Cooley Peninsula, County Louth

The Cooley Peninsula is home to the epic tale of the “Táin Bó Cúailgne” also known as “The Cattle Raid of Cooley”, which depicts Cúchulainn’s defence of Ulster against the invading armies of Maeve of Connaught . This epic tale alongside those told of Fionn MacCumhaill (who rests on the slopes of Slieve Foy) are among the best known stories from Ireland’s wealth of myths and legends.

But there is a lot more to the Cooley Peninsula besides being the setting for the most famous cattle raid in history. It is an area of diverse landscape and spectacular scenery. Bounded by Carlingford Lough and Dundalk Bay, it covers an area of roughly 60 square miles of mountain ranges, flat fertile plains, wide valleys, forests and long beaches. The peninsula’s previous occupants left an assortment of relics for us to ponder and wonder at including neolithic tombs, ringforts, castles, early Christian sites, medieval buildings and more.