Derek O'Connor was invited to visit Louth by Failte Ireland for the purpose of this review.
I've always been a fan of the quick getaway. Not the kind that requires several weeks of military planning, a spreadsheet, connecting flights and a minor emotional breakdown somewhere along the way.
I'm talking about a proper quick getaway: somewhere gorgeous, somewhere fun and - most importantly - somewhere you can get to without needing a holiday to recover from the holiday.
And that’s why Louth is officially a hidden gem. A hop, skip and a jump from the capital and within easy reach of any number of cities, it’s the sort of place that makes you remember exactly why people get so worked up about this whole Ireland thing in the first place.
We're talking mountains, loughs, beaches, greenways, history, food and enough fresh air to make you feel positively virtuous before you’ve even had breakfast.
Our weekend began in Drogheda, a hub of creativity these days (be sure to check out the splendid Highlanes Gallery), where the town’s streets play host to a rather impressive outdoor art gallery.
Drogheda: mythology meets the walls
The DRAWDA urban art trail is a series of eight outdoor murals celebrating key figures and moments from Ireland’s mythological past, turning the town itself into a kind of open-air history book - only considerably more colourful.
Drogheda has long had an organic relationship with street art - now, thanks to a collaboration between Droichead Arts Centre, Love Drogheda B.I.D.S., Louth County Council and curator Dee Walsh, it has taken on a more curated form, with splendid results.
Works including Lula Goce’s Boann on Abbey Lane, Nina Valkhoff’s Étaín on Meat Market Lane and ThisIsFriz’s Morrígan on Patrick Street bring Irish mythology roaring into the urban streetscape. There’s even a self-guided audio trail.
After a wander through town, it was time for lunch at Strandfield Café in Ballymascanlon - a vegetarian café, florist and grocer set within the grounds of Strandfield House. There's a rather charming vintage shop on the grounds, to boot.
With farm-fresh produce a go-go and plenty of freshly baked goodies, not to mention a variety of wood-fired pizza options, it’s the sort of place where "just a quick lunch" become a fairly serious commitment: it should also be noted that the place was absolutely heaving with what looked like satisfied customers, ourselves included.
Carlingford: where the views do the heavy lifting
From there, we headed for Carlingford, and frankly, it’s showing off. Perched between Carlingford Lough and the Cooley Mountains, the scenery is of the sort that we do tend to take for granted. Here's the thing, though: it's stunning.
Our next adventure was the Carlingford Lough Greenway, where we hopped on electric bikes with On Yer Bike Cycle Hire at Carlingford Marina.
The route runs from Carlingford through Omeath and onwards towards Newry, with around 27km of cycling and some spectacular 360-degree views. Across the lough, the Mourne Mountains rise dramatically in County Down, while closer to hand there’s plenty of flora, fauna and shoreline scenery.
Watch: Cycling the Carlingford Lough Greenway
While I tend to be somewhat old school on the cycling front, an occasional electric bike is a treat - and hey, I'm on holiday.
There are plenty of places to stop along the way, including An Táin Café Bar, a charming dining spot with a formidable menu, where hearty food comes with a view. It’s a handy midway pit-stop - particularly if your cycling technique involves frequent discussions about the next feed. (Did I mention I'm on holiday?)
For families, the area is an easy win. There’s walking, cycling, kayaking and all manner of outdoor shenanigans, while those (koff koff) whose idea of adventure is finding a nice café and admiring the scenery are equally well catered for.
History, but make it pretty
Carlingford has plenty of history to get your teeth into too, with medieval streets, ancient ruins and the rather magnificent King John’s Castle. But history here doesn’t feel like homework.
The colourful streets, cosy cafés and welcoming atmosphere make it the kind of place where you can happily wander around with no particular plan, which is my favourite kind of plan.
If you’re after a little more adrenaline, Skypark Outdoor Adventures (situated just up the road) offers aerial courses, a sky zipline and an Ancient East maze. In other words, there are multiple opportunities to discover that bravery is actually a very relative concept - I took the opportunity to hone up on my axe-throwing skills, with a spot of archery for good measure.
Checking into Narrow Water
By evening, we arrived at Narrow Water Lodges in Cornamucklagh, Omeath — a new family-run accommodation offering surrounded by countryside and designed very much with comfort and relaxation in mind.
There’s a lovely family story behind the place. Dad, an engineer, built the lodges himself, while Mum took charge of the interiors. The result is stylish without being remotely stuffy: somewhere that feels beautifully finished but still completely at home in its surroundings. A right and proper getaway, it's a winner from the get-go.
The lodges will also soon feature in the new series of RTÉ One's At Your Service, meaning the Brennan brothers have already been through the doors, offering a few helpful pointers. We cannot wait to see what they made of the place.
Dinner is served
Dinner came courtesy of Carlingford's Bay Tree Restaurant, where we settled in after a busy day exploring.
There’s something particularly satisfying about a meal after a day outdoors. Everything tastes better. That said, the seafood options at the Bay Tree - we had several - would be considered sublime under any circumstances (their poly tunnel supplies the fresh herbs and salad leaves), and the helpful staff offer no shortage of recommendations on (a) where to go and (b) what to eat next. Also, killer desserts.
Sunday morning: one last adventure
Sunday arrived with sunshine, fresh air and the slightly alarming realisation that the weekend was nearly over. Thankfully, there was still time for one final bit of indulgence.
We headed for The Hot Box, where a Finnish wood-burning sauna sits in one of the most scenic locations imaginable, with the Mourne Mountains and Carlingford Lough providing the backdrop.
It’s a suitably relaxing finale: warm up, switch off and gaze out at the landscape, punctuated by the occasional plunge into the Lough. Something resembling total bliss.
After all that cycling, walking, exploring and eating, nobody was going to argue with stopping for a bit.
And that's the beauty of Louth. You can retreat without disappearing. You can have mountain rambles without needing hiking boots, adventure without an itinerary, history without a lecture, and enough scenery, food and fresh air to make a short break feel like a right and proper holiday (for two, in this case - we'll bring the kids next time).
Sometimes (whisper it) the best escapes are the ones that don't require much escaping at all.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ.
