County Louth
County Louth Contae Lú | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Motto(s): Lugh sáimh-ioldánach (Irish) "Lugh equally skilled in many arts" | ||
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| Country | Ireland | |
| Province | Leinster | |
| Dáil Éireann | Louth | |
| EU Parliament | Midlands–North-West | |
| County town | Dundalk | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | County Council | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 827 km2 (319 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | 32nd | |
| Population (2016) | 128,884[1] | |
| • Rank | 18th[2] | |
| Vehicle index mark code | LH | |
| Website | www.louthcoco.ie/en/ | |
County Louth (Irish: Contae Lú)[3] is a county[4] in the Republic of Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Mid-East Region. It is named after the village of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county. According to the 2016 census, the population of the county is 122,897.[5]
Contents
1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
3.1 Towns and settlements (2011 census)
3.2 Population by religion
3.3 Towns and villages
4 Local government and politics
4.1 Louth County Council
4.2 Louth Dáil constituency
5 Irish language
6 People
6.1 Entertainment
6.2 Military
6.3 Politics
6.4 Sport
6.5 Misc
6.6 Gallery
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
Geography
County Louth is colloquially known as 'the Wee County' as it is Ireland's smallest county by area (826 km2 319 mi2).[6] It is the 18th-largest in terms of population.[7] It is the smallest of Leinster’s 12 counties by size and the sixth-largest by population.
With its fairly average total population and its small size, Louth is the second-most densely populated county in Ireland, behind Dublin, and the fourth-most on the island of Ireland.
History
Baronies of Louth
County Louth is named after the village of Louth, which in turn is named after Lugh, a god of the ancient Irish. Historically, the placename has had various spellings; "Lugmad", "Lughmhaigh", and "Lughmhadh" (see Historic Names List, for full listing). Lú is the modern simplified spelling.
The county is steeped in myth, legend and history, and is a setting in the Táin Bó Cúailnge. Later it saw the influence of the Vikings, as seen in the name of Carlingford Lough. They also established a longphort at Annagassan in the ninth century. At this time Louth consisted of three sub-kingdoms, each subject to separate over-kingdoms: Conaille (Ulaidh); Fir Rois (Airgialla); and, the Fir Arda Ciannachta (Midhe). The whole area became part of the O'Carroll Kingdom of Airgialla (Oriel) early in the 12th century under Donnchad Ua Cerbaill. At the same time, the area was removed from the diocese of Armagh and the See for the Diocese of Airgíalla or Clogher was transferred to Louth c. 1130-1190.
A number of historic sites are in the county, including religious sites at Monasterboice, Mellifont Abbey and the St Mary Magdalene Dominican Friary.
The Normans occupied the Louth area in the 1180s, and it became known as 'English' Oriel, to distinguish it from the remainder ('Irish' Oriel) which remained in Irish hands. The latter became the McMahon lordship of Oriel of County Monaghan.
In the early 14th century, the Scottish army of Edward Bruce was repulsed from Drogheda. Edward was finally defeated, losing his claim to the High Kingship of Ireland along with his life, in the Battle of Faughart near Dundalk, by a chiefly local force led by John de Bermingham.
In 1189, a royal charter was granted to Dundalk after a Norman nobleman named Bertram de Verdun erected a manor house at Castletown Mount. Later in 1412, a royal charter was granted to Drogheda. This charter unified the towns of Drogheda-in-Meath and Drogheda-in-Uriel (Louth) as a County in its own right, styled as ‘the County of the town of Drogheda’.[8] Drogheda continued as a County Borough until the setting up of County Councils, through the enactment of the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, which saw all of Drogheda, including a large area south of the River Boyne, become part of an extended County Louth.[8][9][10]
Until the late 16th century, Louth had been a part of Ulster, before being included as part of Leinster after a conference held at Faughart (in 1596) between the Chiefs of Ulster (O'Nial/O'Niel and O'Donel/McDonnel), on the Irish side, and the Archbishop of Cashel and the Earl of Ormonde on that of the English.
The 16th and 17th centuries featured many skirmishes and battles involving Irish and English forces, as Louth was on the main route to 'the Moiry Pass' and the Ulster areas often in rebellion and as yet uncolonised. Oliver Cromwell attacked Drogheda in 1649 slaughtering the Royalist garrison and hundreds of the town's citizens. Towards the end of the same century, the armies of the warring Kings, James II and William (III) of Orange, faced off in south Louth during the build-up to the Battle of the Boyne; the battle was fought 3 km from west Drogheda. Drogheda held for James under Lord Iveagh, but surrendered to William the day after the battle of the Boyne.[citation needed]
In 1798, the leaders of the United Irishmen included Bartholomew Teeling, John Byrne, and Patrick Byrne, all from Castletown; Anthony Marmion from Louth Town and Dundalk, Anthony McCann from Corderry; Nicholas and Thomas Markey from Barmeath, and Arthur McKeown, John Warren, and James McAllister from Cambricville. They were betrayed by informers, notably a Dr. Conlan, who came from Dundalk, and an agent provocateur called Sam Turner, from Newry. Several leaders were hanged.
The priest and scientist Nicholas Callan (1799–1864) was from Darver.
Demographics
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1600 | 3,454 | — |
| 1610 | 6,787 | +96.5% |
| 1653 | 8,527 | +25.6% |
| 1659 | 9,690 | +13.6% |
| 1821 | 119,129 | +1129.4% |
| 1831 | 124,846 | +4.8% |
| 1841 | 128,240 | +2.7% |
| 1851 | 107,662 | −16.0% |
| 1861 | 90,713 | −15.7% |
| 1871 | 84,021 | −7.4% |
| 1881 | 77,684 | −7.5% |
| 1891 | 71,038 | −8.6% |
| 1901 | 65,820 | −7.3% |
| 1911 | 63,665 | −3.3% |
| 1926 | 62,739 | −1.5% |
| 1936 | 64,339 | +2.6% |
| 1946 | 66,194 | +2.9% |
| 1951 | 68,771 | +3.9% |
| 1956 | 69,194 | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 67,378 | −2.6% |
| 1966 | 69,519 | +3.2% |
| 1971 | 74,951 | +7.8% |
| 1979 | 86,135 | +14.9% |
| 1981 | 88,514 | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 91,810 | +3.7% |
| 1991 | 90,724 | −1.2% |
| 1996 | 92,166 | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 101,821 | +10.5% |
| 2006 | 111,267 | +9.3% |
| 2011 | 122,897 | +10.5% |
| 2016 | 128,884 | +4.9% |
[11][12][13][14][15][16] | ||
County Louth is the 19th largest county in terms of population[7] yet it is the most densely populated county in Ireland outside Dublin, with a population density of 148.7 people per km2, almost double the national average. The majority of the county's 122,897 population live in either Dundalk in north Louth, or Drogheda in south Louth. The 2011 census[17] confirmed Drogheda[17] and Dundalk[17] as not only the largest towns in the county, but also the largest and second-largest towns and overall 6th- and 7th-largest urban areas in Ireland.
Towns and settlements (2011 census)
| Area | Legal Town Limit | Inc. Environs | Inc. Rural |
|---|---|---|---|
Dundalk | 31,149[18] | 37,816[19] | 63,429 |
Drogheda | 30,393[20] | 38,578[21] | 38,578 |
Ardee | 4,554 | 4,927 | 7,418 |
Blackrock | 3,000 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
Clogherhead | 1,993 | 3,026 | 3,026 |
Dunleer | 1,786 | 2,340 | 2,340 |
Termonfeckin | 1,443 | 1,443 | 1,443 |
Tullyallen | 1,358 | 1,358 | 1,358 |
Dromiskin | 1,115 | 1,115 | 1,115 |
Carlingford | 1,045 | 1,045 | 1,045 |
Castlebellingham | 1,035 | 1,035 | 1,035 |
Louth | 715 | 715 | 715 |
Tallanstown | 673 | 673 | 673 |
Knockbridge | 583 | 583 | 583 |
Omeath | 503 | 503 | 503 |
Tinure | 456 | 456 | 456 |
Jenkinstown | 323 | 323 | 323 |
| Beaulieu | 221 | 221 | 221 |
Annagassan | 180 | 180 | 180 |
Population by religion
| Religion | 2006 | 2011[22] | 2016[23] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic | 99,678 | 106,845 | 105,186 |
| Church of Ireland (incl. Protestant) | 1,759 | 2,179 | - |
| Presbyterian | 436 | 570 | - |
| Methodist, Wesleyan | 194 | 56 | - |
| Jewish | 15 | 19 | - |
| Other stated religion (nec) | 4,078 | 6,058 | 10,775 |
| No religion | 3,338 | 5,414 | 9,747 |
| Not stated | 1,769 | 1,756 | 3,176 |
Towns and villages
- Annagassan
- Ardee
- Ballymascanlan
- Baltray
- Blackrock
- Carlingford
- Castlebellingham
- Clogherhead
- Collon
- Drogheda
- Dromiskin
- Dundalk
- Dunleer
- Greenore
- Gyles' Quay
- Jenkinstown
- Knockbridge
- Kilkerley
- Kilsaran
- Louth
- Omeath
- Paughanstown
- Sandpit, County Louth
- Stonetown
- Tallanstown
- Termonfeckin
- Tinure
- Tullyallen
Local government and politics
Louth County Council
The local authority is Louth County Council, offices in Dundalk, which provides a number of services including; planning, roads maintenance, fire brigade, council housing, water supply, waste collection, recycling and landfill, higher education grants and funding for arts and culture.[24]
Since the implementation of the Local Government Reform Act 2014 on 1 June 2014, County Louth has been subdivided into four Local Electoral Area's (often abbreviated as LEA) for elections to Louth County Council and three Municipal districts for local government which are,
- Ardee Municipal District
- Drogheda Borough District
- Dundalk Municipal District
| Council | Area | District [t 1] | LEA [t 2] | Councillors [t 3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Louth County Council (29) | Ardee | Y | Y | 6 |
| Drogheda | Y[t 4] | Y | 10 | |
| Dundalk | Y | 13 | ||
| Dundalk Carlingford | Y | 6 | ||
| Dundalk South | Y | 7 |
Key:
^ Y indicates the area is a municipal district. (Those designated as "metropolitan district" or "borough district" are footnoted.)
^ Y indicates the area is a local electoral area.
^ The number of Councillors returned by the LEA and/or the number on the district council. All district councillors are ex officio members of the county/city council.
^ Borough district.
Louth Dáil constituency
For elections to Dáil Éireann, Louth is represented by the five member Louth constituency which takes in the entire county of Louth and two electoral divisions in County Meath.
the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2009 merged the electoral divisions of St.Mary's (Part) and Julianstown, collectively known as "East Meath" in County Meath with County Louth to form one Louth Dáil constituency.
The Report on Dáil and European Parliament Constituencies 2007 outlined;
"by extending the constituency southwards from, and in the environs of, Drogheda and taking in electoral divisions which have extensive linkages with the town. This will allow the inclusion of the town of Drogheda and hinterland areas in a single constituency." [25]
This merger allowed the areas of the Greater Drogheda area in County Meath [26] and their combined population of 20,375 to be merged with Drogheda and County Louth.
Following the 2011 general election, the constituency elected two TDs for the Fine Gael party (centre right), and one touchdown each for Fianna Fáil (centre to centre-right), the Labour Party (centre left) and Sinn Féin (left wing).
Irish language
The area of Omeath was Irish-speaking until the early 20th century, a native dialect of Louth Irish existed there until about 1930, but is now extinct although recordings have been made.[27]
Within the county 790 people use Irish on a daily basis and 2,276 people use Irish on a weekly basis outside the education system according to the 2016 census.[28]
People
Entertainment
Pierce Brosnan - Actor, James Bond
Eamonn Campbell - Member of The Dubliners
Andrea Corr - Singer, The Corrs
Caroline Corr - Musician, The Corrs
Jim Corr - Musician, The Corrs
Sharon Corr - Musician, The Corrs
Evanna Lynch - Actress, Harry Potter
Cathy Maguire - Singer/songwriter
John Moore - Film director
Gerry O'Connor - Traditional Irish fiddle player
Colin O'Donoghue - Actor, Once Upon a Time
Military
Admiral Francis Leopold McClintock KCB FRS - Royal Navy officer and Explorer
Major-General Arthur Thomas Moore VC - Soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross
Politics
Dermot Ahern - Politician, Fianna Fáil TD for Louth
James Carroll - Politician, Fianna Fáil, member of Seanad Éireann from Louth
Mark Dearey - Politician, Green Party Senator from Louth
Séamus Kirk - Politician, Fianna Fáil TD for Louth
John McClintock (1770–1855), MP for Athlone 1820, for County Louth 1830–31
Brendan McGahon - Politician, Fine Gael TD for Louth
Michael McKevitt - Republican dissident leader
Arthur Morgan - Politician, Sinn Féin TD for Louth
Sport
Thomas Byrne - Former racing driver
Nick Colgan - Footballer, currently playing for Grimsby Town F.C.
Kenny Finn - Irish American soccer and gaelic football player
Beatrice Hill-Lowe - Archer
Gary Kelly - Footballer, Leeds United
Robert Kearney - Irish Rugby player
Colin Larkin - footballer, Hartlepool United
Tommy Smyth - Football commentator for ESPN
Steve Staunton - Footballer
Kevin Thornton - Footballer
Misc
George Drumgoole Coleman - Civil architect
Peter Rice - Structural engineer
Gallery
Dundalk railway station
Dundalk IT.
Cú Chulainn's stone
Castle Roche
Slive Foy and King John's Castle
Mellifont Abbey
Dromiskin Round Tower
Drogheda
Drogheda railway station with the Enterprise
Clogherhead Harbour
Carlingford Harbour
See also
- List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Louth)
- List of Castles in Louth
- Lord Lieutenant of Louth
- High Sheriff of Louth
- List of songs about Louth
References
^ "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: County Louth". Central Statistics Office. 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2017..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Central Statistics Office Census 2006 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland (April 2007).
^ "Placenames Database of Ireland". Fiontar (DCU) and The Placenames Branch (Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht). 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
^ Section 2(1) of the Local Government Act, 2001, provides that the administrative area for which a county council is responsible is a county: http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/LocalGovernmentAdministration/RHLegislation/FileDownLoad,1963,en.pdf Archived 20 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
^ It is the 13th-most populated county in the Republic of Ireland after Mayo, being the 12th-most populous according to the 2016 census Census 2011 - County Louth Overview
^ "North West Passage". northwestpassage.org. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
^ ab Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 186–191. ISBN 0-340-89695-7.
^ ab Johnston, L. C. (1826). History of Drogheda: from the earliest period to the present time. Drogheda. p. 37.
^ D'Alton, John 1844, The History of Drogheda
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 July 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
^ For 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy 14 March 1865.
^ "Server Error 404 - CSO - Central Statistics Office". www.cso.ie. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
^ http://www.histpop.org Archived 7 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
^ NISRA - Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (c) 2013 Archived 17 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine.. Nisranew.nisra.gov.uk (27 September 2010). Retrieved on 2013-07-23.
^ Lee, JJ (1981). "Pre-famine". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A. Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
^ Mokyr, Joel; O Grada, Cormac (November 1984). "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850". The Economic History Review. 37 (4): 473–488. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x.
^ abc "Latest News".
^ "Legal Towns Dundalk Legal Town (CSO Area Code LT 10008)". Central Statistics Office. 2011.
^ "Dundalk Legal Town And Its Environs Results". Central Statistics Office. 2011. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014.
^ "Legal Towns Drogheda Legal Town (CSO Area Code LT 10008)". Central Statistics Office. 2011.
^ "Drogheda Legal Town And Its Environs Results". Central Statistics Office. 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
^ "Dundalk Migration, Ethnicity and Religion (CSO Area Code LT 10008)". Central Statistics Office. 2011. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014.
^ . Central Statistics Office. 2011 http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=CTY31&Geog_Code=2AE19629149113A3E055000000000001#SAPMAP_T2_240. Missing or empty|title=(help)
^ "Services". Louth County Council. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
^ http://www.constituency-commission.ie/docs%5Ccon2007.pdfThis[permanent dead link]
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2014.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
^ "The Doegen Records Web Project". Doegen. Royal Irish Academy. 2009. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
^ "County Louth". Central Statistics Office. Central Statistics Office. 2016. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to County Louth. |
 | Wikivoyage has a travel guide for County Louth. |
- Carlingford town local site
- Drogheda Tourism - Official Site of the Drogheda Tourist Office
- Dunleer town portal
- Dunleer Parish
- Louth Local Authorities
- Omeath town local site
- Tallanstown Tidy Towns
- CSO Louth
Places adjacent to County Louth | ||||||||||
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County Louth
Places in County Louth | ||
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County town: Dundalk | ||
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Counties of Ireland | ||
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The counties are listed per province | ||
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Coordinates: 53°50′N 6°30′W / 53.833°N 6.500°W / 53.833; -6.500
