| Louth Lú
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| — Town — | |
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Louth
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Louth |
| Elevation | 34 m (112 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Urban | 549 |
| • Rural | 757 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | H957011 |
Louth (Irish: Lú)[1] is a village at the heart of County Louth, Ireland. It is roughly 11 km south-west of the town of Dundalk.
The county takes its name from the village, which was once an important town. The original Irish name for both village and county was Lughbhaidh but today it is standardised and simplified as Lú. It was named after the Irish god Lugh.
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It is home to the St Mochtas House, which according to legend was built in a night by fairies for St Mochtas, circa 500AD, and to St Mary's Abbey, Louth, a 12th-century monastery, which now lies in ruins.
Until early in the 21st century, the village was also home to the last remnants of St John's Abbey. The last standing portion of the walls of the monastery, a 12-foot-high (3.7 m), 4-foot-wide (1.2 m) piece known locally as The Pinnacle, suddenly collapsed overnight.
At the heart of the village is the Church of the Immaculate Conception, which was built in 1892, and sits atop a hill overlooking the village and surrounding area. It was destroyed in 2003 by an accidental fire, started during renovation work, leaving only the exterior walls and spire standing. In early 2006, it reopened with a modern-style interior. Since late 1997 Fr.Sean Quinn has been the parish priest.
The population has soared in the last decade, with a constant programme of building of new homes in and around the village. In 2002, it had a population of 514, an increase of 28 per cent in just six years. [2]
The village is home to the former TD for Louth, Eddie Filgate,and 2008 Louth Rose Karol-Ann Keenan
For information on holy wells in Louth Parish see also; The Holy Wells of County Louth, by Larry Conlon in County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society Journals: Vol. XXIV, No.3, 1999 and Vol. XXIV, No. 4, 2000
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