Dundalk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dundalk Dún Dealgan
Town
Clockwise from top: Castle Roche, Clarke Station, St. Patrick's Church, The Marshes Shopping Centre, Market Square, Dundalk Institute of Technology
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Irish: Mé do rug Cú Chulainn cróga 'I gave birth to brave Cú Chulainn'
Dundalk Location in Ireland Show map of Ireland Dundalk Location in Europe Show map of Europe
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Louth
Inhabited	c. 3700 BC
Charter	1189 AD
Area
• Urban	21.7 km2 (8.4 sq mi)
• Rural	320.8 km2 (123.9 sq mi)
Population  (2022 census)
• Rank	7th
• Urban	43,112
• Metro	64,287
Time zone	UTC±0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode routing key	A91
Telephone area code	+353(0)42
Irish Grid Reference	J048074

Dundalk (/dʌnˈdɔː(l)k/ DUN-daw(l)k; Irish: Dún Dealgan) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the border with Northern Ireland. It is surrounded by several townlands and villages that form the wider Dundalk Municipal District. It is the seventh largest urban area in Ireland, with a population of 43,112 as of the 2022 census.

Dundalk has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. It was established as a Norman stronghold in the 12th century following the Norman invasion of Ireland, and became the northernmost outpost of The Pale in the Late Middle Ages. Located where the northernmost point of the province of Leinster meets the province of Ulster, the town came to be known as the "Gap of the North". The modern street layout dates from the early 18th century and owes its form to James Hamilton (later 1st Earl of Clanbrassil). The legends of the mythical warrior hero Cú Chulainn are set in this district, and the motto on the town's coat of arms is Irish: Mé do rug Cú Chulainn cróga ("I gave birth to brave Cú Chulainn").

The town developed brewing, distilling, tobacco, textile, and engineering industries during the 19th century. It became prosperous and its population grew as it became an important manufacturing and trading centre, both as a hub on the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) network and with its maritime link to Liverpool from the Port of Dundalk. It suffered from high unemployment and urban decay after these industries closed or were scaled back, both in the aftermath of the Partition of Ireland in 1921 and following the accession of Ireland to the European Economic Community in 1973. New industries were established in the early part of the 21st century, including pharmaceutical, technology, financial services, and specialist foods.

There is one third-level education institute, Dundalk Institute of Technology. The largest theatre in the town, An Táin Arts Centre (named after the epic of Irish mythology), is housed in Dundalk Town Hall, and the restored buildings of the nearby former Dundalk Distillery house both the County Museum Dundalk and the Louth County Library. Sporting clubs include Dundalk Football Club (who play at Oriel Park), Dundalk Rugby Club, Dundalk Golf Club, and several clubs competing in Gaelic games. Dundalk Stadium is a horse and greyhound racing venue and is Ireland's only all-weather horse racing track.

History

The Dundalk area has been inhabited since at least 3500 BC, in the Neolithic period. A tangible reminder of their presence can still be seen in the form of the Proleek Dolmen, the eroded remains of a megalithic tomb located in the Ballymascanlon area to the north of Dundalk. Celtic culture arrived in Ireland around 500 BC. According to the legendary historical accounts, the group settled in North Louth were known as the Conaille Muirtheimne and took their name from Conaill Carnagh, legendary chief of the Red Branch Knights of Ulster. Their land now forms upper and lower Dundalk.

Dundalk had been originally developed as an unwalled Sráid Bhaile (meaning village; translates literally as "Street Townland"). The streets passed along a gravel ridge which runs from the present day Bridge Street in the North, through Church Street to Clanbrassil Street to Earl Street, and finally to Dublin Street.

In 1169 the Normans arrived in Ireland and set about conquering large areas. By 1185 a Norman nobleman named Bertram de Verdun erected a manor house at Castletown Mount and subsequently obtained the town's charter in 1189. Another Norman family, the De Courcys, led by John de Courcy, settled in the Seatown area of Dundalk, the "Nova Villa de Dundalke". Both families assisted in the fortification of the town, building walls and other fortification in the style of a Norman fortress. The town of Dundalk was developed as it lay close to an easy bridging point over the Castletown River and as a frontier town, the northern limit of The Pale. In 1236 Bertram's granddaughter, Rohesia commissioned Castle Roche to fortify the region, and to offer protection from the Irish territory of Ulster.

The town was sacked in 1315, during the Bruce campaign. After taking possession of the town Edward Bruce proclaimed himself King of Ireland and remained here for nearly a whole year before his army was totally defeated and himself slain after being attacked by John de Birmingham.

Dundalk had been under Royalist (Ormondist) control for centuries, until 1647 when it became occupied by The Northern Parliamentary Army of Colonel George Monck.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1821	9,256	—
1831	10,078	+8.9%
1841	10,782	+7.0%
1851	9,842	−8.7%
1861	10,360	+5.3%
1871	11,327	+9.3%
1881	11,913	+5.2%
1891	12,449	+4.5%
1901	13,076	+5.0%
1911	13,128	+0.4%
1926	13,996	+6.6%
1936	14,684	+4.9%
1946	18,562	+26.4%
1951	19,678	+6.0%
1956	21,687	+10.2%
1961	21,228	−2.1%
1966	21,678	+2.1%
1971	23,816	+9.9%
1981	29,135	+22.3%
1986	30,608	+5.1%
1991	30,061	−1.8%
1996	30,195	+0.4%
2002	32,505	+7.7%
2006	35,090	+8.0%
2011	37,816	+7.8%
2016	39,667	+4.9%

The modern town of Dundalk largely owes its form to Lord Limerick (James Hamilton, later 1st Earl of Clanbrassil) in the 17th century. He commissioned the construction of streets leading to the town centre; his ideas came from many visits to Europe. In addition to the demolition of the old walls and castles, he had new roads laid out eastwards of the principal streets. The most important of these new roads connected a newly laid down Market Square, which still survives, with a linen and cambric factory at its eastern end, adjacent to what was once an army cavalry and artillery barracks (now Aiken Barracks).

In the 19th century the town grew in importance and many industries were set up in the local area, including a large distillery. This development was helped considerably by the opening of railways, the expansion of the docks area or 'Quay' and the setting up of a board of commissioners to run the town.

The partition of Ireland in May 1921 turned Dundalk into a border town and the Dublin–Belfast main line into an international railway. The Irish Free State opened customs and immigration facilities at Dundalk to check goods and passengers crossing the border by train. The Irish Civil War of 1922–23 saw a number of confrontations in Dundalk. The local Fourth Northern Division of the Irish Republican Army under Frank Aiken, who took over Dundalk barracks after the British left, tried to stay neutral but 300 of them were detained by the National Army in August 1922. However, a raid on Dundalk Gaol freed Aiken and over 100 other anti-treaty prisoners; two weeks later he retook Dundalk barracks and captured its garrison before freeing the remaining republican prisoners there. Aiken did not try to hold the town, however, and before withdrawing he called for a truce in a meeting in the centre of Dundalk. The 49 Infantry Battalion and 58 Infantry Battalion of the National Army were based in Dundalk along with No.8 armoured locomotive and two fully armoured cars of their Railway Protection Corps.

For several decades after the end of the Civil War, Dundalk continued to function as a market town, a regional centre, and a centre of administration and manufacturing. Its position close to the border gave it considerable significance during the "Troubles" of Northern Ireland. Many people were sympathetic to the cause of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and Sinn Féin. It was in this period that Dundalk earned the nickname 'El Paso', after the Texan border town of the same name on the border with Mexico.

On 1 September 1973, the 27 Infantry Battalion of the Irish Army was established with its Headquarters in Dundalk barracks, renamed Aiken Barracks in 1986 in honour of Frank Aiken.

Dundalk suffered economically when Irish membership of the European Economic Community in the 1970s exposed local manufacturers to foreign competition that they were ill equipped to cope with. Today many international companies have factories in Dundalk, from food processing to high-tech computer components. Harp Lager, a beer produced by Diageo, is brewed in the Great Northern Brewery, Dundalk.

The Earls of Roden had property interests in Dundalk for over three centuries, and at an auction in July 2006 the 10th Earl sold his freehold of the town, including ground rents, mineral rights, manorial rights, the reversion of leases and the freehold of highways, common land, and the fair green. Included in the sale were many documents, such as a large 18th century estate map. The buyer was undisclosed.

Battles

• 248 - Battle fought at Faughart by Cormac Ulfada, High King of Ireland against Storno (Starno), king of Lochlin
• 732 - Battle fought at Faughart by Hugh Allain, king of Ireland against the Ulaid
• 851 – Battle at Dundalk Bay between the Fingall (Norwegian) and Dubhgall (Danish) Vikings takes place
• 877 - Gregory, King of Scotland took Dundalk en route to Dublin
• 1318 – Battle of Dundalk (Battle of Faughart) fought on 14 October 1318 between a Hiberno-Norman force led by John de Bermingham, 1st Earl of Louth and Edmund Butler, Earl of Carrick and a Scots-Irish army commanded by Edward Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce, King of Scotland.
• 1483 - Traghbally-of-Dundalk plundered and burned by Hugh Oge ally of Con O'Donnell
• 1566 - O'Neill besieged the town with 4,000 footmen and 700 horsemen
• 1688 - Brothers Malcolm and Archibald MacNeill, officers of William III land in Dundalk and defeat the Celtic MacScanlons in the Battle of Ballymascanlon
• 1689 - Schomberg's English, Dutch and French army camped to the north of the town record 6,000 deaths due to fever, scurvy, and ague
• 1941 - On 24 July the town was bombed by the Luftwaffe with no casualties.
• 1971 - The Battle of Courtbane - on Sunday 29 August 1801 a British army patrol consisting of two armoured Ferret Scout cars crossed the Irish border into Co. Louth near the village of Courtbane close to Dundalk. When attempting to retreat back angry locals blocked their way and set one of the vehicles on fire. While this was happening an IRA unit arrived on the scene and after an exchange of gunfire a British soldier was killed and another one was wounded.
• 1975 - The Dundalk Christmas Bombing - on 19 December 1975 a car bomb killed 2 and injured 15

Coat of arms

A bend between six martlets forms the coat of arms. The bend and martlets are derived from the family of Thomas de Furnivall who obtained a large part of the land and property of Dundalk and district in about 1309 by marriage to Joan de Verdon daughter of Theobald de Verdon (an Anglo-Norman family). Three of these martlets, in reversed tinctures, form the arms of Dundalk FC. The ermine boar supporter is derived from the arms of the Ó hAnluain (O'Hanlon) family, Kings of Airthir.

Geography

Landscape

Situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay, the town is close to the border with Northern Ireland (3.5 km direct point-to-point aerial transit path border to border) and equidistant from Dublin and Belfast.

Climate

Similar to much of northwest Europe, Dundalk experiences a maritime climate, sheltered by the Cooley and Mourne Mountains to the North, and undulating hills to the West and South, the town experiences cool winters, mild summers, and a lack of temperature extremes.

Demography

Dundalk is the seventh largest urban area in Ireland and the second largest town (after Drogheda), with a population of 43,112 as of the 2022 census. Dundalk is the biggest town in Louth, however, because part of the census town of Drogheda is in County Meath. The population density of the census town of Dundalk was measured at 1,986.4/km² (5,145/sq mi) in 2022. The population of the wider municipal district is 64,287.

Population statistics

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1821	9,256	—
1831	10,078	+8.9%
1841	10,782	+7.0%
1851	9,842	−8.7%
1861	10,360	+5.3%
1871	11,327	+9.3%
1881	11,913	+5.2%
1891	12,449	+4.5%
1901	13,076	+5.0%
1911	13,128	+0.4%
1926	13,996	+6.6%
1936	14,684	+4.9%
1946	18,562	+26.4%
1951	19,678	+6.0%
1956	21,687	+10.2%
1961	21,228	−2.1%
1966	21,678	+2.1%
1971	23,816	+9.9%
1981	29,135	+22.3%
1986	30,695	+5.4%
1991	30,061	−2.1%
1996	30,195	+0.4%
2002	32,505	+7.7%
2006	35,090	+8.0%
2011	37,816	+7.8%
2016	39,004	+3.1%
2022	43,112	+10.5%

Population by place of birth

Location	2006	2011	2016	2022
Ireland	28,095	29,114	29,430	31,283
UK	3,488	3,839	3,791	3,946
Poland	252	555	602	629
Lithuania	421	633	657	-
Rest of EU	692	1,119	1,508	2,821
Rest of World	1,804	2,269	2,652	4,056

Population by ethnic or cultural background

Ethnicity or culture	2006	2011	2016	2022
White Irish	29,840	30,645	29,872	29,644
White Irish Traveller	325	441	535	674
Other White	1,802	2,987	3,572	4,426
Black or Black Irish	1,276	1,669	1,785	2,566
Asian or Asian Irish	372	687	988	1,431
Other	380	389	682	948
Not stated	757	711	1,206	3,226

Population by religion

Religion	2006	2011	2016	2022
Roman Catholic	30,677	31,790	30,187	28,529
Other stated religions	2,472	3,350	4,248	5,421
No religion	1,158	1,971	3,331	5,566
Not stated	778	705	1,238	3,596

Population by principal status

Economic status	2006	2011	2016	2022
At work	14,301	12,875	14,312	17,314
Looking for first regular job	424	412	463	523
Unemployed	1,892	4,238	3,308	2,347
Student	2,985	3,747	3,842	3,991
Looking after home / family	3,036	2,634	2,453	2,401
Retired	3,204	3,903	4,332	5,170
Unable to work	1,483	1,536	1,552	1,869
Other	95	121	112	282

Language

The first language of the majority of 'white Irish' residents of Dundalk is English (a.k.a. Hiberno-English). Approximately 4% of the population speak the Irish language on a daily basis outside of the education system. The Omeath area in Cooley, within the municipal district, was a small Gaeltacht area, with the last speaker of a 'Louth Irish' dialect dying in 1960.

Economy

Industry

Linen was the first industry established in Dundalk in the mid-18th century but it failed by the end of the century, with the factories becoming derelict. It would be the next century before new industries established themselves: mills, tanneries, a foundry, a distillery, and several breweries. During James Hamilton's improvements to the town during the 18th century, the Port of Dundalk was established and became the eighth largest in Ireland in terms of exports.

The second half of the 19th century saw the population of Dundalk increase by 30% (despite the population of Ireland as a whole declining in the same period) as the town's industries thrived. The Malcolm Brown & Co. Dundalk Distillery was established c.1780 at Roden Place and operated successfully throughout the 19th century. Brewing was also a key industry in the town, with eight breweries in operation by the end of the 1830s. The famine of the 1840s left just two breweries in operation, which merged to become the Macardle Moore & Co. brewery at Cambricville. The Great Northern Brewery opened later, in 1896. The Dundalk Iron Works was established in 1821 and by the end of the century had expanded to become a leading employer in the town. The P.J. Carroll tobacco factory was started on a small scale in the 1820s and grew throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) works established in 1881 became the "backbone of the town".

The town's industries suffered after partition and again from the Anglo-Irish trade war. The imposition of tariffs and duties in April 1923 and the establishment of customs checks on the border affected exports and trade with the Newry district, which was now in a different jurisdiction. The iron works and the distillery, which the Distillers Company of Scotland had acquired in 1912, were the first major local industries to close.

Protectionism gave the town's industries breathing space, and by 1950 they had recovered from the effects of partition and the trade war. The two breweries were successful and tobacco manufacturing, shoe manufacturing, and the railway works provided thousands of jobs. The town was also a thriving commercial centre, as the increase in bus traffic brought shoppers in from a wide radius. The Northern Ireland government's decision to close many of the G.N.R. lines north of the border, however, made the company nonviable, and it was dissolved in 1958 leading to the closure of the works in Dundalk. It was replaced by Dundalk Engineering Works Ltd (DEW)—a government-backed initiative to keep the 980 remaining workers in employment. Carroll's also continued to expand and modernise, opening a new factory on the Dublin Road in 1970. The design by Ronnie Tallon of Michael Scott & Partners subsequently won architectural awards.

As late as 1969, the town was still in a position to boast of its industrial prowess, with the engineering companies at the DEW prospering. The pressures of trade liberalisation introduced by Ireland's accession to the EEC in 1973 caused many businesses to falter during the 1970s and 1980s. The Engineering Works closed in 1985 and the last shoemaking factory closed in 2001. The ECCO (Electronics Components Company Overseas) factory, which had been opened by General Electric in 1966 and become the town's leading employer by 1973, employing around 1,500 people at its peak, closed in 2006 after a long period of decline. Diageo closed both of the town's breweries—first Cambricville in 2001, then the Great Northern Brewery in 2013 after a decade-long wind down. Also after a long decline, the Carroll's factory closed in 2005.

Unemployment in the town reached 27.9% by 1991, and pleas to government for assistance were unsuccessful. The town was slow to benefit from the Celtic Tiger economy that saw an economic boom in Ireland from the mid-1990s and continued to suffer from business closures and job losses. By 2012, the town was being painted as one of Ireland's "most deprived areas" after the global downturn following the Financial crisis of 2007–2008.

Indigenous industry started to recover following the financial crisis, with the Great Northern Brewery being reopened as 'the Great Northern Distillery' in 2015 by John Teeling, who had established the Cooley Distillery. Locally-driven initiatives led to a flurry of Foreign Direct Investment announcements in the latter half of the 2010s, particularly in the technology and pharmaceutical sectors.

Tourism

The Dundalk / North Louth region is marketed as part of the 'Ireland's Ancient East' campaign. The 'ancient east' encompasses Ireland's coast from the border with Northern Ireland at Carlingford Lough to Kinsale in County Cork; inland as far as the River Shannon. In contrast to the Wild Atlantic Way, which focuses on landscape, the 'Ireland's Ancient East' campaign is more focused on history and heritage.

Louth is marketed as the 'Land of Legends', a campaign which also refers to a "rich and ancient history and heritage" and seeks to increase the number of visitors to the region "by capitalising on County Louth's unique location within Ireland's Ancient East, as the hub for the Boyne Valley and the Cooley, Mourne and Gullion Regions". Dundalk is home to Ireland's tallest mural, which depicts the warrior god Lugh. It is situated on the Gateway Hotel, Dundalk and measures 41 metres in height.

Transport

Shipping

Dundalk Port is a cargo import and export facility. There is no passenger traffic.

Shipping services to Liverpool were provided from 1837 by the Dundalk Steam Packet Company. It took over its rivals to become the Dundalk and Newry Steam Packet Company, which shipped cargo, live animals and passengers. It was forced to go into liquidation and allow itself to be taken over by B&I in 1926 following a series of strikes. B&I maintained the Dundalk to Liverpool route as a weekly service until 1968.

Railway

Dundalk is the closest station to the border on the southern side along the Belfast–Dublin line. The first railway links arrived when the Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway opened a line from Quay Street to Castleblayney in 1849, and by 1860 the company operated a route northwest to Derry. The line to Quay Street was later extended to Newry and Greenore by the Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway.

Also in 1849, the Dublin and Belfast Junction Railway opened its first station in Dundalk. Following a series of mergers, both the Dublin and Belfast and Dundalk and Enniskillen lines were incorporated into the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) in 1876. After partition, the G.N.R. had a border running through its network, with lines crisscrossing it several times, and the Northern Ireland government wanted to close many of the lines in favour of bus transport. By the 1950s, the G.N.R. company had ceased to be profitable and Dundalk saw its secondary routes closed—first the line to Greenore and Newry in 1951, and then the line to Derry in 1957. The G.N.R. was nationalised on both sides of the border in 1953, and the company was finally dissolved in 1958. The closure of the G.N.R. left Dundalk with only one operational line—the Dublin–Belfast "Enterprise" service (as well as commuter services to and from Dublin).

The G.N.R. built the current Dundalk railway station in 1894. It was renamed Clarke Station in 1966, in commemoration of Tom Clarke, one of the executed leaders of the Easter Rising. It houses a small museum in the old first-class waiting room, and has been called, "the finest station on the main Dublin–Belfast line". It was used as a filming location for the Walt Disney Pictures film, Disenchanted in May 2021.

Bus

Dundalk's Bus Station is operated by Bus Éireann and is located on the Long Walk near the town centre. The company runs a town service—Route 174. It also operates routes from Dundalk to Dublin, Galway, Newry, Clones, Cavan, and towns in between.

The Dundalk-Blackrock route was one of very few bus routes not compulsorily purchased by CIÉ under the Transport Acts of 1932 and 1933. It has been operated by Halpenny Travel since 1920.

Road

The M1–N1/A1 connects Dundalk to Dublin and Belfast. Exits 16, 17, and 18 service Dundalk South, Dundalk Centre, and Dundalk North, respectively. The National Secondary Road N52 from Nenagh, County Tipperary travels through the junction for Exit 16 on the M1, runs through the east side of the town, and terminates at the junction for Exit 18 of the M1. The N53 from Castleblayney, County Monaghan, which crosses the border twice, terminates at the junction for Exit 17 on the M1. The R173, which starts and finishes at the junction for Exit 18 of the M1, connects the town to the Cooley peninsula. The R171 connects the town to Ardee, the R177 and A29 connect the town to Armagh, and the R178 connects the town to Virginia, County Cavan via Carrickmacross, Shercock, and Bailieborough.

Architecture

Many of the buildings of architectural note in the town were built during the 19th century. Several buildings on the streets off the Market Square are described as being in the "Dundalk style" —ornate buildings, "testifying to the confidence of Dundalk's merchant class in the latter part of the 19th-century".

The Courthouse (completed in 1819) was designed by Edward Parke and John Bowden in the Neoclassical style and modelled on the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens. The Maid of Erin statue, erected in 1898, is located in the Market Square in front of the Court House. The adjacent Town Hall (completed in 1865), is an elaborate Italianate Palazzo Townhall, originally designed by John Murray as a corn exchange. It was sold to the Town Commissioners on completion and now houses An Táin Arts Centre, which comprises a 350-seat main theatre, a 55-seat studio theatre, a visual arts gallery, and two workshop spaces.

The Kelly Monument is in nearby Roden Place, in front of St Patrick's Church. In 1858, a ship called the Mary Stoddart, was wrecked in Dundalk Bay during a storm. While attempting to rescue the crew, Captain James Joseph Kelly and three volunteer crew drowned when the storm overturned their boat. Five of the Mary Stoddart crew also drowned and 11 were eventually rescued. The monument in Roden Place was erected 20 years later as a memorial. The Louth County Library is located off Roden Place, in a restored building of what was the Dundalk Distillery. Further up Jocelyn Street, the County Museum Dundalk, documenting the history of County Louth, is housed in another restored building of the former distillery.

Dundalk Gaol was completed in 1855 and closed as a gaol in the 1930s. It was designed by John Neville, who was the county engineer at the time. The Governor's House to the front of the Gaol became the Garda Station, and the two prison wings were later restored and divided between the 'Oriel Centre' and the Louth County Archive. The neighbouring Louth County Infirmary (completed in 1834) was designed by English architect Thomas Smith in a neo-Tudor style with a central entrance-way flanked by two recessed ground floor arcades. It was purchased by Dundalk Grammar School in 2000.

The two oldest buildings in the town centre are Saint Nicholas's Church of Ireland church and Seatown Castle. Saint Nicholas's was built c. 1400. It comprises elements of 14th- 17th- and 18th-century church buildings, having been extended, damaged, rebuilt over the centuries, and finally reworked by Francis Johnston. It is known locally as the Green Church due to its green copper spire. It contains an epitaph erected to the memory of Scotland's National Bard, Robert Burns. His sister, Agnes Burns, is buried in the church's graveyard. Seatown Castle is at the junction of Mill Street and Castle Street. It is part of what was a Franciscan friary originally founded in the 13th century. A baptismal font in St. Nicholas's is reputed to have come from the friary.

Further out from the town centre are Dún Dealgan Motte and Castle Roche. The former is also known as Cú Chulainn Castle and Byrne's Folly and is a national monument. It sits on the site of the manor house built in the late 12th century by Bertram de Verdun when the Normans reached the area. A local pirate named Patrick Byrne built the castellated house now located on the site. Castle Roche was built by Bertram's granddaughter, Roesia, and completed by her son, John, in the late 13th century.

A 20th century construction, which has won architectural awards, is the Carroll's tobacco factory on the Dublin Road. It has been called "a groundbreaking Irish factory design". The design, by Ronnie Tallon, is in the Miesian idiom. The first of the Louis le Brocquy Táin illustrations was commissioned for the factory. It became part of the Dundalk Institute of Technology campus in the 2010s. The 'sails' sculpture to the front was designed by Gerda Frömel.

Many of the churches in the town were also built in the 19th century, including the Presbyterian church (1839), the former Methodist church (1834), and the Roman Catholic churches of St Patrick (1847), St Malachy (1862), St Nicholas (1860), and St Joseph (1890). St Patrick's was designed by Thomas Duff, and modelled on King's College Chapel, Cambridge. It was completed in 1847. Duff also designed the Presbyterian church on Jocelyn Street. The bell tower at St Patrick's was added in 1903, modelled by George Ashlin on that of another English church, Gloucester Cathedral. Ashlin also designed the granite-built St Joseph's Redemptorist monastery and church (finished in 1880 and 1892, respectively).

Public spaces

The largest park in the town centre is Ice House Hill. It is approximately 8 hectares (20 acres). The site was once part of Dundalk House demesne (the stately home of the Earl of Clanbrassil). Dundalk House itself was demolished in the early 20th century to make way for an extension of the original P.J. Carroll tobacco factory. The original Ice House, built c. 1780, remains in the park and can be viewed from the outside. The smaller St. Helena Park is approximately 0.7 hectares (1.7 acres) and was first laid out in the 1800s. The bandstand was erected in the early 1920s. Most of the land which the park is on was reclaimed from the Castletown River. St Leonard's Garden in Seatown is a small park restored in the 1960s from a cemetery that was closed in 1896 and allowed to become overgrown. Within the park are the ruined remains of stone walls from the friary founded by Bertram de Verdun in the 12th century.

The Navvy Bank (from 'navigator') is an artificial embankment constructed in the 1840s to facilitate the entry of shipping to Dundalk Port. It is approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) long and runs from Soldiers Point at the entrance to Dundalk Harbour, to near the present-day quay. It is now a public walkway. Along its route, there is a memorial to those who died in the sinking of the S.S. Dundalk during World War I. At Soldiers Point there is a bronze sculpture called The Sea God Managuan and Voyagers after a Celtic god of the sea.

Adjacent to the town of Dundalk is the village of Blackrock (5 km (3.1 mi) from the town centre), which has three public beaches. Blackrock was a fishing village before it became popular as a resort destination in the late 19th century. The promenade and sea wall, originally built in 1851, run along the length of the main beach and main street of the village. There are wetlands on both the north and south sides of the village, which are wildlife sanctuaries. In 2000, to mark the millennium year, a sundial / statue was erected in Blackrock on the promenade. The 3 m (10 ft) high gnomon is a bronze sculpture of a female diving figure, which was subsequently named 'Aisling'.

7 km (4.3 mi) to the south-west of the town, between Haggardstown and Knockbridge, is Stephenstown Pond—a nature park. It was originally commissioned by Matthew Fortescue, owner of the nearby Stephenstown House, which is in ruins. It was designed by William Galt, husband of Agnes Burns.

11 km (6.8 mi) to the north of the town, within the municipal district, is Ravensdale Forest. It is mixed woodland rising steeply to the summit of Black Mountain, rising 510 m (1,670 ft), with many kilometres of forest roads and tracks. There are three way-marked trails in the forest, the Táin Trail, the Ring of Gullion and the shorter Ravensdale Loop. It is managed by the Irish Forestry Service, Coillte.

Education

Primary schools

There are over 20 primary schools in Dundalk including some Irish language-medium schools (Gaelscoileanna) like Gaelscoil Dhún Dealgan. The largest schools in the area include Muire na nGael National School (also known as Bay Estate National School) and Saint Joseph's National School, which (as of early 2020) had an enrolment of over 670 and 570 pupils respectively.

Secondary schools

Secondary schools in the town include Coláiste Lú (an Irish medium secondary school or Gaelcholáiste), De la Salle College, Dundalk Grammar School, St. Mary's College (also known as the Marist), O'Fiaich College, Coláiste Rís, St. Vincent's Secondary School, St. Louis Secondary School, and Coláiste Chú Chulainn.

Tertiary education

Dundalk Institute of Technology (abbreviated to DkIT) is the focal point for higher education and research on the Belfast-Dublin corridor, serving the North Leinster, South Ulster region. It was established in 1970 as the Regional Technical College, offering primarily technician and apprenticeship courses.

The Ó Fiaich Institute of Further Education also offers further education courses.

Culture

Music and arts

Dundalk has two centres for the arts—An Táin Arts Centre, an independent arts space in the former Táin Theatre, Town Hall, Crowe Street; and The Oriel Centre in the former Dundalk Gaol, a regional centre for Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. The Oriel Centre is a resource centre and performance space, and has facilities for teaching, archives, recording, rehearsal, and performance. The Spirit Store, located at George's Quay in the Port of Dundalk, is a gig venue in the town.

Dundalk Institute of Technology Department of Creative Arts, Media and Music has several groups and ensembles, including the Ceol Oirghiallla Traditional Music Ensemble, the DkIT Choir, the Music Theatre Group, the Oriel Traditional Orchestra, and the Fr. McNally Chamber Orchestra.

The Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI) is a youth orchestra based at Coláiste Chu Chulainn, Dundalk. It was started as a peace initiative. Since 1996, it has toured internationally and has played at venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. The Dundalk Brass Band was established in 1976 and performs a cross-section of big band and brass music.

Festivals

The Dundalk Show (also known as the Dundalk Agricultural Show and the County Louth Agricultural Show) has run since the 19th century. It was originally held at the Dundalk racecourse in Dowdallshill, before moving to the Fair Green, the grounds of St Mary's College, Bellingham Castle, and latterly Bellurgan Park.

Other festivals / events in the town include the Frostival winter festival, which is held at the end of November, and an urban art festival called 'Seek Dundalk'. Street murals painted as part of Seek include Edward Bruce, the engineer Peter Rice, and Cú Chulainn.

Within the wider Dundalk Municipal District, festivals and events also include the All-Ireland Poc Fada Championship held every year since 1960 on Annaverna Mountain on the Cooley Peninsula, and the Brigid of Faughart Festival.

The St. Gerard Majella Annual Novena is an annual religious festival held over nine days in St. Joseph's Redemptorist Church in Dundalk. It runs in October. A patron takes place on 15 August at Ladywell Shrine, during the Feast of the Assumption. The Seatown Patron is held annually on 29 June (the feast day of Saint Peter, who is the patron saint of Seatown). The patron is celebrated by night-time bonfires, which is a tradition believed to have originated in medieval times.

The Dundalk Maytime Festival was the town's largest festival and ran for 40 years starting in 1965. It started out as a 'Grape and Grain' festival before later centring around amateur drama. It eventually ceased because of difficulties in securing sponsorship.

Twin towns

Dundalk is twinned with the following towns:

• Rezé, France (1990).
• Pikeville, Kentucky, United States (2015)

Sport

Dundalk Football Club is a professional association football club. The club competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top tier of Irish football. The club was founded in 1903 as Dundalk G.N.R., the works-team of the Great Northern Railway. They were a junior club until they joined the Leinster Senior League in 1922–23. They were elected to the Free State League (which later became the League of Ireland) in 1926–27. The club has played at Oriel Park since moving from its original home at the Dundalk Athletic Grounds in 1936.

Gaelic football clubs in the town include Dundalk Gaels GFC, Seán O'Mahony's GFC, Clan na Gael, Na Piarsaigh, Dowdallshill and Dundalk Young Irelands. Young Irelands (representing Louth) contested the first All-Ireland football final in 1888, losing to the Commercials club, representing Limerick.

The two hurling clubs in the town are Knockbridge GAA and Naomh Moninne H.C., who are the leading club in Louth with 22 county titles as of 2020. A founding member of Naomh Moninne, Father Pól Mac Sheáin, introduced the All-Ireland Poc Fada Championship in 1960.

Dundalk R.F.C. is an amateur Irish Rugby football club who compete in the Leinster League. The club first formed in 1877 and became founder members of the Provincial Towns Union, which then merged into what became the Northern Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. They moved to their present home ground at Mill Road in 1967.

The Dundalk Racecourse was reopened as Dundalk Stadium in 2007 and now holds both horse racing and greyhound racing meetings. It is Ireland's first all-weather horse racing track. The stadium also hosts the Dundalk International greyhound race.

Golf was first played in Dundalk when a nine-hole course was laid out at Deer Park in 1893. The Dundalk Golf Club was founded in December 1904 at Deer Park, then moved to its present location in Blackrock in 1922. The current layout was designed by Peter Alliss and completed in 1980. The Ballymascanlon Hotel also has a parkland course. Greenore Golf Club (which is within the municipal district) was opened in October 1896 by the London and North Western Railway company, who owned a hotel in Greenore and the Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway. The members bought the club when the railway company closed the line and pulled out of Ireland. The modern course layout was designed by Eddie Hackett.

Dundalk has several game angling waters including the Dee, Glyde, Fane, Ballymascanlan and Castletown rivers. All these rivers flow into the Irish sea at Dundalk Bay. The rivers contain wild brown trout as well as salmon and sea trout. There is a Salmon Anglers Association and a Brown Trout Anglers Association. Sea Angling is available in several locations in the wider Municipal District and there is also a Sea Angling Club.

The Dundalk Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club was established in 1913. It is located at the Ramparts in the town centre. The club has nine tennis courts, two Olympic-standard badminton courts and two squash courts. A Dundalk and District Snooker League has been active since the 1940s. It was re-branded as the Dundalk Snooker League in 2010 and plays in the Commercial Club in the town centre. The amateur boxing club, Dealgan ABC, was founded in 1938. The first Dundalk Cricket Club was established in 1853 and the current club was formed in 2009. They play in Hiney Park, the former Dundalk F.C. training ground.

There are several athletics clubs, including St. Gerard's A.C., St. Peter's A.C, Dun Dealgan A.C. and Blackrock A.C., and a triathlon club (Setanta Triathlon Club). Cuchulainn Cycling Club was formed in 1935.

The Louth Mavericks American Football Club is based in Dundalk and was established in 2012. They play in AFI Division 1, train at DKIT, and play their matches at Dundalk Rugby Club.

Media

Dundalk's local newspapers are the Dundalk Democrat (established as the Dundalk Democrat and People's Journal in 1849), The Argus (established as the Drogheda Argus and Leinster Journal in 1835), and the Dundalk Leader, a freely distributed newspaper. Online-only news media include Louth Now.

There are no local or regional television services. In radio, Dundalk is serviced by regional stations LMFM (Louth-Meath FM) on 96.5 FM, and iRadio (NE and Midlands) on 106.2 FM. The local radio station is Dundalk FM, broadcasting on 97.7 FM.

See also

In Spanish: Dundalk para niños