County Louth
| 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 (320 sq mi) (32nd) | |
| Population (2006) | 111,267 (18th) [1] | |
| Website: www.louthcoco.ie | ||
County Louth (pronounced /ˈlaʊð/ – Irish: Contae Lú)[2][3] is one of the twenty-six counties of the Republic of Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the province of Leinster. It was named after the village of Louth. The population of the county is 111,267 according to the 2006 census.[4] County Louth is affectionately called "the Wee County" being the smallest of the island's 32 counties in area having a total area of only 821 km² (317sq miles).[5][6] It is the 19th largest in terms of population.[7] It is the smallest of Leinster’s 12 counties in size and sixth largest in terms of population.
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Etymology
The village (and thus the county) was named after the Celtic pagan god Lugh, whose festival was celebrated at Lúnasa.
The present official spelling is now an Lú. This is merely a 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 Cú Chulainn). 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 and hundreds of the town's citizens (Siege of Drogheda). Towards the end of the same century the armies of the warring Kings, James and William, faced off in South 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 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.
Demographics
| 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] | ||
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]
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.[14]
People
- Dermot Ahern - Minister for Justice and Law Reform, Fianna Fáil TD for Louth.
- Thomas Byrne - former racing driver.
- Eamonn Campbell - member of the Dubliners.
- James Carroll - Fianna Fáil politician, member of Seanad Éireann from Louth.
- Pierce Brosnan - actor.
- The Corrs - pop/rock band.
- George Drumgoole Coleman - civil architect.
- Nick Colgan - football goalkeeper, currently playing for Grimsby Town F.C..
- Mark Dearey - Green Party politician - Member of Seanad Éireann from Louth.
- 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.
- Michael McKevitt - republican Dissident Leader.
- 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.
- Robert Kearney - Irish Rugby player.
- Séamus Kirk - Ceann Comhairle, Dáil Éireann (Current Speaker of Parliament) TD for Louth.
- Steve Staunton - footballer.
Towns and villages
See also
- List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Louth)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Central Statistics Office Census 2006 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland (April 2007).
- ↑ Louth - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
- ↑ Location Result
- ↑ Census 2006 - Population of each province, county and city
- ↑ Louth Ireland
- ↑ North West Passage
- ↑ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 186–191.
- ↑ 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 37 (4): 473–488. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120035880/abstract.
- ↑ Louth Irish Language
External links
- 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
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