Dundalk is situated at the northern end of County Louth on Ireland's east coast and lies midway between Dublin and Belfast. The town is bordered on the northern side by the Cooley Mountains, on the east by the waters of Dundalk Bay and on the south and west by rolling hills or drumlins. The main drainage feature of the area is the Castletown river which rises in County Armagh and enters Dundalk Bay north of the town. A secondary source of drainage is the Blackwater river, rising in Kilkerley, it is diverted at Hill Street to form the Ramparts river.

The name Dundalk comes from the Gaelic Dún Dealgan (The Fort of Dealga). Dealga being a local chieftain of pre-Celtic origin, the fort was located at Castletown mount.

Around 3500 BC a group of people known as Neolithic people came to Ireland. One of the lasting features they left behind is the Proleek Dolmen ( the cap stone weighs in at 40 tons!!) at Ballymascanlon, on the northern side of Dundalk.

The Celts arrived in Ireland around 500BC having colonized most of Europe. The group that settled in North Louth were known as the Conaille Muirtheimhne and took their name from Conaill Carnagh, legendary chief of the Red Branch Knights of Ulster. Their land now forms upper and lower Dundalk. The poets in Celtic society were known as the fili and were responsible for mythological tales and legends. The most famous of these being the tales of The Red Branch Knights, The Táin Bó Cauilgne and Cuchullain.

In 1169 the Norman Army arrived in Ireland and set about conquering large areas of Ireland. In 1185 a Norman nobleman named Bertrum De Verdon erected a manor house at Castletown Mount. The town of Dundalk was developed as it lay close to an easy bridging point over the Castletown river.

In the 17^th century Lord Limerick, Earl of Clanbrassil created the modern town we know today. He was responsible for the construction of streets leading to the town center; his ideas came from many visits to Europe.

In the 19^th century the town grew in importance and many industries were set up in the local area. This development was helped considerably by the construction of a railway linking Dublin with Belfast, the expansion of the docks area or 'Quay' and the setting up of a board of commissioners to run the town.

The town continued to grow in the 20^th century. Many industries prospered and provided employment for generations of townspeople. Today many fine international companies have factories in Dundalk, from food-processing to high-tech computer components, 'Heinz', 'National Pen', 'Panasonic', 'Quantum', 'Accuray', 'Simm Strible' and two important breweries, The Great Northern Brewery and Cambricville (McArdle Moore).

The many fine first and second level schools in the area together with our excellent Regional Technical College provide a well educated young population to help Dundalk meet the challenges of the approaching 21^st century.

Researched and written by Niall (1997).

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