Baltray (historically ''Ballytra'', from ) is a village and

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It sits on the northern shore of the

River Boyne The River Boyne ( ga, An Bhóinn or ''Abhainn na Bóinne'') is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newberry Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows towards the Northeast through C ...

estuary.

Amenities

The village has developed since the latter half of the twentieth century as a dormitory village serving the nearby town of

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

, which is located inland, to the west of Baltray. Baltray has a public house. Baltray is home to the

County Louth Golf Club County Louth Golf Club is a links golf course located in the village of Baltray, County Louth in Ireland. It is situated approximately 4 miles from the town of Drogheda. The Irish Open professional golf tournament which is part of the PGA Euro ...

. This links course has hosted several championships over its history, including the Irish Open in 2004 and 2009. The area is also known for the "Baltray standing stones", a group of

megalith A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...

Transport

Bus Éireann Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Ireland, with the exception of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidia ...

route 189 serves Baltray several times a day (but not Sundays) linking it to

Duleek Duleek (; ) is a small town in County Meath, Ireland. Duleek takes its name from the Irish word ''daimh liag'', meaning house of stones and referring to an early stone-built church, St Cianán's Church, the ruins of which are still visible in Du ...

, Ashbourne,

Termonfeckin Termonfeckin or Termonfechin () is a small village and townland in County Louth, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is within the parish of the same name, and lies north-east of Drogheda. The population of the village tripled in the 20 years betw ...

and

Clogherhead Clogherhead () is a fishing village in County Louth, Ireland. Located in a natural bay on the east coast it is bordered by the villages of Annagassan to the north and Termonfeckin to the south. It has a population of 2,145 according to the 2 ...

Drogheda railway station Drogheda MacBride railway station ( ga, Stáisiún Droichead Átha Mac Giolla Bhríde) serves Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland. Description The present station is located on a sharp curve on the southern approach to the Boyne Viaduct. Forme ...

is approximately 8 km distant.

Conservation

Baltray is home to the Little Tern Conservation Project which is run by Louth Nature Trust. The project began in 2007 and runs each year from May to August when part of the beach at the Haven is fenced to protect nesting Little Terns. These birds are an Annex 1 species under the EU Birds Directive (79/409/EEC), thus EU member states are required to take special conservation measures to ensure that little terns remain at a favourable conservation status.

References

Towns and villages in County Louth Townlands of County Louth {{Louth-geo-stub