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County
Louth is nestled on the north-eastern seaboard of Leinster, ideally
positioned midway between the cities of Dublin and Belfast. Ireland's
smallest county covers an area of 318 square miles with a population
in excess of 92,000. The name of Louth is derived from the Irish
word "Lu", referring to the River Lud or hollow. County
Louth has a rich medieval past and contains some fine heritage
sites including the monastic Mellifont Abbey, the stones of Proleek
Dolmen, the striking High Crosses and round tower at Monasterboice
and the ancient site of the Battle of the Boyne. The historic
towns of Drogheda, Dundalk, Carlingford and Ardee are full of
interesting heritage buildings.
Visitors to County Louth can enjoy a wide range of activities
set in some Ireland's most picturesque scenery. Louth boasts of
no less than 10 superb golf courses, 3 Blue Flag beaches and 3
adventure centres. The breathtaking Cooley Peninsula with its
heather-clad mountains offers marvellous walking and cycling.
Swimming, boating and sea angling can be found along County Louth's
sandy coastline. To the south of the county lies the doorway to
the beautiful Boyne Valley.
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| Principle
towns of County Louth |
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Dundalk
is the county capital and is the administrative centre of the
county. Other principle townships in County Louth are Drogheda,
Ardee and the heritage town of Carlingford. Please see our individual
town guides for further information.
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| Business
Information |
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County
Louth is fast becoming one of Ireland's principal industrial
centres. With the demise of local cigarette manufacturing and
automation of the brewing industry, Louth has attracted new
growth in the engineering and IT sectors. Two thirds of the
county's population lives in Dundalk and Drogheda thus giving
rise to greater urban development. Multinationals ICL and Xerox,
with their new Xerox Technology Park, dominate the software
manufacturing in County Louth. This initiative by Xerox will
make Ireland their manufacturing base for Europe.
The extensive foods and drinks production in Louth includes
meat processing, Heinz Custom Foods, Coca-Cola and Irish company
- Boyne Valley Foods. New industry is assisted by Enterprise
Ireland, the IDA, the Louth County Enterprise Board and the
Louth Leader Board.
Cross border trade is well supported by and represented in County
Louth with the development programme Acumen and the Chamberlink
programme via the Dundalk Chamber of Commerce. Regular initiatives
and conferences are held to promote trade between the border
towns.
County Louth's ideal location midway between Dublin and Belfast,
the motorway links south into County Dublin and the proximity
of deep sea ports to Dundalk and Drogheda all contribute to
the successful business development of the county.
| Helpful contact
details for business enquiries |
| Enterprise
Ireland |
Tel
(353) 042 9338371 |
| Louth
County Council |
Tel
(353) 042 9335457 |
| Louth
County Enterprise Board |
Tel
(353) 042 9327099 |
| Louth
Leader II Board |
Tel
(353) 042 6856804 |
| TEASASC |
Tel
(353) 042 9332263 |
| Dundalk
Chamber of Commerce |
Tel
(353) 042 9336343 |
| Drogheda
Chamber of Commerce |
Tel
(353) 041 9833544 |
| IDA
Ireland Regional Office |
Tel
(353) 042 9331261 |
| Other sources of
finance applicable to business start up, development and
acquisition, and related agencies are as follows: |
| Credit
Unions: |
TEL
(353) 01 490 8911 |
| National
Irish Bank: |
TEL
(353) 01 678 5066 |
| Ulster
Bank (Small Enterprise Unit): |
TEL
(353) 01 677 7623 |
| Bank
of Ireland Enterprise Support Unit: |
contact
any branch |
Allied
Irish Bank Strategic Development
Business Banking: |
TEL
(353) 01 660 0311 |
| Smurfit
Job Creation Enterprise Fund: |
TEL
(353) 01 478 4091 |
The
Dept. Of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: TEL (353)
01 661 4444; www.irlgov.ie/entemp has extensive
and very helpful advice on all aspects of business employment
in Ireland, including a business start up information pack which
is superbly put together and includes everything from planning,
funding, locating, employing people and business development.
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| Travel
(see also town guides) |
|
County
Louth is close to the major points of entry to Ireland on the
east coast. The nearest international airports are Aer Rianta
Dublin to the south and Belfast International Airport to the
north. The seaports of Dun Laoghaire in County Dublin and Larne
in County Antrim offer a wide choice of ferry services.
The main trunk road from Dublin to Belfast crosses the county
making Louth easily accessible from other parts of Ireland.
Bus Eireann operate an efficient bus service throughout the
county. Irish Rail's train service from Dublin to Belfast runs
through Drogheda and Dundalk in County Louth.
Airports
Belfast International Airport (44) 01849 422888
www.bial.co.uk
Aer
Rianta Dublin Airport (353) 01 814 1111
www.dublin-airport.com
Ferry
P&O European Ferries (44) 0870 2424777
www.poef.com
Stena
Line (353) 01 2047700
www.stenaline.com
Irish
Ferries (353) 01 555 1995
www.irishferries.ie
Train
Iarnrod Eireann - Irish Rail (353) 041 9838749
www.club.ie/railnet
Bus
Bus Eireann (353) 042 9334075
www.buseireann.ie
Tourism,
Leisure, Accommodation (please see town guides)
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