| County Louth Contae Lú |
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| Motto: Lugh sáimh-ioldánach (Irish) "Lugh equally skilled in many arts" |
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| Location | ||
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
| County seat: | Dundalk | |
| Code: | LH | |
| Area: | 820 km² | |
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Population (2006) |
110,894[1] | |
| Website: www.louthcoco.ie | ||
County Louth (pronounced /ˈlaʊð/ – Irish: Contae Lú)[2][3] is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and is located within the province of Leinster. It was named after the village of Louth.
County Louth is affectionately called "the Wee County" being the smallest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area having a total area of only 821 km² (317sq miles).[4][5] It is the 19th largest in terms of population.[6] It is the smallest of Leinster’s 12 counties in size and sixth largest in terms of population.
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Origin of name
The village (and thus the county) was named after the Celtic pagan god Lugh, whose festival was celebrated at Lúnasa.
The modern name is now an Lú. This is merely a modern standardised rendering of the older Lughbhaidh and has nothing to do with the comparative/superlative form lú meaning smaller or smallest of the adjective beag.
History
This is a county steeped in myth, legend and history, going back to the pre-historical days of the Táin Bó Cúailnge (Cooley Cattle Raid, see Cúchulainn). Later it saw the influence of the Vikings as seen in the name of Carlingford Lough.
There are a number of historic sites in the county, including religious sites at Monasterboice and Mellifont Abbey
In the early fourteenth century the Scottish army of Edward Bruce (brother of Robert of Bannockburn fame) was defeated in the Battle of Faughart near Dundalk, Edward losing not only his claim to the High Kingship Of Ireland, but also his life. The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries featured many skirmishes and battles involving Irish and English forces. Oliver Cromwell attacked Drogheda in 1649 slaughtering the Royalist garrison (Siege of Drogheda).
Towards the end of the same century the armies of the warring Kings, James and William, faced off in North Louth during the build-up to the Battle of the Boyne - the battle takes its name from the river Boyne which reaches the sea at Drogheda.
In 1798 the leaders of the United Irishmen included Bartholomew Teeling, John Byrne and Patrick Byrne, all from Castletown; Anthony McCann from Corderry; Nicholas and Thomas Markey from Barmeath , 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 of the leaders were hanged.
In 1816 the Wildgoose Lodge Murders took place in the west of the county.
The priest and scientist Nicholas Joseph Callan (1799–1864), from Darver, was a famous son of the county.
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.[7]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | %± |
| 1653 | 8,527 | — |
| 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% |
| [8][9][10][11][12][13] | ||
Notable settlements in County Louth
Towns
Villages
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Demographics
The majority of the county's population live in either Dundalk (2006 pop. 29,037) in north Louth, or Drogheda (2006 pop. 28,973) in the south. The 2006 Census[1] confirmed Dundalk and Drogheda as not only the largest towns in the county, but also the second and third largest towns in Ireland.
Within legally defined boundaries Dundalk has the larger population, however the total population(including suburbs or environs) is greater in Drogheda, this includes areas and suburbs of Drogheda which lie in County Meath.[1]
Data taken from the 2006 Census:
| Town | Total population including suburbs or environs |
Population within legally defined boundary |
Population of suburbs or environs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drogheda | 35,090 | 28,973 | 6,117 |
| Dundalk | 35,085 | 29,037 | 6,048 |
| Ardee | 4,694 | 4,301 | 393 |
| Dunleer | 1,449 | ||
| Greenore | 979 |
Notable events
On the 3rd of June 2009, a Leaving Certificate examiner distributed the incorrect test paper in a Louth examination centre. As a result the students of the school in question saw the English Higher Level Paper 2 exam a day before its official release. Word of the paper's content spread, and the State Examinations Commission were forced to cancel the exam and reschedule the exam to take place on Saturday the 6th.
Notable people
- Thomas Byrne - Former racing driver
- Eamonn Campbell - Member of the Dubliners
- The Corrs - pop/rock band
- George Drumgoole Coleman - Civil architect
- Nick Colgan - Football goalkeeper, currently playing for Grimsby Town
- Mark Dearey - Green Party politician
- Kenny Finn - Irish American soccer and gaelic football player
- Beatrice Hill-Lowe - Archer
- Gary Kelly - Former footballer, played his entire career with Leeds United
- Colin Larkin - Footballer, currently playing for Hartlepool United
- Evanna Lynch - Harry Potter actress, plays Luna Lovegood
- Cathy Maguire - Singer and songwriter
- Brendan McGahon - Former politician for Fine Gael
- Arthur Thomas Moore - General and recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Arthur Morgan - Sinn Féin TD for Louth
- Gerry O'Connor - Traditional Irish fiddle player
- Tommy Smyth - Soccer commentator for ESPN
- Kevin Thornton - Footballer
See also
References
- ^ a b c Central Statistics Office Census 2006 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland (April 2007).
- ^ Louth - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
- ^ Location Result
- ^ Louth Ireland
- ^ North West Passage
- ^ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 186-191.
- ^ Louth Irish Language
- ^ For 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy March 14 1865.
- ^ Census for post 1821 figures.
- ^ http://www.histpop.org
- ^ http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census
- ^ Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". 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), "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850", The Economic History Review Volume 37 (Issue 4): 473-488, doi:, http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120035880/abstract
External links
- Omeath Online - Official Site of Omeath, Co. Louth
- Carlingford Online - Carlingford Local and Tourist Site
- Dunleer Parish
- Louth Local Authorities
- Drogheda Tourism - Official Site of the Drogheda Tourist Office
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