Ráth Chairn (anglicised as Rathcairn or Rathcarran) is a small village and Gaeltacht area (Irish-speaking area) in County Meath, Ireland. It is about 55 km northwest of Dublin, in the triangle between Navan, Athboy and Trim. The Gaeltacht area was established in 1935, when 27 families from Connemara, mostly from Ceantar na nOileán, were settled on land previously acquired by the Irish Land Commission, followed by a further 11 families in 1937. In all 443 people moved to the area. In 1967 Ráth Chairn received official recognition as a Gaeltacht, following a local campaign. Today, it and the community of Baile Ghib, beyond Navan but fairly near, make up the Meath Gaeltacht. According to the 2016 census 16% of the combined populations of Ráth Chairn and Baile Ghib speak Irish on a daily basis outside the education system.
Since the project's launch, Ráth Chairn has grown into a village, with a Catholic church, a community hall, used for drama and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta (also used by Coláiste na bhFiann during the summer months), sports facilities, an all-Irish primary school and an all-Irish secondary school, a library and a pub (An Bradán Feasa). A cooperative, the Ráth Chairn Cooperation Society (generally known by its Irish-language name, Irish: Comharchumann Ráth Chairn), was formed in 1973.
Several facilities in Ráth Chairn host children and adults wishing to learn Irish, and residential Irish language courses, Coláiste na bhFiann, are run for teenagers in the summer months.
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