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Photo of the last ray of sun on Kilwirra Church, Templetown, Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland

Louth, Ireland

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Photo of the last ray of sun on Kilwirra Church, Templetown, Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland
Kilwirra Church, Templetown, Dundalk, County Louth | © Delphine | Adobe Stock

Louth is the smallest county by area in Ireland but the most densely populated after Dublin. It lies on the east coast, next to the border with Northern Ireland. Louth has a well-developed agricultural sector and the peace dividend of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement has seen an upturn in multi-national investment. According to the 2022 Census, the population in Louth grew 8% to almost 140,000. Disposable income per person is close to the national average and the highest among the border counties. Louth’s proximity and good transport connections to Dublin means that it has become part of the wider ‘commuter belt’ of the capital, pushing median house prices to the level of some Dublin districts.

Examples of projects and initiatives supported by the EU

Social housing in Dunleer

With the support of a €120 million European Investment Bank loan, Louth County Council was able to build 80 new homes in Dunleer. The homes were delivered under the Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, which accelerates the provision of social housing, and addresses the needs of homeless people and families in emergency accommodation. 

LEADER: Supporting rural communities and enterprises

Louth LEADER Partnership got€1.35 million in LEADER funds for the 2021-2022 transition period. A key theme was rural connectivity and the funds were used to roll out broadband internet across Louth in local community centres and remote working hubs in Carlingford, Dromiskin, Lannleire and Drogheda. For the 2023-2027 funding period, Louth will get €4.9 million to support rural communities.

Supporting people living with dementia and their carers

The Netwell CASALA Centre in Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) is developing a new digital toolkit that will support people living with dementia, together with their formal and informal carers, to self-manage their care. This project is supported by the EU Regional Development Fund, through the Frontiers for the Future programme. 

Consolidating the peace; building communities

PEACEPLUS is a new €1.1 billion EU programme to support peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland, including Louth. It runs from 2021 to 2027, building upon the work of the previous PEACE and INTERREG Programmes, to consolidate the peace and build thriving communities. 

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