County Louth is the smallest County in Ireland, also known as "the Wee County." It is nestled on the north-eastern seaboard of Leinster, ideally positioned midway between the cities of Dublin and Belfast.County Louth has a rich medieval past and contains some fine heritage sites including the monastic Mellifont Abbey, the stones of Proleek Dolmen, the striking High Crosses and round tower at Monasterboice and the ancient site of the Battle of the Boyne. The historic towns of Drogheda, Dundalk, Carlingford and Ardee are full of interesting heritage buildings.

Lough is a county steeped in myth, legend, and history, going back to the pre-historical days of the Táin Bó Cúailnge (Cooley Cattle Raid). Later, it saw the influence of the Vikings as seen in the name of Carlingford Lough.

The kingdom of Oriel, established in the 4th century and comprising Louth, Monaghan, and Armagh, was conquered by Anglo-Norman invaders, and in 1185 Prince John annexed the barony of Louth to the English crown. In the early fourteenth century, the Scottish army of Edward Bruce (brother of Robert of Bannockburn fame) was defeated in the battle of Faughart near Dundalk, Edward losing not only his claim to the High Kingship Of Ireland, but also his life.

Under Richard II, late in the 14th century, Louth was included in the English Pale. The towns of Drogheda and Dundalk became important, and parliaments were sometimes held in them. In Tudor times (16th century), Dundalk was often a marshalling place for armies that advanced north into Ulster through the Dundalk gap. Notable relics of the monastic period of the Celtic church are in Mellifont and Monasterboice; castles of the Anglo-Norman era are relatively numerous.

The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries featured many skirmishes and battles involving Irish and English forces. Oliver Cromwell attacked Drogheda in 1649 slaughtering the Royalist garrison (Siege of Drogheda). Towards the end of the same century the armies of the warring Kings, James and William, faced off in North Louth during the build-up to the Battle of the Boyne - the battle takes its name from the river Boyne which reaches the sea at Drogheda.

Most of Louth is part of a central lowland, generally about 200 feet (60 metres) above sea level, and occurrences of glacial drift are found everywhere. Only one-eighth of the county is unimproved land, of which the largest stretch is in the mountains of the Carlingford Peninsula in the northeast. Many patches of peat bog have been cleared and the land used for pasture and crops.