County Louth
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| County Louth Contae Lú |
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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 county[4] in Ireland having a total area of only 821 km² (317sq miles).[5]
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[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.[6]
| 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% |
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[edit] Notable settlements in County Louth
[edit] Towns
[edit] Villages
[edit] 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 |
[edit] 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.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Central Statistics Office Census 2006 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland (April 2007).
- ^ Louth - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
- ^ Location Result
- ^ North West Passage : : Brochures : Ireland Travel Tourism Tour Irlande Irlanda Irland Donegal Dublin Dungannon Armagh Omagh Strabane Louth Meath Monaghan
- ^ Louth Ireland / Ireland Louth / County louth ireland / Hotel Louth, Restaurant Louth, Hotels Ireland, Travel Guide County Louth Ireland, Louth Attractions
- ^ Louth Irish Language
- ^ [http://www.cso.ie/census for post 1821 figures, 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy March 14 1865, For a discussion on he accuracy of pre-famine census returns see JJ Lee “On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p54, in and also New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850 by Joel Mokyr and Cormac O Grada in The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov., 1984), pp. 473-488.
[edit] See also
[edit] 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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