Louth

Smallest county of the Republic of Ireland, in the province of Leinster; county town Dundalk; area 820 sq km/317 sq mi; population (2002) 101,800. It is mainly fertile and low-lying. The chief towns are Dundalk at the north end of Dundalk bay, Drogheda, and Ardee, and the chief rivers are the Fane, Lagan, Glyde, and Dee. There is cattle rearing and fishing; oats and potatoes are grown. Greenore on Carlingford Lough is a container shipping port. Louth is rich in ancient buildings and remains, and was of strategic importance during the 12th-18th centuries. Important monastic sites with extensive remains include Monasterboice (founded in the 5th century), and Mellifont Abbey (founded in the 12th century).

Topography Louth is bounded on the east by the Irish Sea, and the River Boyne constitutes part of the southern border. The Cooley Mountains are in the northeast (highest point Slieve Foye, 590 m/1,935 ft), bordering Carlingford Lough, on the coast of which are the resorts of Carlingford and Greenore.