The cradle of Irish civilization and the Celts’ spiritual home, the Midlands encompass some of Ireland’s most sacred and symbolic sites. Situated at the head of broad Dundalk Bay this is the principal town and administrative capital of Co. Louth. Dundalk has a great historical past and is closely associated with Cuchulainn, hero of the legendary Red Branch Knights. Today the town is busy and progressive manufacturing centre. Dundalk's amenities include a racecourse, greyhound track and an 18-hole golf course at the seaside suburb of Blackrock 5 km south of the town.
Dundalk once marked the northernmost point of the Pale, the area controlled by the English during the Middle Ages. Now it is the last major town before the Northern Irish border. Dundalk is also a gateway to the magnificent countryside of the Cooley Peninsula. The County Museum is housed in an 18th-century distillery in the town. In three exhibition galleries it gives an imaginative history of the county, from the Stone Age to the present day.
