Dundalk

This article is about the town of Dundalk in Ireland. For other uses, see Dundalk (disambiguation).

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: Mé do rug Cú Chulainn cróga  (Irish) "I gave birth to brave Cú Chulainn"
Dundalk Location in Ireland
Coordinates:
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Louth
Dáil Éireann	Louth
EU Parliament	Midlands–North-West
Inhabited	3500 BC
Charter	1189 AD
Area
• Urban	25.19 km2 (9.73 sq mi)
• Rural	354.04 km2 (136.70 sq mi)
Population (Census 2011)
• Town	37,816
• Rank	7th
• Urban	31,149
• Rural	25,613
• Environs	6,667
Time zone	WET (UTC0)
• Summer (DST)	IST (UTC+1)
Irish Grid Reference	J048074
Dialing code	042, +353 42
Website	www.dundalk.ie

Dundalk (/dʌnˈdɔːk/, from Irish Dún Dealgan, meaning "Dalgan's stronghold") is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. It is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay, and is close to the border with Northern Ireland, equidistant from Dublin and Belfast. Its name, historically Dún Dealgan, has associations with the mythical warrior Cú Chulainn.

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 at Ballymascanlon 2 miles (3.2 km) 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.

St. Patrick's Church, Dundalk

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%

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. 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. The result was the closure of many local factories, resulting in the highest unemployment rate in Leinster, Ireland's richest province. High unemployment produced serious social problems in the town that were only alleviated by the advent of the Celtic Tiger investment boom at the start of the 21st century. Dundalk's economy has developed rapidly since 2000. 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 Kingdom of Ulidia
• 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 town is bombed by the Luftwaffe, with no casualties.
• 1975 - The Dundalk Christmas Bombing on 19 December 1975 a car bomb kills 2, injured 15

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.

Climate data for Dundalk, (2013-2015 averages).
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	14 (57)	15 (59)	16 (61)	23 (73)	23 (73)	30 (86)	29 (84)	24 (75)	24 (75)	22 (72)	17 (63)	16 (61)	30 (86)
Average high °C (°F)	12 (54)	11 (52)	12 (54)	14 (57)	17 (63)	20 (68)	23 (73)	18 (64)	17 (63)	17 (63)	12 (54)	13 (55)	15.5 (59.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	6.0 (42.8)	6.0 (42.8)	8.0 (46.4)	11.0 (51.8)	12.0 (53.6)	16.0 (60.8)	18.0 (64.4)	15.0 (59)	16.0 (60.8)	11.0 (51.8)	8.0 (46.4)	7.0 (44.6)	11.2 (52.2)
Average low °C (°F)	0.0 (32)	1.0 (33.8)	3.0 (37.4)	8.0 (46.4)	11.0 (51.8)	13.0 (55.4)	14.0 (57.2)	12.0 (53.6)	13.0 (55.4)	7.0 (44.6)	4.0 (39.2)	0.0 (32)	7.2 (45)
Record low °C (°F)	−4.0 (24.8)	−4.0 (24.8)	−1.0 (30.2)	2.0 (35.6)	6.0 (42.8)	7.0 (44.6)	7.0 (44.6)	5.0 (41)	7.0 (44.6)	2.0 (35.6)	−1.0 (30.2)	−5.0 (23)	−5.0 (23)
Source: Dundalk ILOUTHDU4 Private Weather System,

Demographics

Population by place of birth:

Location	2006	2011	Change
Ireland	28,095	29,114	+1,019
UK	3,488	3,839	+351
Poland	252	555	+303
Lithuania	421	633	+212
Other EU 27	692	1,119	+427
Rest of World	1,804	2,269	+465

Population by ethnic or cultural background:

Ethnicity or culture	2006	2011
White Irish	29,840	30,645
White Irish Traveller	325	441
Other White	1,802	2,987
Black or Black Irish	1,276	1,669
Asian or Asian Irish	372	687
Other	380	389
Not stated	757	711

Population by religion:

Religion	2006	2011
Catholic	30,677	31,790
Other stated religion	2,472	3,350
No religion	1,158	1,971
Not stated	778	705

Places of interest

Places of interest in North Louth within 15 km of Dundalk.

Place	Description	Location	Image
County Museum Dundalk	The county museum documenting the history of County Louth.
St. Patrick's Church	The site was acquired in 1834 with the building completed in 1847, but was in use from 1842.
St. Nicholas' Church	The site was levelled and the foundations cleared out in February 1859, dedication of the Church was in August 1860.
St Joseph's Redemptorist Church	The community of Redemptorists, or missionary priests, settled here in 1876.
Church of Saint Nicholas (Anglican Church of Ireland)	Known locally as The Green Church due to its green copper spire.
Priory of St Malachy, Dominican chapel.	The 'Carlingford Dominicans' official foundation in Dundalk was in 1777
Saint Brigit's Shrine
St Brigid's Well
Castle Roche	Norman castle, the seat of the De Verdun family, who built the castle in 1236 AD.
Proleek Dolmen	One of the finest examples of its kind in Ireland
Proleek Wedge Tomb
Franciscan friary	Founded 1246		County Louth - Seatown Castle
Windmill Tower	An eight-storey windmill-tower, built around 1800.
Our Lady's Well / Ladywell	Pattern takes place here on the 15th August, during the feast of the assumption.
Cloghafarmore (Cuchulains / Cú Chulainn Stone)	Standing stone on which Cú Chulainn tied himself to after his battle with Lugaid in order to die on his feet, facing his enemies.
Dromiskin Round Tower & High Crosses	Founded by a disciple of St Patrick, Lughaidh (unknown - 515AD)
Cúchulainn's Castle / Dun Dealgan Motte	Built in the late 11th century by Bertram de Verdun, a later addition was the castellated house known as 'Byrne's Folly' built in 1780 by a local pirate named Patrick Byrne.		Byrne's Folly on Castletown Motte profile 2
Magic Hill	A place where the layout of the surrounding land produces the optical illusion that a very slight downhill slope appears to be an uphill slope. Thus, a car left out of gear will appear to be rolling uphill against gravity.
Long Woman's Grave or “The Cairn of Cauthleen”	The grave of a Spanish noble woman, Cauthleen, who married Lorcan O’Hanlon, the youngest son of the “Cean” or Chieftain of Omeath. Her grave is knowns as the “Lug Bhan Fada” (Long woman’s hollow).[2]
Rockmarshall Court Tomb	14 metres long cairn.
Dunmahon Castle	Ruins of four storeys tower-house with vault over ground floor. In 1659 it was the residence of Henry Townley.
Knockabbey Castle and Gardens	Originally built in 1399, the historical water gardens originally date from the 11th century.
Louth Hall Castle	Ruins originally built in the 14th century in gothic design, it was later extended in the 18th and 19th century in Georgian design. Home of the Plunkett family, Lords of Louth
Roodstown Castle	Dates from the 15th century features two turrets.
Aghnaskeagh Cairn and Portal Tomb
Faughart Round Tower	Remains of a monastery founded by St Moninna in the 5th century.
Grave of Edward Bruce	Proclaimed High King of Ireland before he was killed in the battle of Faughart in 1318
Faughart Motte
Kilwirra Church, Templetown	St Mary's Church at Templetown, associated with the Knights Templar founded in 1118 by Hugh de Payens.
Lady Well, Templetown
Ardee Castle	The largest fortified medieval Tower House in Ireland or Britain, founded by Roger de Peppard in 1207, the current building was built in the 15th century by John St. Ledger. James II used it as his headquarters for a month prior to the Battle of the Boyne.
Hatch's Castle, Ardee	Medieval Tower House
Kildemock Church 'The Jumping Church'	14th century Church built on the site of the Church of Deomog (Cill Deomog), under the control of the Knights Templar until 1540.
St Mary's Priory	Augustinian Priory stands on the site where St Mochta established a monastery in 528 CE.
St Mochta's House	12th Century Church/Oratory.
St James' Well
Liberties of Carlingford	Medieval Head Carving
The Mint of Carlingford	Mint established in 1467
Dominican Priory of Carlingford	Founded by Richard de Burgh in 1305
King John's Castle	Commissioned by Hugh de Lacy before 1186, the castle owes its name to King John (Richard the Lionheart's brother) who visited Carlingford in 1210.
Roodstown	15th Century square four-storey tower house.
Tallanstown Motte

Arts and festivals

Dundalk has two photography clubs – Dundalk Photographic Society and the Tain Photographic Club. In 2010 Dundalk Photographic Society won the FIAP Photography Club World Cup.

Dundalk has a vibrant music environment. The following can be found:

• The Fr. McNally Chamber Orchestra created in April 2010. It is a string chamber orchestra made of violins, violas, double basses and cellos and has 29 members.
• The Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI) which is one of Ireland's primary youth orchestras. It is based in the Dundalk Institute of Technology and maintains a membership of 160 young musicians between the ages of 12 and 24 years. The CBOI was established in 1995 shortly after the implementation of the Peace Process and is recognised internationally and one of Ireland's flagship peace initiatives. The CBOI tours regularly to Europe and America and has sold out such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, New York and Chicago Symphony Hall.
• The Clermont Chorale. It was formed in 2003 and has 30 members, drawn from all parts of County Louth. Its repertoire includes music from the 17th to the 21st century, across many styles and genres.
• Dundalk School of Music. Created in February 2010, it aims to provide education in music for all age groups in many disciplines.
• Historic Dundalk Gaol is the home of The Oriel Centre – a regional centre for Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Éireann. The Oriel Centre Dundalk Gaol. opened in Oct 2010 and focuses on the promotion of Traditional Irish music, song dance and the Irish language.

Local Festivals

MONTH	FESTIVAL NAME
JANUARY
FEBRUARY	Brigid of Faughart Festival
MARCH	Carlingford National Leprechaun Hunt
APRIL
MAY
JUNE	Louth Táin March Festival Dundalk Youth Arts Festival
JULY
AUGUST	All Ireland Poc Fada Championship Annagassan Viking Festival Carlingford Oyster Festival Heritage Week Peninsula Ploughing & Field Day Greenore Maritime Festival
SEPTEMBER	Knockbridge Vintage Rally & Family Fun Day
OCTOBER	Festival of Horrors
NOVEMBER	Dundalk Festival of Light & Culture Ardee Baroque Festival
DECEMBER

Transport

Dundalk Infrastructure Hub & Gateway access.

Dundalk railway station

Shipping services to Liverpool were provided from 1837 by the Dundalk Steam Packet Company.

Dundalk is an important stop along the Dublin–Belfast railway line, being the last station on the Republic side of the border. Its rail link to Dublin was inaugurated in 1849 and the line to Belfast was opened the following year. Further railway links opened to Derry by 1859 and Greenore in 1873.

In the 20th century, Dundalk's secondary railway links were closed: first the line to Greenore in 1951 and then that to Derry in 1957. In 1966 Dundalk railway station was renamed Dundalk Clarke Station after the Irish republican activist Tom Clarke, though it is still usually just called Dundalk Station. The station is served by the Dublin-Belfast "Enterprise" express trains as well as local Commuter services to and from Dublin. It also houses a small museum of railway history.

Dundalk's Bus Station is operated by Bus Éireann and located at Long Walk near the town centre. It is linked to Drogheda, Dublin Airport and Dublin by route 100X. Route 100 links it to both Newry and Drogheda whereas route 161 runs between Dundalk and Newry via the Cooley Peninsula and locations such as Greenore and Carlingford. Route 162 links it to Castleblayney and Monaghan. Route 166 operates to Carrickmacross with one journey extending to Cavan. Route 167 operates to Ardee and route 168 to Annagassan via Dromiskin. Expressway Route 070 offers a link to Mullingar, Athlone and Galway but only operates on Sundays during college terms.

Ongoing infrastructure evolutions continue in and around Dundalk to meet a programme deadline of 2020. These improvements embrace the road, rail and telecommunication infrastructures for—according to the National Development Plan—a better integration with the neighbouring Dublin, Midlands Gateway, and Cavan/Monaghan Hubs.

The M1 – N1/A1 now connects Dundalk to Dublin and Newry. Works to extend it to Belfast are ongoing and are scheduled to end in winter 2010.

Education

Dundalk Institute of Technology (often abbreviated to DkIT) is the primary higher education provider in the North East of the country. It was established in 1970 as the Regional Technical College, offering primarily technician and apprenticeship courses.

Dundalk IT.

Primary schools Irish-medium Gaelscoil Dhún Dealgan, English-medium Redeemer Girls National School Bellurgan N.S. S.N Muire na nGael (also known as Bay Estate National School) St. Fursey's National School St. Nicholas' National School St. Joseph's NS St. Oliver Plunkett's NS C.B.S. Primary School St. Malachy's National School (also known as the Friary) De la Salle School Dún Dealgan Primary School Faughart N.S St. Mary's N.S Knockbridge Castletown Girls School Scoil Eoin Baiste Realt na Mara Primary School Darver N.S., Readypenny Secondary schools Irish-medium Coláiste Lú. English-medium 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 Bush, Cooley

Tertiary education

Dundalk Institute of Technology

Media

The local newspapers are The Argus, Dundalk Democrat and Dundalk Leader.

On-line only media outlet includes; Talk of the Town.

The local radio station is Dundalk FM broadcasting on 100 FM, with regional stations LMFM (Louth-Meath FM) on 95.8 FM, and iRadio (NE and Midlands) on 105-107 FM also covering the area.

Sport

Soccer

Dundalk F.C. is a professional soccer club based in Dundalk. The club currently play in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. Founded in 1903, they are the second most successful team, in terms of trophies won, in the history of the League of Ireland. They play their home games in Oriel Park.

Rugby

Dundalk R.F.C. is one of the foremost junior rugby clubs in Leinster. Formed in 1877 Dundalk has a long and distinguished history having achieved many honours over the years. These achievements include winning the Provincial Towns Cup on 10 occasions from 15 appearances. Dundalk is currently in the Leinster League Division 1A and field 3 senior teams plus youth and mini teams at all age groups, and a number of girls tag teams.

Ice hockey

Dundalk has seen the development of new sporting facilities including the JJB Soccer Dome and the Dundalk Ice Dome (currently closed as of August 2012) where local ice hockey team the Dundalk Bulls play. The Ice Dome hosted the IIHF World Championship of Division III in April 2007.

Horse racing and Greyhound racing

Both held at Dundalk Stadium. August 2007 saw Ireland's first all-weather horse racing track open up on the site of the old Dundalk racecourse. The course held Ireland's first ever meeting under floodlights on 27 September 2007.

Fencing

Dundalk also held its first ever National Fencing tournament in April 2007.

Basketball

Dundalk also has a basketball team The Dundalk Ravens.

American football

The Dundalk Mavericks American Football Club were set up in 2012, they are the newest American football team to enter the Irish American Football League (IAFL). They are the only team in the league to have a female head coach, Sarah Matthews, who is assisted by Declan Mulvihill, Robert Shevlin & Matthew Hagan.

Tennis

Dundalk also has a tennis club, the club was founded in 1913 and held the Senior Interprovincial Championships (inter-pros) on 29–31 August 2010 .

Cricket

Dundalk Cricket Club was founded in November 2009 and began playing matches in the 2010 season. It achieved the rare distinction of being recognised by the world leading cricket magazine The Wisden Cricketer as its "Club of the Month" for October 2010, this is both unusual for an Irish club and a club only twelve months into its existence. In 2011, the club was admitted into the Leinster Cricket Union and played in Leinster Senior League Division 11. In the 2011 season it won the Leinster League Division 11 Championship title and in the course of doing so became the only club in the whole of Leinster across the 14 divisions to go unbeaten. The club accumulated 277 points overall the highest points of any Leinster club in the 2011 season. In the 2012 season the club won their second title as Leinster League Division 9 Champions.

Snooker

Dundalk & District Snooker League has been running for over 20 years, in 2010 the league was re-branded as the Dundalk Snooker League sponsored by Tool-Fix. The league has grown in popularity over the last few seasons and has attracted national recognition through RIBSA (Republic of Ireland Snooker and Billiards Association) and the CYMS Letterkenny, who have arranged a "ryder cup" style challenge match against the best players in the Dundalk Snooker League. This season the league has 15 teams and 113 players competing in 6 championship events, 4 ranking events and 5 special events.

Cycling

The first cycling club in Dundalk was founded in 1874. Cuchulainn Cycling Club was formed in 1935 and is currently one of the biggest and most active cycling clubs in the country with over 300 members. The club caters for all disciplines of the sport including Road, Off Road and BMX. The club has also recently acquired permission for the construction of a Cycling Park and 250m Velodrome in Muirhevna Mor.

Kayaking

Dundalk Kayak Club founded in 2005 operates from their clubhouse just outside Dundalk town. They cater for all levels of kayaker and run beginner courses twice yearly.

Politics and Government

Louth County Council (Irish: Comhairle Contae Lú), County Hall, Millennium Centre, Dundalk is the authority responsible for local government in Dundalk. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The council has 29 elected members, 13 of which are from the Dundalk region. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote.

For the purpose of elections the town is divided into two local electoral areas: Dundalk-Carlingford (6) and Dundalk South (7).

Council members from 2014 election
Local electoral area	Name	Party
Dundalk-Carlingford Population: 24,589 Electorate: 19,299 Seats: 6	Edel Corrigan		Sinn Féin
	Jim Loughran		Sinn Féin
	Peter Savage		Fianna Fáil
	John McGahon		Fine Gael
	Conor Keelan		Fianna Fáil
	Mark Dearey		Green Party
Dundalk South Population: 28,493 Electorate: 21,322 Seats: 7	Tomás Sharkey		Sinn Féin
	Declan Breathnach		Fianna Fáil
	Maeve Anna Yore		Independent
	Kevin Meenan		Sinn Féin
	Jennifer Green		Sinn Féin
	Marianne Butler		Green Party
	Maria Doyle		Fine Gael

Dáil Éireann /dɔɪl ˈɛərən/ is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature; which also includes the President of Ireland, and the upper house or Seanad Éireann). Dundalk is represented in Dáil Éireann by the Louth parliamentary constituency.

People

• Brendan O'Dowda (1925–2002), Irish tenor who popularised the songs of Percy French.
• Brendan McGahon, Former Fine Gael TD.
• Catherine Gaskin, (1929–2009) Romance novelist
• Cathy Maguire, singer-songwriter. Currently lives in the United States.
• Cú Chulainn, aka Sétanta
• Dawn Martin, Singer who represented Ireland in the 1998 Eurovision concert finishing 9th.
• David Kearney, Rugby player
• Dermot Ahern, local solicitor and Fianna Fáil party politician. Formerly Ireland; Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (1997–2002), Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (2002–04), Minister for Foreign Affairs (2004–08) and Minister for Justice and Law Reform (2008–11)
• Deirdre O'Kane, Actress and casting director
• Donald Macardle, (1900-) Actor, Screenwriter, Director
• Dorothy Macardle (1889–1958), revolutionary, author and playwright.
• Francis Leopold McClintock, Royal Navy Rear Admiral, Arctic explorer, discoverer of the fate of Franklin.
• Henry McShane, emigrated to the United States founded the McShane Bell Foundry and named the rail depot and subsequently the town Dundalk, Maryland after his home town in the 19th Century.
• Fergie McElligott, singer and a song writer
• Gerard MacManus, Author Dark Corners
• Gerry Adams, Teachta Dála (TD) for Louth - Dundalk constituency since 2011.
• Jim McQuillan (darts player),Irish international darts player
• John Moore, film director, producer, and writer.
• John Phillip Holland, Inventor of the submarine, worked as a teacher in Colaiste Ris, Dundalk.
• Liam Reilly, singer who represented Ireland in the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest finishing 2nd and singer in the group Bagatelle.
• Nicholas Callan, scientist who made the first induction coil went to primary school here.
• Patrick McDonnell, actor in Naked Camera and Father Ted.
• Paul Vincent Carroll, (1900–1968) playwright who founded two theater groups in Glasgow, Scotland: the Curtain Theatre in 1933 and the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre in 1943
• Peter Rice (1935–1992). Noted engineer, worked on the Sydney Opera House, Louvre Pyramid and Centre Pompidou as well as numerous other world famous buildings.
• Dr Pearse Lyon Entrepreneur and President of Kentucky-based Alltech Inc. and proposed the sister cities twinning with the City of Pikeville, Kentucky
• Richard FitzRalph (c. 1300 – 16 December 1360), Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and Archbishop of Armagh from 1346 to 1360, his remains are interred at St Nicholas's Church.
• Rob Kearney Rugby player, current player for both Leinster and Ireland.
• Rory Callan, Author The Little Book Of GAA Quotations
• Saint Brigit of Kildare, (c. 453 - c. 524)
• Steve Staunton, former football player and former Republic of Ireland national football team manager.
• The Corrs, Celtic folk rock group and family (Andrea Corr, Sharon Corr, Caroline Corr, Jim Corr), born and raised in Dundalk.
• Thomas Coulter, (1793–1843) botanist and doctor.
• Thomas MacAnna, (1926–2011) Tony Award winning theatre director and playwright
• Tom Sharkey, (1873–1953) Heavyweight boxer.
• Tommy Byrne, Former Formula 1 racing driver.
• Tommy Traynor, (1933–2006) former footballer, Republic of Ireland national football team and Southampton FC left-back.
• The Flaws Indie Rock Band.

Twinning / Sister Cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland

Dundalk is twinned with the following places:

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

Namesakes

World towns named after Dundalk:

• Dundalk, Maryland, United States - Founded 1856
• Dundalk, Ontario, Canada - Incorporated 1887

See also

• List of abbeys and priories in County Louth
• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• Dundalk, which existed until the Act of Union in 1800
• Dundalk, which existed 1801–1885

References

External links

• Dundalk.ie