Ardee

Market town in County Louth, Republic of Ireland, on the River Dee, halfway between Drogheda and Dundalk; population (2002) 3,600. It has several medieval buildings, including Ardee Castle (built by Roger de Peppard in 1207, now the courthouse) and Hatch's Castle, which also dates from the 13th century. Ardee is a centre for golf, and salmon and trout fishing in the River Dee.

Ardee has always been an important crossing point of the Dee. It was occupied by the English during the 15th century and continued to be a strategic outpost in the Pale (the territories under the rule of the English crown from the 14th to the 16th century). In 1689 Ardee was the headquarters for James II in Ireland. Cappock's Gate is the only remaining section of the medieval town walls.