Omeath Ó Méith
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Town | |
Looking across Carlingford Lough to Omeath
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Location in Ireland | |
Coordinates: 54°05′24″N 6°15′30″W / 54.09°N 6.258333°WCoordinates: 54°05′24″N 6°15′30″W / 54.09°N 6.258333°W | |
Country | Ireland |
Province | Leinster |
County | County Louth |
Population (2011) | |
• Urban | 503 |
Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
• Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
Irish Grid Reference | J137168 |
Website | www.omeath.ie |
Omeath (Irish: Ó Méith) is a village on the R173 regional road in County Louth, Ireland, close to the border with Northern Ireland. It is roughly midway between Dublin and Belfast, very near the County Louth and County Armagh / County Down border. Omeath has a population of 439, in 2006, 503 in 2011 and is approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) from Carlingford and about 8 km (5.0 mi) from Newry. By sea, its nearest land neighbour is Warrenpoint on the south County Down coast.
Omeath is home to the Cúchulainn Gaels Gaelic Athletic Association club.
It is named after Muireadheach Méith (méith= the fat) and was originally called Uí Méith Mara, by the sea, to distinguish it from another Ó Méith named after the same man.
Native Irish speakers existed in Omeath until just before the middle of the 20th century. Although the dialect is now extinct, recordings have been made by German linguist Wilhelm Doegen for the Royal Irish Academy.
Omeath railway station was on the Dundalk, Newry and Greenore railway, which opened on 1 August 1876 and finally closed on 1 January 1952.
A regular bus service runs through the village and links the village with Newry and Dundalk town. Bus Éireann operate the route which is numbered 161. There are four weekday journeys to Dundalk via Carlingford and Greenore. There are three journeys to Newry with an additional morning journey on schooldays. There is no service on Sundays.