County Louth

Winter snow at Slieve Foy

Louth has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb), with cool humid summers and mild winters, strongly influenced by Atlantic ocean currents. Coastal areas generally experience milder winters and cooler, windier summers than inland areas. Daytime highs are generally in the 18–23 °C (64–73 °F) range throughout the county in July, with overnight lows in the 10–14 °C (50–57 °F) range. January and February are the coldest months, with average daily minimum temperatures typically falling below 2 °C (36 °F).

Summer meadow in Johnstown

Met Éireann records climate data for the county from their station at Boharnamoe, ca. 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from Ardee, in the southwest of the county. The county's record high temperature is 30.9 °C (87.6 °F), set on 12 July 1983. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Louth was on 1 January 1979, when the temperature at Ardee fell to −15.2 °C (4.6 °F). Due to the moderating influence of the Irish sea, the temperature at Ardee has only surpassed 30 °C (86 °F) once since records began in 1968. Prolonged or heavy snow is rare, but most of the county will typically experience snowfall on a few days per year.

Precipitation is evenly distributed year-round, with only about 30 mm (1.2 in) of rainfall separating the wettest months (October and November) from the driest months (March and April). There are a number of synoptic weather stations which solely record rainfall located throughout the county. The driest areas are located along the coast, with average annual rainfall at Clogherhead being 735 mm (28.9 in), making it one of the driest locations on the island of Ireland. The wettest areas of the county are located around the Cooley Mountains, with the stations at Omeath (1,118 mm (44.0 in)) and Glenmore (1,203 mm (47.4 in)) recording the most rainfall in the county.

The coastal areas of the county are particularly vulnerable to flooding and storm surges during the Winter months, and significant flood defences have been constructed along Dundalk Bay. Louth County Council's Climate Change Adaptation Strategy identified coastal and riverine flooding as the primary environmental risks to the county.

Louth population density map (2016)

According to the 2016 census, Louth had a population of 128,884 as of the 2016 census, a 4.9% increase since the 2011 census. The population density of the county is 155.4 people per square kilometre, more than double the national average, which makes Louth the second most densely populated county in the Republic of Ireland, and the fourth most densely populated county on the island of Ireland. As of 2016, Louth was also the second most urbanised county in the State, with 67.6% of the county's population living within urban areas. Under Central Statistics Office (CSO) classification, an "urban area" is a town with a population greater than 1,500. As a result, much of the county outside of the larger towns is relatively sparsely populated, with most small areas (SAs) having a population density of between 20 and 50 people per km2.

The county has two dominant population centres, Dundalk, located in the north of the county, and Drogheda, located in the south on the border with County Meath. These two towns combined comprise approximately 58.3% of the county's total population, and are the 6th- and 8th-largest urban areas in Ireland respectively. Overall, Drogheda is the larger of the two; however, the town's southern environs — home to roughly 5,000 people — are located in Meath. Therefore, Dundalk is the largest settlement wholly located within Louth and is also the county town.

Louth has experienced a rapid rate of population growth since the 1960s, nearly doubling in size over the fifty years between the census of 1966 and that of 2016. Its rate of growth (4.9%) since the 2011 census ranks 7th of 26 counties. The sizeable population growth in the county is influenced by its location along the Dublin–Belfast corridor; with the completion of the M1 motorway in particular driving the growth of Drogheda as a commuter town of Dublin. However, the northern areas of the county along the border with Northern Ireland experienced a slight decline in population between 2011 and 2016.[20]

In 2016, Louth reached an all-time high population of 128,884 people, becoming one of only five counties in the State to surpass its pre-famine (1841 Census) peak. As of the 2016 census, 7.4 per cent of the county's population was reported as younger than 5 years old, 27.8 per cent were between 5 and 25, 52.4 per cent were between 25 and 65, and 12.4 per cent of the population was older than 65. Of this latter group, 3,560 people (2.8 per cent) were over the age of 80. The population was evenly split between females (50.63 per cent) and males (49.37 per cent).

In 2019, there were 1,700 births within the county, and the average age of a first time mother was 30.[21]

The most populous towns in Louth as of the 2016 census were (population in parentheses):

Dundalk

Drogheda

As of the 2016 census, the population of County Louth was 91.5% white. Those who identified as White Irish constituted 83% of the county's population, and Irish Travellers comprised a further 0.6%. Caucasians who did not identify as ethnically Irish accounted for 7.8% of the population.

The second largest ethnic group in Louth in 2016 was black, accounting for 2.8% of the population. Of this group, virtually the entire population lived in the two largest towns, with 50.5% of Louth's black residents living in Dundalk and 44.5% living in Drogheda.

Those of Asian and Mixed Race backgrounds accounted for 1.9% (2,399 people) and 1.4% (1,756 people) of the population respectively, with the majority of these groups residing in either Drogheda or Dundalk. Around 3,000 people or 2.5% of the population did not state their ethnicity in 2016.[22]

Main immigrant groups, 2016[23]
Nationality	Population
Northern Ireland	7,026
Other UK	3,943
Poland	1,936
Lithuania	1,794
Nigeria	1,307
Latvia	1,061
Pakistan	590
United States	493
Romania	454
China*	390
India	383
*Includes Hong Kong SAR

In contrast to the other counties in the Mid-East Region, which are characterised by widespread migration from Dublin, Louth has one of the highest proportions of native residents in Ireland. Around two-thirds (66.2%) of Louth's residents were born within the county, making it the 7th most indigenous county in the State. People from Dublin accounted for just 7% of Louth's population in 2016, compared with 28% in neighbouring Meath to the south. A total of 18,638 people (14.6%) were born elsewhere in Ireland, and 24,509 people (19.2%) were born outside of the country.

As with other border counties, people from Northern Ireland make up the largest proportion of people born outside of the Republic of Ireland within Louth. Those born in Northern Ireland comprise 5.5% of Louth's population, and people born in Britain comprise a further 3.1% of the population.

Apart from the United Kingdom, the five largest foreign national groups in Louth are: Polish (2.2 percent), Lithuanian (1.6 percent), Nigerian (0.7 percent), Latvian (0.6 percent) and Pakistani (0.45 percent).

The Cooley Peninsula was the last Gaeltacht outpost in Leinster. Speakers of Irish existed around Omeath and into southern Armagh up until the middle of the 20th century. The area had its own local dialect, songs, poetry and traditional customs. The dialect, known as Gaeilge Oriel, is now extinct, as the last native speaker, Anne O'Hanlon, died in 1960 aged 89. However, extensive recordings were made by German linguist Wilhelm Doegen for the Royal Irish Academy in 1928.[24] An Irish language college, Coláiste Bhríde, was originally established in Omeath in 1912, but later moved to Ranafast, County Donegal. In 2012, Coláiste Bhríde celebrated its 100th anniversary in Omeath, and locals were taught phrases in Gaeilge Oriel.

Uniquely, the Cooley Peninsula had a sizable population of Presbyterian Gaeilgeoirí in the late 18th and 19th centuries, owing to its proximity to Ulster. In 1808, Reverend William Neilson published "An introduction to the Irish language" to distribute to Presbyterian ministers in the area, as many in their congregations could not speak English.[25]

Despite its historic Gaeltacht, Louth has the lowest percentage of Irish speakers of any county in the State. In the 2016 Census, just 34.1% of the population stated that they could speak Irish.[26]

St. Mochta's House, a 1,000-year-old oratory in Louth village

According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO),[27] the Catholic Church is by far the largest religious institution in County Louth, with 105,186 members. Anglican denominations, including the Church of Ireland, England and Episcopalian, were the second largest group, with 2,079 members. There were 1,825 Muslims recorded in the 2016 Census, as well as 1,471 Orthodox Christians.

The county is located within the archdiocese of Armagh in the Roman Catholic Church, and the Archbishop of Armagh has been recognised by the Vatican as the "Primate of All Ireland" since 1353. This was replicated in the Church of Ireland following the Reformation, and the Protestant Diocese of Armagh covers the same territorial extent as the Catholic diocese. Further, the Archbishop of Armagh also has the title of Primate of All Ireland within the Church of Ireland.

As was the case in much of Ireland, there was a significant increase in the number of people stating that they were either non-religious or atheist in the 2016 Census. This demographic increased by 81% between 2011 and 2016, from 5,485 to 9,918. People with no religion now account for nearly 8% of the county's population.

The fastest growing religions in the county between 2011 and 2016 were Evangelicalism (499%), Islam (56%) and Orthodox Christianity (50%), while the most rapidly declining religions were Methodist/Wesleyan (−25%), Apostolic or Pentecostal (−10.5%) and Presbyterian (−6.5%).

The local authority is Louth County Council, which has its offices in Dundalk, and provides a number of services including planning, roads maintenance, fire brigade, council housing, water supply, waste collection, recycling and landfill, higher education grants and funding for arts and culture.[28]

As of the 2019 local election, Louth has been divided into five local electoral areas, whose councillors sit in three municipal districts: Ardee (which is also a municipal district), Drogheda Rural and Drogheda Rural (which form the borough district of Drogheda), and Dundalk—Carlingford and Dundalk South (which form the municipal district of Dundalk).[29][30][31]

The Following People and Military Units have received the Freedom of County Louth.

• Joe Biden: 25 June 2016.[32]

For elections to Dáil Éireann, Louth is represented by the five-seat Dáil constituency of Louth which takes all in the county of Louth, and in County Meath, the electoral divisions of Julianstown and part of St. Mary's.[33]

The Report on Dáil and European Parliament Constituencies 2007 outlined:

"by extending the constituency southwards from, and in the environs of, Drogheda and taking in electoral divisions which have extensive linkages with the town. This will allow the inclusion of the town of Drogheda and hinterland areas in a single constituency."[34]

This brought the areas of the Greater Drogheda area in County Meath and their combined population of 20,375 into a single constituency.[35]

At the 2020 general election, the constituency elected two Sinn Féin TDs (nationalist and left-wing), one Fine Gael TD (centre-right), one Labour Party TD (centre-left) and an Independent TD (formerly Fine Gael).

• Pierce Brosnan – Actor, James Bond
• Eamonn Campbell – Member of The Dubliners
• Andrea Corr – Singer, The Corrs
• Caroline Corr – Musician, The Corrs
• Jim Corr – Musician, The Corrs
• Sharon Corr – Musician, The Corrs
• Evanna Lynch – Actress, Harry Potter
• Cathy Maguire – Singer/songwriter
• John Moore – Film director
• Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin, traditional Irish singer and academic.
• Gerry O'Connor – Traditional Irish fiddle player
• Colin O'Donoghue – Actor, Once Upon a Time
• Emily Taaffe – Actor

• James Samuel Emerson (1895–1917), British soldier and posthumous Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross,
• Patrick Anthony Langan-Byrne, British pilot, who was an Irish flying ace of the First World War credited with Ten aerial victories.
• Admiral Francis Leopold McClintock KCB FRS – British Royal Navy officer and Explorer
• George Martin Lees (1898–1955), British soldier, geologist and leading authority on the geology of the Middle East.
• Major-General Arthur Thomas Moore VC – British Soldier and Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross.
• Albert Cashier (otherwise Jennie Irene Hodgers), was born in Clogherhead and was a soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War
• Lisa Smith (soldier), a former Irish soldier who converted to Islam and later travelled to Syria during the Syrian Civil War to join Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).
• Anthony Coningham Sterling (1805–1871), British Army officer and historian, author of The Highland Brigade in the Crimea.
• James Sheridan (Medal of Honor) , Quartermaster United States during the American Civil War – Sailor and recipient of the Medal of Honor for action at Battle of Mobile Bay
• Hans Moore (1834–89), British Army Major who received the Victoria Cross during the Cape Frontier Wars
• William Kenny (1880–1936), British Soldier and Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross
• John Barrett Captain of HMS Minotaur (1793) and HMS Africa (1781)

• Dermot Ahern – Politician, Fianna Fáil TD for Louth
• Paddy O'Hanlon – Former Nationalist MP for South Armagh
• James Carroll – Politician, Fianna Fáil, member of Seanad Éireann from Louth
• Éamonn Ceannt, Irish republican known for his role in the Easter Rising of 1916. Born Galway, raised and educated in Louth.
• Mark Dearey – Politician, Green Party Senator from Louth
• Damien English – Politician, of Fine Gael who has served as Minister of State since 2014.
• John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel (1740–1828), last Speaker of the Irish House of Commons.
• Séamus Kirk – Politician, Fianna Fáil TD for Louth
• Tony Martin, Canadian social democratic legislator.
• John McClintock (1770–1855), MP for Athlone 1820, for County Louth 1830–31
• Brendan McGahon – Politician, Fine Gael TD for Louth
• John McGahon, Fine Gael Senator
• Michael McKevitt – Republican dissident leader
• Arthur Morgan – Politician, Sinn Féin TD for Louth
• T.K. Whitaker (Irish Economist)
• William Hughes, Irish-born US senator from New Jersey.
• John Atkinson, Judge and Politician, MP for Londonderry North

• Thomas Byrne – Former racing driver
• Nick Colgan – Footballer
• Kenny Finn – Irish American soccer and Gaelic football player
• Beatrice Hill-Lowe – Archer
• Gary Kelly – Footballer, Leeds United
• Robert Kearney – Irish Rugby player
• Colin Larkin – footballer, Hartlepool United
• Tommy Smyth – Football commentator for ESPN
• Steve Staunton – Footballer
• Kevin Thornton – Footballer
• Ian Harte – Footballer

• Fr Nicholas Joseph Callan, priest and scientist best known for his work on the induction coil.
• George Drumgoole Coleman – Civil architect
• Dorothy Macardle, historian.
• Matthew O'Neill, 1st Baron Dungannon, alias Matthew Kelly, (1520–1558), born in Dundalk. Father of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone.
• Katherine Plunket, (1820–1932), was an Irish aristocrat from Ballymascanlan, County Louth, a prolific botanical illustrator and formerly the oldest person ever to be born and die in Ireland, at 111 years and 327 days.
• Nano Reid, artist.
• Peter Rice – Structural engineer.
• Alexander Williams, artist. Born in Monaghan, raised and educated in Louth.