Louth, County Louth
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Louth Lú
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The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Louth
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 Louth
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| Coordinates: 53°57′04″N 6°32′28″W / 53.951°N 6.541°WCoordinates: 53°57′04″N 6°32′28″W / 53.951°N 6.541°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Louth |
| Elevation | 34 m (112 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Urban | 715 |
| • Rural | 757 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | H957011 |
Louth (Irish: Lú) is a village at the heart of County Louth, Ireland. It is roughly 11 km south-west of the town of Dundalk, 10.9 km to neighbouring town Ardee. The village is only a short distance of 15 km south-east to Carrickmacross town, Co.Monaghan. The village gave its name to the county.
The village is named after Lugh, a god of the ancient Irish, and may once have been the site of a shrine dedicated to the god. Historically, the placename was variously spelt Lughmhagh, Lughmhadh and Lughbhadh. The first may mean "Lugh's plain" or "Lugh's field", but the meaning of the other two is unclear. Lú is the modern simplified spelling.
According to tradition, Mochta—a Christian missionary from Britain—founded a monastery at Louth in the 4th century. This is known as St. Mochta's House. In the 12th century, Saint Mary's Abbey was built. However, both are now in ruins. The local GAA team took the name St. Mochtas and play at Pairc Mochta founded in 1949-2016.
Until early in the 21st century, the village was also home to the last remnants of St John's Abbey. The last standing portion of the walls of the monastery, a 12-foot-high (3.7 m), 4-foot-wide (1.2 m) piece known locally as The Pinnacle, suddenly collapsed overnight.
At the heart of the village is the Church of the Immaculate Conception, which was built in 1892, and sits atop a hill overlooking the village and surrounding area. It was destroyed in 2003 by an accidental fire, started during renovation work, leaving only the exterior walls and spire standing, the inferno which had gutted the 110 year old church. In early 2006, it reopened with a modern-style interior.
The population has increased in the last decade, with a programme of building of new homes in and around the village. In 2002, it had a population of 514, an increase of 28 per cent in six years.
The village is home to the former Fianna Fáil politician TD for Louth, Eddie Filgate who served for 5 years as Teachta Dála (TD) for the Louth constituency. Filgate was first elected to the 21st Dáil at the 1977 general election. He was re-elected twice, at the 1981 and the February 1982 general elections. He did not contest the November 1982 general election. Eddie celebrated his 100th Birthday last year. Eddie Filgate is 101 this year, he remains a resident beside his original home house in louth village. Eddie Filgate is currently the oldest living man in Louth Village.
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