Cooley Peninsula

The Cooley Peninsula (from Irish: Cuaille,[1] older Cúalṅge)[2] is a hilly peninsula in County Louth, Ireland, which includes the small town of Carlingford, the port of Greenore and the village of Omeath.

Cooley Peninsula
Cuaille
Location of the Cooley Peninsula
Geography
LocationIreland
Adjacent bodies of water
Area155 km2 (60 sq mi)
Highest elevation589 m (1932 ft)
Highest pointSlieve Foy
Administration
CountyLouth
Demographics
Population9,212 (2016)
Pop. density59.4/km2 (153.8/sq mi)

The Cooley Peninsula's highest point, Slieve Foy, as seen from Carlingford

Geography

The peninsula contains the Cooley Mountains, the highest of which, Slieve Foy, is also the highest peak in County Louth at 589 metres (1,932 ft). To the north is Carlingford Lough and the border with Northern Ireland; to the south is Dundalk Bay. The peninsula is ringed by the R173 regional road.

The peninsula is geologically diverse, with 440-million-year-old Silurian greywacke sandstones in the northwest and southwest, 340-million-year-old limestones in the east, and 60-million-year-old volcanic rocks forming the Cooley Mountains.

Antiquity

In Irish mythology Cooley (Old Irish Cúalnge) was the home of the bull Donn Cuailnge, and the site of the Táin Bó Cúailnge "Cattle Raid of Cooley". Ancient monuments in Cooley include the Proleek Dolmen,[3] whose capstone weighs an estimated 35 tons (31.75 tonnes), and a Bronze Age gallery grave, both near Ballymascanlan.

Business

The peninsula is primarily agricultural territory, but is also home to a number of hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, the first new distillery in Ireland in decades, the Cooley Distillery opened by John Teeling on the site of a former potato alcohol factory, several warehouse and logistics facilities, a garden centre, two cafes and other businesses.

There is a car-ferry connection to Northern Ireland at Greenore.

Sport

The local Gaelic football and ladies' Gaelic football club is Cooley Kickhams, based south of Carlingford.

People

The Cooley Peninsula is the home of current Leinster and Irish rugby players, Rob Kearney and David Kearney. U.S. President Joe Biden has ancestors from the area. He shares a great-grandfather with the Kearney brothers. RTE sports commentator Jimmy Magee (1935-2017) was raised on the Cooley Peninsula.

References
  1. "Placenames Database of Ireland". Archived from the original on 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
  2. "Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language". Archived from the original on 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  3. DiscoverIreland.ie
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