1733), poet
* Seon Mac Solaidh (fl. 1720), poet and scribe
* Martina Fitzgerald, journalist and author
* Arthur Mathews (born 1959), writer
* John Mulvany (1839–1906), artist
* Aonghus Fionn Ó Dálaigh (died 1570), poet
* Donnchadh Mór Ó Dálaigh (died 1244), poet
* Joseph Osborne (1810–1901), author
* Edward Lovett Pearce (1699–1733), architect
* Richard Pigott (1835–1889), journalist
* John B. Sheridan (1870–1930), sportswriter
* Edward Smyth (1749–1812), sculptor
* Gilla Mo Dutu Úa Caiside (fl. 1147), poet
* Orla de Brí (born 1965), sculptor

## See also

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* List of Irish people

## Notes and references

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1. ^ Earlier biographers gave his date of birth as 1 November four years later, but since the discovery of an ancient reference to Oliver Plunkett’s birth in the Bodleian Library, Ashmolean, MS.436 which stated: "He was born on 1st. November 1625" biographers of Plunkett since the 1930s agree on 1625. These include: Hanly, O’Fiaich, Forristal, Curtis, O'Higgins, Walsh, Bennett, Stokes, Concannon, Carty, Matthews, Murphy, Nowak, Burns, Meagher and the St. Oliver web-site.
2. ^ Chutkow, Paul (December 1997). "Brosnan. Pierce Brosnan". Cigaraficionado.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
3. ^ Mollan, R Charles (2002). Irish Innovators. Royal Irish Academy. p. 49\. ISBN 978-1-874045-88-5.

## External links

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* Roots Ireland - Meath People
* Meath.ie - Famous Meath People