Omeath

Omeath
Ó Méith
Town
Looking across Carlingford Lough to Omeath
Omeath
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 54°05′24″N 6°15′30″W / 54.09°N 6.258333°W / 54.09; -6.258333Coordinates: 54°05′24″N 6°15′30″W / 54.09°N 6.258333°W / 54.09; -6.258333
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
County County Louth
Population (2011)
 • Urban 503
Time zone UTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference J137168
Website www.omeath.ie

Omeath (Irish: Ó Méith) is a village on the R173 regional road in County Louth, Ireland, close to the border with Northern Ireland. It is roughly midway between Dublin and Belfast, very near the County Louth and County Armagh / County Down border. Omeath has a population of 439,[1] in 2006, 503 in 2011 and is approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) from Carlingford and about 8 km (5.0 mi) from Newry. By sea, its nearest land neighbour is Warrenpoint on the south County Down coast.

Omeath is home to the Cúchulainn Gaels Gaelic Athletic Association club.

Name

The former Omeath railway station

It is named after Muireadheach Méith (méith= the fat) and was originally called Uí Méith Mara, by the sea, to distinguish it from another Ó Méith named after the same man.

Irish language

Speakers of Irish existed in Omeath until the middle of the 20th century. The last native speaker of Omeath Irish was Anne O'Hanlon, who died in 1960 aged 89.[2] Although the dialect is now extinct, recordings have been made by German linguist Wilhelm Doegen for the Royal Irish Academy.[3]

Transport

Omeath railway station was on the Dundalk, Newry and Greenore railway, which opened on 1 August 1876 and finally closed on 1 January 1952.[4]

A regular bus service runs through the village and links the village with Newry and Dundalk town. Bus Éireann Route 161 operates Monday to Friday,[5] and Halpenny Travel operate a service on Sundays with journeys to Dundalk and Newry.[6]

In the summer months a regular foot passenger ferry service operates between Omeath and Warrenpoint County Down. Bikes and small motor cycles can also use this service during the summer months.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Louth County Council - Omeath Area Plan Archived 2011-06-21 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ "Gaeilge Cho Lú 1961". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-02-14. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
  4. ↑ "Omeath station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-12-17. Retrieved 2018-01-27.
  6. ↑ "Louth Linx Rural Transport Routes". Fastwindow.ie. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
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