73-469: The Gáe Bulg ( Old Irish pronunciation: [ɡaːi̯ bulg] ) (also Gáe Bulga , Gáe Bolg , Gáe Bolga ), meaning "spear of mortal pain/death", "gapped/notched spear", or "belly spear", was the name of the spear of Cú Chulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology . It was given to him by his martial arts teacher, the warrior woman Scáthach , and its technique was taught only to him. It
146-620: A County in its own right , styled as 'the County of the town of Drogheda'. Drogheda continued as a County Borough until the setting up of County Councils, through the enactment of the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 , which saw all of Drogheda, including a large area south of the River Boyne , become part of an extended County Louth. Until the late 16th century, 1596, Louth was considered part of Ulster, before becoming part of Leinster after
219-534: A Bull (2011–2013) based around Queen Medb. The myth of Cú Chulainn was also adapted into graphic novels such as An Táin (2006) by Colmán Ó Raghallaigh and by Barry Reynolds and Hound (2014–2018) by Paul J. Bolger and Barry Devlin . The dramatic musical program "Celtic Hero" in the Radio Tales series for National Public Radio , was based on the Ulster Cycle story Tochmarc Emire . Deirdre
292-401: A Dr Conlan, who came from Dundalk, and an agent provocateur called Sam Turner, from Newry. Several leaders were hanged. The Burning of Wildgoose Lodge took place on the night of 29–30 October 1816, for which 18 men were executed. The priest and scientist Nicholas Callan (1799–1864), inventor of the first induction coil, was from Darver. Louth, colloquially known as "The Wee County", is
365-736: A conference held at Faughart between the Chiefs of Ulster ( Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone and Hugh Roe O'Donnell ), on the Irish side, and the Ulster-born Miler Magrath , Anglican Archbishop of Cashel, and Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond on that of the English. The lands of Ballymascanlan , part of the former estates of Mellifont Abbey , were transferred from Armagh to Louth c. 1630 . The 16th and 17th centuries featured many skirmishes and battles involving Irish and English forces, as Louth
438-420: A derivative of Old Irish bolg "belly, sack, bag". Several notable Celtic scholars, including Joseph Loth and Kuno Meyer , have preferred to derive it rather from Old Irish bolc "gap, breach, notch" (cognate with Welsh bwlch ), suggesting a linguistic link with the second element in the name of Fergus mac Róich 's sword, Caladbolg and King Arthur 's sword Caledfwlch . Linguist Eric Hamp derives
511-586: A feud between the Anglo-Irish families of Louth. One of the Statutes of Kilkenny in 1465 (5 Ed. IV , cap. 3) stated "That every Irishman that dwell betwixt or amongst Englishmen in the County of Dublin, Myeth , Vriell [i.e. Oriel], and Kildare ... shall take to him an English surname of one town, as Sutton, Chester, Trym , Skryne , Corke, Kinsale; or colour, as white, blacke, browne; or arte or science, as smith or carpenter; or office, as cooke, butler ...". This
584-527: A man's body with a single wound, like a javelin , then opened into thirty barbs. Only by cutting away the flesh could it be taken from that man's body. In other versions of the legend, the spear had seven heads, each with seven barbs. In the Táin Bó Cuailnge , Cúchulainn received the spear after training with the great warrior mistress Scáthach in Alba . She taught him and his foster-brother, Ferdiad , everything
657-613: A notable exception. It is probable that the oldest strata of tales are those involving the complex relationship between the Ulaid and the Érainn , represented in the Ulster Cycle by Cú Roí and the Clanna Dedad , and later by Conaire Mór . It was observed a century ago by Eoin MacNeill and other scholars that the historical Ulaid, as represented by the Dál Fiatach , were apparently related to
730-455: A separate occasion, Cúchulainn also killed his own son, Connla , with the spear. In both instances, it was used as a last resort, as once thrown it proved invariably fatal. Cúchulainn's use of the Gáe Bulg in the Táin Bó Cuailnge exemplifies its deadliness and the gruesome condition in which it leaves its victims. This can be seen in the fact that after it is used, one must literally cut into
803-592: A series of plays – On Baile's Strand (1904), Deirdre (1907), The Green Helmet (1910), At the Hawk's Well (1917), The Only Jealousy of Emer (1919) and The Death of Cuchulain (1939) – and a poem, Cuchulain's Fight with the Sea (1892), based on the legends, and completed the late John Millington Synge 's unfinished play Deirdre of the Sorrows (1910), in collaboration with Synge's widow Molly Allgood. Literary adaptations of
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#1732852679534876-562: A significant increase from 2.5% in the 2016 census. 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 (64.5%) of Louth's residents were born within the county, making it the 7th most indigenous county in the State. People from elsewhere in
949-487: 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. As of the 2019 local election , Louth has been divided into five local electoral areas , whose councillors sit in three municipal districts: Ardee (which
1022-404: Is a pagan, pastoral one ruled by a warrior aristocracy. Bonds between aristocratic families are cemented by fosterage of each other's children. Wealth is reckoned in cattle. Warfare mainly takes the form of cattle raids , or single combats between champions at fords. The characters' actions are sometimes restricted by religious taboos known as geasa . The stories are preserved in manuscripts of
1095-399: 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 ). The following people have received the freedom of County Louth. For elections to Dáil Éireann, Louth is represented by the five-seat Dáil constituency of Louth which takes all in
1168-580: Is an opera adaptation of the Ulster Cycle composed 1943-5, by the Canadian composer, Healey Willan , the text by John Coulter . It was the first full-length opera commissioned by the CBC, and was premiered 20 Apr 1946 on radio as Deirdre of the Sorrows , conducted by Ettore Mazzoleni and with Frances James as Deirdre. The myth of Cú Chulainn was adapted by Irish musician Gavin Dunne , better known as "Miracle of Sound," in
1241-839: 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
1314-431: 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
1387-517: Is the smallest county in Ireland by land area and the 17th most populous , with just over 139,100 residents as of 2022 . The county is named after the village of Louth . Louth County Council is the local authority for the county. County Louth is named after the village of Louth , which in turn is named after Lugh , a god of the ancient Irish. Historically, the placename has had various spellings; Lugmad , Lughmhaigh , and Lughmhadh (see Historic Names List , for full listing). Lú
1460-666: Is the epic Táin Bó Cúailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley). The Ulster Cycle is one of the four 'cycles' of Irish mythology and legend, along with the Mythological Cycle , the Fianna Cycle and the Kings' Cycle . The Ulster Cycle stories are set in and around the reign of King Conchobar mac Nessa , who rules the Ulaid from Emain Macha (now Navan Fort near Armagh ). The most prominent hero of
1533-560: Is the modern simplified spelling . The county is steeped in myth, legend and history, and is a setting in the Táin Bó Cúailnge epic. Later it saw the influence of the Vikings , as seen in the name of Carlingford Lough . They also established a longphort at Annagassan in the ninth century. At this time Louth consisted of three sub-kingdoms, each subject to separate over-kingdoms: Conaille ( Ulaidh ) ; Fir Rois ( Airgialla ) ; and,
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#17328526795341606-470: The 2022 census , a 7.9% increase since the 2016 census . The population density of the county is 169.1 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 2022, Louth was also the second most urbanised county in the State, with 69.7% of
1679-580: The Fir Arda Ciannachta ( Midhe ) . The whole area became part of the O'Carroll Kingdom of Airgíalla (Oriel) early in the 12th century under Donnchad Ua Cerbaill . At the same time, the area was removed from the diocese of Armagh and the episcopal see of the Diocese of Airgíalla or Clogher was transferred to Louth c. 1130–1190 . A number of historic sites are in the county, including religious sites at Monasterboice , Mellifont Abbey and
1752-689: The Irish Sea . Dundalk is the county town and is located approximately 80 km (50 mi) from Belfast and 85 km (53 mi) from Dublin . Louth is also the northernmost county in Leinster, and the only county in the province to share a border with Northern Ireland . 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
1825-449: The Morrígan , Aengus and Midir also make occasional appearances. Unlike the majority of early Irish historical tradition, which presents ancient Ireland as largely united under a succession of High Kings , the stories of the Ulster Cycle depict a country with no effective central authority, divided into local and provincial kingdoms often at war with each other. The civilisation depicted
1898-599: The Red Branch Cycle , is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid . It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster , particularly counties Armagh , Down and Louth . It focuses on the mythical Ulster king Conchobar mac Nessa and his court at Emain Macha , the hero Cú Chulainn , and their conflict with the Connachta and queen Medb . The longest and most important tale
1971-536: The St Mary Magdalene Dominican Friary . The Normans occupied the Louth area in the 1180s, forming the County of Oriel (Uriel or Vriell) out of the O'Carroll kingdom. At this time the western boundary of occupation was unfixed and Monaghan was still considered part of Oriel. However, over time, Louth became differentiated as 'English' Oriel, to distinguish it from the remainder ('Irish' Oriel), outside
2044-445: The Táin and rise in popularity. Here follows a list of tales which are assigned to the Ulster Cycle, although it does not claim to be exhaustive. The classification according to 'genre' followed here is merely a convenient tool to bring clarity to a large body of texts, but it is not the only possible one nor does it necessarily reflect contemporary approaches of classifying texts. Most of
2117-465: The Táin , refer to Cairbre Nia Fer as the king of Tara , implying that no High King is in place at the time. The presence of the Connachta as the Ulaid's enemies is an apparent anachronism: the Connachta were traditionally said to have been the descendants of Conn Cétchathach , who is supposed to have lived several centuries later. Later stories use the name Cóiced Ol nEchmacht as an earlier name for
2190-472: The 12th to 15th centuries but, in many cases, are believed to be much older. The language of the earliest stories is dateable to the 8th century, and events and characters are referred to in poems dating to the 7th. The earliest extant manuscripts of the Ulster Cycle are Lebor na hUidre , "The Book of the Dun Cow", dating to no later than 1106, and The Book of Leinster , compiled around 1160. The events of
2263-446: 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). Met Éireann records climate data for the county from their station at Boharnamoe, ca. 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from Ardee , in
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2336-412: The 2022 census, the population of County Louth was 85.9% white. Those who identified as White Irish constituted 76.7% of the county's population, and Irish Travellers comprised a further 0.7%. Caucasians who did not identify as ethnically Irish accounted for 8.5% of the population. The second largest ethnic group in Louth in 2022 was black, accounting for 3.3% of the population. Of this group, virtually
2409-684: The 2022 census. According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the Catholic Church is by far the largest religious institution in County Louth, with 100,077 members. Orthodox Christianity was the second largest religious denomination, with 2,598 adherents. This was followed by Islam in third, with 2,281 adherents, and Anglican denominations including the Church of Ireland , England and Episcopalian in fourth, with 2,195. The county
2482-563: The 20th and 21st centuries include Rosemary Sutcliff 's children's novel The Hound of Ulster (1963), Morgan Llywelyn 's Red Branch (1989), Patricia Finney 's novel A Shadow of Gulls (1977), and Vincent Woods ' play A Cry from Heaven (2005). Randy Lee Eickhoff has also created a series of six novelistic translations and retellings, beginning with The Raid (2000). Parts of the cycle have been adapted as webcomics , including Patrick Brown's Ness (2007–2008) and The Cattle Raid of Cooley (2008–2015); and M.K. Reed's unfinished About
2555-582: The Clanna Dedad. T. F. O'Rahilly later concluded that the Ulaid were in fact a branch of the Érainn. A number of the Érainn appear to have been powerful Kings of Tara , with a secondary base of power at the now lost Temair Luachra "Tara of the Rushes" in West Munster, where some action in the Ulster Cycle takes place and may even have been transplanted from the midland Tara. Additionally it may be noteworthy that
2628-492: The Republic of Ireland accounted for just 13.9% of Louth's population in 2022, compared with 49.2% in neighbouring Meath to the south. A total of 30,145 people (21.7%) were born outside of the country, up from 24,509 people (19.2%) in 2016. The largest foreign national groups by citizenship in Louth are: British (1.69%), Polish (1.50 percent), Lithuanian (1.40 percent), Nigerian (0.97 percent), Latvian (0.89 percent) and Romanian (0.57 percent). The Cooley Peninsula
2701-700: The Ulaid's prize bull, Donn Cúailnge , opposed only by the seventeen-year-old Cú Chulainn. In the Mayo Táin, the Táin Bó Flidhais it is a white cow known as the 'Maol' that is the object of desire. One of the better known stories is the tragedy of Deirdre , source of plays by W. B. Yeats and J. M. Synge . Other stories tell of the births, courtships and deaths of the characters and of the conflicts between them. The stories are written in Old and Middle Irish , mostly in prose, interspersed with occasional verse passages, with
2774-465: The antiquity of these records was a matter of politicised debate; modern scholars have generally taken a more critical stance. Some scholars of the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as Eugene O'Curry and Kuno Meyer , believed that the stories and characters of the Ulster Cycle were essentially historical; T. F. O'Rahilly was inclined to believe the stories were entirely mythical and the characters euhemerised gods; and Ernst Windisch thought that
2847-638: The battle was fought 3 km (1.9 miles) west from Drogheda. Drogheda held for James under Lord Iveagh but surrendered to William the day after the battle of the Boyne. In 1798, the leaders of the United Irishmen included Bartholomew Teeling, John Byrne, and Patrick Byrne, all from Castletown; Anthony Marmion from Louth Town and Dundalk, Anthony McCann from Corderry; Nicholas and Thomas Markey from Barmeath, and Arthur McKeown, John Warren, and James McAllister from Cambricville. They were betrayed by informers, notably
2920-410: The border with Northern Ireland have experienced a slight decline since 2011. In 2016, Louth surpassed its pre-famine ( 1841 Census ) population, becoming one of only five counties in the State to do so. As of the 2022 census, 5.9 per cent of the county's population was reported as younger than 5 years old, 28.1 per cent were between 5 and 25, 51.8 per cent were between 25 and 65, and 14.2 per cent of
2993-487: The bravest awarded the curadmír or "champion's portion", the choicest cut of meat. Kings are advised by druids ( Old Irish druí , plural druíd ), and poets have great power and privilege. These elements led scholars such as Kenneth H. Jackson to conclude that the stories of the Ulster Cycle preserved authentic Celtic traditions from the pre-Christian Iron Age . Other scholars have challenged that conclusion, stressing similarities with early medieval Irish society and
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3066-458: 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
3139-663: The control of the Norman colony, which had passed into the hands of the McMahon lordship of Airgíalla . In the early 14th century Edward Bruce made claim to the High Kingship of Ireland and led an expeditionary force to Ireland. The Scottish army was repulsed from Drogheda but laid waste to much of the Anglo-Norman colony of Ireland including Ardee and Dundalk. Edward was crowned on the hill of Maledon near Dundalk on 2 May 1316. His army
3212-454: 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. According to the Central Statistics Office , 139,703 people lived in County Louth as of
3285-447: The county between 2016 and 2022 were Hinduism (107%), Orthodox Christianity (80%) and Pantheism (78%), while the most rapidly declining religions were Lutheran (−23%), Evangelicalism (−19%), Buddhism (−13%) and Apostolic or Pentecostal (−11%). Although Catholicism only recorded a 4.3% decrease, the share of County Louth's residents who identified as Catholic fell sharply from 81.8% in 2016 to 72.1% in 2022. The local authority
3358-478: The county of Louth, and in County Meath , the electoral divisions of Julianstown and part of St. Mary's. 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
3431-427: 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
3504-654: The cycle are traditionally supposed to take place around the time of Christ . The stories of Conchobar's birth and death are synchronised with the birth and death of Christ, and the Lebor Gabála Érenn dates the Táin Bó Cúailnge and the birth and death of Cú Chulainn to the reign of the High King Conaire Mor , who it says was a contemporary of the Roman emperor Augustus (27 BC — AD 14). Some stories, including
3577-522: The cycle is Conchobar's nephew, Cú Chulainn . The Ulaid are most often in conflict with the Connachta , led by their queen, Medb , her husband, Ailill , and their ally Fergus mac Róich , a former king of the Ulaid in exile. The longest and most important story of the cycle is the Táin Bó Cúailnge or "Cattle Raid of Cooley", in which Medb raises an enormous army to invade the Cooley peninsula and steal
3650-469: The cycle, while largely imaginary, contains little genuine myth. Elements of the tales are reminiscent of classical descriptions of Celtic societies in Gaul , Galatia and Britain . Warriors fight with swords, spears and shields, and ride in two-horse chariots, driven by skilled charioteers drawn from the lower classes. They take and preserve the heads of slain enemies, and boast of their valour at feasts, with
3723-682: The dialect were made by German linguist Wilhelm Doegen for the Royal Irish Academy in 1928. 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
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#17328526795343796-451: The earliest extant versions dated to the 12th century. The tone is terse, violent, sometimes comic, and mostly realistic, although supernatural elements intrude from time to time. Cú Chulainn in particular has superhuman fighting skills, the result of his semi-divine ancestry, and when particularly aroused his battle frenzy or ríastrad transforms him into an unrecognisable monster who knows neither friend nor foe. Evident deities like Lugh ,
3869-484: The entire population lived in the two largest towns, with 56.5% of Louth's black residents living in Dundalk and 36.2% living in Drogheda. Those of Asian and Mixed Race backgrounds accounted for 2.7% (3,808 people) and 1.7% (2,333 people) of the population respectively, with the majority of these groups residing in either Drogheda or Dundalk. Around 9,000 people or 6.4% of the population did not state their ethnicity in 2022,
3942-513: The fifty years between the census of 1966 and that of 2016. Its rate of growth (7.9%) since the 2016 census ranks 13th 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
4015-508: The important Ulster Cycle tales can be found in the following publications: The Ulster Cycle provided material for Irish writers of the Gaelic revival around the turn of the 20th century. Augusta, Lady Gregory 's Cuchulain of Muirthemne (1902) retold most of the important stories of the cycle, as did Eleanor Hull for younger readers in The Boys' Cuchulain (1904). William Butler Yeats wrote
4088-517: The influence of classical literature, while considering the possibility that the stories may contain genuinely ancient material from oral tradition. J. P. Mallory thus found the archaeological record and linguistic evidence to generally disfavour the presence of Iron Age remnants in the Ulster and Mythological Cycles, but emphasised the links to the Corlea Trackway in the earlier Tochmarc Étaíne as
4161-458: 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. Despite its historic Gaeltacht , Louth has the lowest percentage of Irish speakers of any county in the State. Just 31.8% of the population stated that they could speak any level of Irish in
4234-402: The north of the county, and Drogheda , located in the south on the border with County Meath . These two towns combined comprise approximately 58.9% of the county's total population, and are the 6th- and 7th- largest urban areas in Ireland respectively. Overall, Drogheda is the larger of the two. Louth has experienced a rapid rate of population growth since the 1960s, nearly doubling in size in
4307-409: The population was older than 65. Of this latter group, 4,591 people (3.3 per cent) were over the age of 80. The population was evenly split between females (50.68 per cent) and males (49.32 per cent). In 2021, there were 1,677 births within the county, and the average age of a first time mother was 30.5. The most populous towns in Louth as of the 2022 census were (population in parentheses): As of
4380-520: The province of Connacht to get around this problem. However, the chronology of early Irish historical tradition is an artificial attempt by Christian monks to synchronise native traditions with classical and biblical history, and it is possible that historical wars between the Ulaid and the Connachta have been chronologically misplaced. Along with the Lebor Gabála Érenn , elements of the Ulster Cycle were for centuries regarded as historical in Ireland, and
4453-510: The same, except she taught the Gáe Bulg feat only to Cuchulainn. He later used it in single combat against Ferdiad. They were fighting in a ford, and Ferdiad had the upper hand; Cúchulainn's charioteer, Láeg , floated the Gáe Bulg down the stream to his master, who cast it into Ferdiad's body, piercing the warrior's armor and "coursing through the highways and byways of his body so that every single joint filled with barbs." Ferdiad died soon after. On
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#17328526795344526-500: The second element, bulga , from a Proto-Celtic compound *balu-gaisos meaning "spear of mortal pain/death spear" (comparable to Old Irish fogha "spear, dart", from Proto-Celtic *uo-gaisu- ). Once the second element *gaisos "spear" was no longer recognizable to Irish speaker, its Old Irish cognate, gáe , was reattached to the beginning for clarification, forming a new, tautological compound. Ulster Cycle The Ulster Cycle ( Irish : an Rúraíocht ), formerly known as
4599-421: The several small cycles of tales involving the early dominance of the Érainn in Ireland generally predate the majority of the Ulster Cycle tales in content, if not in their final forms, and are believed to be of a substantially more pre-Christian character. Several of these do not even mention the famous characters from the Ulster Cycle, and those that do may have been slightly reworked after its later expansion with
4672-409: The smallest of Ireland's 32 counties by area. It is the 17th most populous county, making it the fourth most densely populated county on the island of Ireland. It is the smallest of Leinster's 12 counties in size and the 6th-largest by population. Louth is bordered by four counties – Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north, and Down to the northeast. It bounded to the east by
4745-489: The song "Tale of Cú Chulainn" on his 2020 album Level 11. County Louth County Louth ( / l aʊ ð / LOWDH ; Irish : Contae Lú ) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland , within the province of Leinster . Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the north-east, across Carlingford Lough . It
4818-431: 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
4891-469: 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 2022 Census. This demographic has increased by 202% in a little over a decade (2011 to 2022), from 5,485 to 16,556. People with no religion now account for 11.9% of the county's population, up from 8% in 2016. The fastest growing religions in
4964-571: The victim to retrieve it. This was the case in Cúchulainn's slaying of Ferdiad. As it is stated in Ciaran Carson's translation of The Táin: Láeg came forward and cut Fer Diad open and took out the Gáe Bolga. Cú Chulainn saw his weapon bloody and crimson from Fer Diad's body... Traditionally, the name has been translated as "belly spear", with the second element of the name, bulga , being treated as
5037-453: Was an attempt to compel Irish families in the Pale , including Louth, to adopt English surnames. In 1189, a royal charter was granted to Dundalk after a Norman nobleman named Bertram de Verdun erected a manor house at Castletown Mount. Bertram's granddaughter Roesia de Verdun later built Castle Roche in 1236. In 1412, a royal charter was granted to Drogheda which unified the towns of Drogheda-in- Meath and Drogheda-in- Uriel (Louth) as
5110-425: Was finally defeated and Edward was killed in the Battle of Faughart near Dundalk, by a chiefly local force led by John de Bermingham . He was created 1st Earl of Louth and granted estates at Ardee on 12 May 1319 as a reward for his services to the Crown in defeating the Scots. De Bermingham was subsequently killed in the Braganstown massacre on 13 June 1329 along with some 200 members of his family and household, in
5183-417: Was made from the bone of a sea monster , the Curruid, that had died while fighting another sea monster, the Coinchenn. Although some sources make it out to be simply a particularly deadly spear , others—notably the Book of Leinster —state that it could only be used under very specialized, ritual conditions: The Gáe Bulg had to be made ready for use on a stream and cast from the fork of the toes. It entered
5256-562: Was on the main route to ' the Moiry Pass ' and the Ulster areas often in rebellion and as yet uncolonised. Oliver Cromwell attacked Drogheda in 1649 slaughtering the Royalist garrison and hundreds of the town's citizens. Towards the end of the same century, the armies of the warring Kings, James II and William (III) of Orange , faced off in south Louth during the build-up to the Battle of the Boyne ;
5329-402: 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 at the age of 89. However, extensive recordings of
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