Contains two main towns, Dundalk and Drogheda, Dundalk being the bigger of the two, pop. approx. 35/40000. Dundalk is seen one of the main emerging technological areas in Ireland, with the arrival of Xerox in the town, creating thousands of jobs, and helping to lift Dundalk from its reputation as a violent and dangerous place.
Recent reports of two murders and various gun attacks have done little to counter this, but an audience with former US president Bill Clinton, in turn with the arrival of Xerox, is what people will remember most fondly about this lovely town.
Jokingly known as "El Paso" by many, due to its location to the border between Ulster and the republic, Dundalk used to be a hot bed of IRA and terrorist activity, with many IRA "families" living in the town.
It was, and still is, taboo to talk about, let alone discredit the organisation among certain circles in the community. However, the Omagh Bombing brought with it a new sense of hatred towards the IRA. It was the last straw in a spate of senseless bombings carried out over the years in which many innocents men, women and children, both Catholic and Protestant, lost their lives.
The community of Dundalk came together in a show of defiance to the murderers, to the "masterminds" behind the bombing.
Micheal McKevitt, husband to Bernadette Sands McKevitt. Sands McKevitt being the sister of republican martyr Bobby Sands, who lost his life by starving himself to death in defiance of the British government jailing them as criminal terrorists, where they claimed to be political prisoners.
The McKevitts were members of the local community, they owned two businesses in
Dundalk, a print shop and a take away food joint. They seemed like a normal
family, with one big difference. They were the head of something called the 32 Counties Sovreignty Party, a party who believed that Ireland is 32 counties, and not 26. They were the face of the
real IRA, the Omagh Bombers.
All of Dundalk wanted them out, gone. Thousands marched upon the town centre demanding justice for the wrong doings committed against the people of Omagh. I saw my own mother, carrying a bunch or dyed black roses being interviewed on Sky News, outlining the feelings of the townspeople. They would take no more.
Got slightly carried away there, sorry. In conclusion, Louth is a beautiful, peaceful place, despite popular opinion. I have lived there for 23 years, and I find the warmth and friendliness of the people of Dundalk to be unlike any other town in Ireland. There is something special about the Louth sense of humour. Take any joke in the world, and it will sound ten times as funny coming from a Louth person. That's the way it is!