County Louth is the smallest county in Ireland, but includes two of the region’s major towns, Drogheda and Dundalk. Inland it has a gentle landscape of hills and lakes, which grows more dramatic towards the east where the Mountains of Mourne loom across Carlingford Lough.

All around Drogheda, stretching into County Meath, is a rich cluster of prehistoric and Celtic sites, great abbeys and castles. Drogheda began as two towns, one each side of the mouth of the River Boyne. They were joined by the Anglo-Norman Hugh de Lacy and it was the largest English town in Ireland in 1412. Millmount, a vast, circular, grassy mound topped by a Martello tower, was first raised by the Celts, used by the Vikings for ceremonial purposes, and then fortified by the Normans.

Four miles from Drogheda, at the border with Co Meath, the armies of William of Orange and James II met in battle in July 1690. The impact of this battle on modern Irish history should not be underestimated.

Further north, the huge bird reserve at Dundalk Bay is a wonderful sight, with thousands of wading birds searching for food and shelter among the mudflats.