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Stretching from the borders of County Dublin to the frontier with the North, and from the coast to the heart of Ireland, the four counties of Meath, Louth, Westmeath and Longford epitomize green and rural Ireland, yet provide a total contrast to the west of the country. It's a region neglected by most visitors, whose impression is one of monotonously similar countryside. Pass through at speed, as most people do, and you'll probably share that impression. But if you slow down and target a small area for more detailed exploration, you'll discover far more. In the east there's a wealth of remains of an exceptionally long, rich history, including the great ritual landscapes flanking the River Boyne, and one or two great beaches on the coast. Further west, you're into the lush, green, agricultural heart of Ireland; it's not spectacular country, but as dense in historical resonance as anywhere else, and largely untouristed, with a slow pace and plain style of living that have a steady charm of their own. In practical terms, you'll find it easy enough to get about, with most of the sites conveniently strung along major roads well served by public transport. Accommodation is less easy, with only a handful of hostels throughout the four counties, and B&Bs only in the major centres. Still, if you base yourself strategically you'll find that a surprising amount can be seen in a short time. County Louth , the smallest of the Republic's 26 counties stretches northwards along the coast. Here you'll find the only two towns of any real size in this area, Drogheda and Dundalk . Inland, hilly drumlin country hardens in the northeast to real mountains. Here, on the Cooley Peninsula , lies the most exciting part of the coast between Dublin and the border. The peninsula is also the setting of one of the richest and oldest legendary tales of Irish literature, the Ttel in Bo Cuailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley). Although it does touch the coast (with a couple of excellent beaches), County Meath ( Midhe , middle) is primarily an inland county, whose exceptionally rich farmland unfurls lazily around its major river, the Boyne , and its tributaries. To discover the place you simply follow these waterways - above all the Boyne itself and the Blackwater - as thousands of years of civilization have done before. Along its rivers, Meath can boast by far the richest bounty of historical remains in Ireland. This history starts in the Stone Age, with some of the oldest buildings in the world at Bru na Boinne and Sliabh Na Caillighe , and other important Neolithic remains still being discovered. Celtic Ireland was ruled from Tara , in Meath, and from Uisneach in Westmeath. Christian Ireland has left a wealth of early monastic remains, magnificent tenth-century high crosses, and the celebrated illuminated manuscript known as the Book of Kells . The largest Norman fortress in Ireland can be seen at Trim , and later castles and mansions - from the Plantation period when the county was wholly confiscated and extensively developed - are everywhere, though only a few (notably Dunsany Castle ) are open to the public. County Westmeath is characterized by its lakes - Lough Sheelin , Lough Lene , Lough Derravaragh , Lough Owel and Lough Ennel cut down through its heart - which go a long way to compensate for the falling off in historical or scenic splendour. In the south it becomes increasingly flat, easing into the bogland of northern Offaly, while in the west the border is defined by Lough Ree and the River Shannon . The Shannon also forms the western border of County Longford , which is about all the county has going for it. There's nothing wrong with the place in a dull and placid sort of way, but placid and dull is what it is, and you're unlikely to want to stay long.
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