Things to do in Co. Louth
14 places
1.Clogherhead Cliff Walk
a 30-minute cliff walk with Mourne Mountain views
A short, big-view clamber over Clogherhead's rocky headland — the only high headland on Ireland's east coast between the Mourne Mountains and Howth — with a Blue Flag beach and a beachfront coffee stop at the bottom.
- Highlights
- Only high rocky headland between the Mourne Mountains and Howth
- Short route to the lookout: about 30 minutes
- Longer loop back via the harbour: about 1 hour 15
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
2.Carlingford to Omeath Greenway
a 19km cross-border greenway on an old railway line
A 19km cross-border greenway along Carlingford Lough, built on an old railway line, linking Carlingford Marina with Omeath and Newry beneath the Cooley and Mourne Mountains.
- Highlights
- 19km largely off-road route from Carlingford Marina to Newry
- Carlingford Marina–Omeath section: 6.5km of flat tarmac, resurfaced in 2024
- Boardwalk built above the Newry River to Victoria Lock
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
3.Rathescar Lakeside Walk
a 1km lakeside loop with swans and autumn colour
A tucked-away loop through beech woods and along a quiet lake near Dunleer, alive with swans, ducks and birdsong — a free, family-friendly stop in County Louth.
- Highlights
- Easy 1 km (0.6 mile) circular lakeside trail
- Swans, ducks, coot and moorhen on the water
- Beech and oak woodland full of birdsong
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly
4.Ravensdale Forest Recreation Area
A 506m summit, standing stones and free trails
A quiet Coillte woodland on the slopes of the Cooley Mountains, where waymarked trails climb to the 506m summit of Black Mountain past standing stones and old driving roads.
- Highlights
- 1.3 km Ravensdale Loop (red markers)
- Táin Trail and Ring of Gullion waymarked routes
- Standing stones a short detour off the loop
- Facilities
- Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access
5.An Táin Arts Centre
350-seat theatre, gallery and artist studios
An Táin Arts Centre is Dundalk's home for the arts, packing a 350-seat theatre, a 55-seat studio, the Basement Gallery and artist studios into one town-centre building.
- Highlights
- Two theatres: a 350-seat main house and a 55-seat studio
- Free Basement Gallery exhibitions, no booking required
- Louth International Film Festival every September
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
6.Castle Roche
A 13th-century castle built by a woman
A remote 13th-century Norman ruin perched on a rocky limestone outcrop, said to be the first castle built by a woman in Ireland — and the scene of a legendary "murder window".
- Highlights
- 13th-century castle founded by Lady Rohesia de Verdun
- Triangular curtain walls and twin-towered gatehouse
- Sweeping views over Louth and the Fews of South Armagh
- Facilities
- Good for kids
7.Ice House Hill Park
a 1780s ice house hidden in a town park
A quiet town park built around a rare 1780s stone ice house, with a duck pond, rolling lawns and wide gravel paths a few minutes from Dundalk's centre.
- Highlights
- Rare double-vaulted stone ice house, c.1780
- Two-acre duck pond with fountains
- Hilltop views across Dundalk
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access
8.Irish Folklore Park
Meet Ireland's last Leprechaun Whisperer underground
An underground cavern on the shore of Carlingford Lough where Kevin Woods — Ireland's last Leprechaun Whisperer — tells the story of the country's surviving 236 leprechauns before leading you below the earth to their tunnels.
- Highlights
- Ireland's last Leprechaun Whisperer
- Underground leprechaun and fairy cavern
- 236 leprechauns protected by the EU since 2009
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
9.Skypark of Carlingford
Longest aerial course in the country
Ireland's largest adventure park, spread over a hillside outside Carlingford, packs the country's longest aerial course, the giant Skynet bounce-net course and a 776 m² wooden maze into one activity pass.
- Highlights
- Ireland's largest adventure park
- The longest aerial adventure course in Ireland
- Skynet: Ireland's biggest netted adventure
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
10.Stephenstown Pond
lakeside walks, wildlife and a carp fishery
A lakeside nature park near Knockbridge in County Louth, with woodland walkways, a wildlife-rich pond, a children's playground and its own coffee dock. The ponds and paths are the work of the mid-Louth community project that opened the site to the public in 1996.
- Highlights
- Lakeside walkways and woodlands
- 18 interpretative nature boards
- At least 57 species of tree and shrub
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access
11.Carlingford Adventure Centre
thirty zip lines plus a wheelchair-accessible one
Carlingford's three-in-one adventure hub — land, sea and sky — with kayaking and raft-building on Carlingford Lough, nine acres of woodland laser combat, and Ireland's longest aerial adventure course at sister park SkyPark.
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
12.Carlingford Castle
Norman stronghold where King John stayed in 1210
A late 12th-century Norman stronghold that dominates Carlingford's skyline above the lough, still known as King John's Castle after England's king seized it in 1210.
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
13.Funtasia Theme Park | Drogheda
16 indoor attractions and a waterpark under one roof
Funtasia is Drogheda's big rain-or-shine leisure complex, packing 16 attractions under one roof — the three-new-slide Pirate's Cove Waterpark, bowling, laser tag, soft play, climbing and fairground rides. Everything is pay-as-you-go, so you can drop in and pick what suits without a day ticket.
- Highlights
- 16 indoor attractions
- Three new water slides at Pirate's Cove
- 14-lane bowling alley
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
14.The Pirates Den
Dundalk's big blue slide and ball volcano
Since 2006, Pirates Den has been Dundalk's indoor play centre, a soft-play world of a famous big blue slide, a ball volcano and a football area that kids keep coming back to.
- Highlights
- Big blue slide
- Ball volcano
- Football skills area
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access