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Louth () is a village at the heart of
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 is roughly 11 km south-west of the town of
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
, 10.9 km to neighbouring town Ardee. The village is approximately 15 km south-east of
Carrickmacross Carrickmacross () is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town and environs had a population of 5,032 according to the 2016 census, making it the second-largest town in the county. Carrickmacross is a market town which developed around a ca ...
town in
County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Cou ...
. The village gave its name to the county.


Etymology

The village is named after
Lugh Lugh or Lug (; ga, label=Modern Irish, Lú ) is a figure in Irish mythology. A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a group of supernatural beings, Lugh is portrayed as a warrior, a king, a master craftsman and a savior.Olmsted, Garrett. ''The God ...
, a god of the ancient Irish, and may once have been the site of a
shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...
dedicated to the god. Historically, the place-name was spelt in variously different ways such as; "''Lughmhagh"'', "''Lughmhadh"'' and "''Lughbhadh"''. The first is thought to mean "Lugh's plain" or "Lugh's field", but the meaning of the other two is unclear. ''Lú'' is the modern simplified spelling.


History

According to tradition,
Mochta Saint Mochta (or Mochtae, Mahew, Mochteus, Maucteus, Mauchteus; died 20 August 535, or A.D. 537), was the last surviving disciple of Saint Patrick. Life Mochta was, like Patrick, a native of Britain. His name is British, and Adomnán's ''Life ...
—a Christian missionary from
Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
—founded a
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
at Louth in the 6th century, known today as
St. Mochta's House St. Mochta's House is a medieval Oratory (worship), oratory and National Monument (Ireland), National Monument in County Louth, Ireland. Location St. Mochta's House is located to the northwest of Louth, County Louth, Louth village. History M ...
. In the 1920s the structure was completely dismantled and rebuilt in an attempt to save it from damage caused by ivy. In the 12th century, Saint Mary's Monastery was built approximately 50m east, but today lies in ruins after the dissolution of the monasteries under the English king
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
. The current structure dates mainly from the 1300s it is believed that Edward Bruce of Scotland stayed at the priory in 1315, leading to the estate being fined by the English crown. The remnants of a motte-and-bailey castle stand in a private field overlooking much of the village, on the edge of the Artoney townland. The eight meter tall motte - known locally as the Fairy Mound - is the highest point in the village and in Norman times had a wooden structure atop. 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 , piece known locally as The Pinnacle, suddenly collapsed overnight. The
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
Church of the Immaculate Conception, which was built in 1892, sits atop a hill overlooking the village and surrounding area. It’s interior was destroyed in 2003 by an accidental fire, started during renovation work, leaving only the exterior walls and spire standing. In early 2006, it reopened with a renovated modern-style interior. The local GAA team took the name St. Mochtas and play at the nearby Pairc Mochta founded in 1949, in honour of the saint who founded the small church in the village in the 6th century. The local primary school, St. Mochta's NS, was established in 1973.


Annalistic references

* ''AI818.2 The shrine of Mochta of Lugmad in flight before Aed, son of Niall, and it came to Les Mór.''


People

The population of the village doubled from 373 inhabitants as of the 1991 census to 735 people as of the 2016 census. The village was home to former
Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...
Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parli ...
(TD) Eddie Filgate. Filgate was first elected to the 21st Dáil at the 1977 general election in the Louth constituency. He died in 2017, aged 101, at which time he was living next to the site of his childhood home on the outskirts of the village, in the Priorstate townland.


See also

* List of towns and villages in Ireland * List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Louth)


References

{{Authority control
Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * Cou ...