Love Your County: Louth

As part of JOE’s continued series of Love Your County, today we look at the smallest county in Ireland and home of the 1957 All-Ireland champions.

Sporting moment: All-Ireland champions 1957

In the summer of 2010, the footballers of Louth nearly had their biggest day in the sun since landing Sam Maguire in 1957, but a controversial finish in the Leinster Final saw them lose in a heart-breaking manner.

Fifty-three years beforehand the Louth men claimed their third All-Ireland victory in what was a roller-coaster day for captain Dermot O’Brien, with the showband star taking the armband for the semi-final win when Patsy Coleman was injured. The Ardee men tossed a coin for the captaincy on the big day which O’Brien won, though he was late to the ground and only got onto the pitch after the parade, while Coleman kept the match ball after defeating Cork in the final.

Visit Mellifont Abbey

In its Anglo-Norman prime, Mellifont Abbey was the Cistercians’ first and most magnificent centre in the country. Although the ruins are highly evocative and well worth exploring, they still don’t do real justice to the site’s former splendour. Well worth a visit

Carlingford Lough

Forming part of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, Louth lies on the southern shores of the glacial fjord. In 2008, the area was designated a European Destination of Excellence bad and is home to many different events and festivals.

Highlights include the Carlingford Oyster Festival, Newry Arts Festival, The "Maiden of the Mournes" in Warrenpoint, Rostrevor's "Fiddlers Green International Folk Festival"' and the Mourne Walking Festival which involves a wide programme of events at a variety of locations.