Slane

Village in County Meath, Republic of Ireland, 13 km/8 mi northeast of Navan; population (2002) 1,350. On Slane Hill (152 m/499 ft), according to tradition, St Patrick lit a fire at Easter in 433, proclaiming Christianity throughout Ireland. Slane Hill now has the ruins of a 16th-century church on the site of a monastery founded by St Earc; there is also a 12th-century motte marking the site of a fort built by Richard le Fleming.

Nearby are the 16th-century ruins of St Earc's hermitage and to the east of Slane is a series of Neolithic tumuli. The one known as Newgrange consists of an extensive passageway and a large chamber, parts of which are highly decorated. These tombs are a tourist attraction.

There is a folk and transport museum in Slane. The village was the birthplace of the poet Francis Ledwidge (1891–1917).