Louth County Council announced today (Tuesday June 29th) the establishment of Sea Louth Passport, a scenic seafood trail around the 70+km coastline of the county. The passport invites you to see, eat and admire Louth. The trail will follow the coastline from Drogheda to Omeath.
There are 14 coastal scenic viewpoints and each has an individual illustrated stamp that you can collect and add to the Sea Louth Passport. You can pick up a Sea Louth Passport at tourist offices in Drogheda, Dundalk and Carlingford.
Along the way there will be an opportunity to try some of the freshest fish in the country. Restaurants and bars in the area are being encouraged to use locally caught fish and seafood on their menus.
Sea Louth Passport
The passport introduces people to the fishing folk of Louth and the Cooley Peninsula. Carlingford Lough is famous worldwide for its oysters. They benefit from the nutrient rich waters that run off the Cooley Mountains. Carlingford Oysters has been in business since 1974 and their oysters appear on menus all around the world.
Cooley Oysters are located at Greenore and is a family business of the Fergusons, who have been farming premium oysters for 35 years. The fame of Carlingford Oysters has spread far and wide.
The most traditional fishermen are the Kirwans, they run an artisan fishing business. The Kirwan family has fished the waters off Clogherhead for more than 150 years. They use seine netting, which is the most environmentally friendly way to catch fish.
Locally caught crab using traditional methods is the catch for the family run Dunany Crab company. Callaghan & Hoey fish off Clogherhead Pier and now have five boats. They fish for cockles and razor clams.
Irish Sea clams, prawns, langousintes, squid, cuttlefish and more
Cousins, Ciaran Gallagher and Peadar Byrne continue the family business started by their grandfather. They use traditional methods to fish for lobster and crab during the season for sale to local restaurants.
The Clogherhead Fishermen’s Co-operative has a 12-strong fleet of modern boats. The boats have “frozen at sea” equipment. They fish for prawns, langoustines, squid, cuttlefish and a selection of white fish. And much of their catch is exported around the world.
The seas around the Louth coast contain nutrient rich salt. The Oriel Salt Company has developed a way of extracting and harvesting the salt that is non-oxidised and sustainably produced. Oriel has also created a Smoked Irish mineral salt using the 90-year old oak casks from the Teeling Whiskey Company.
The Sea Louth passport contains a list of restaurants, bar and cafes selling fresh seafood. The website Sea Louth also has the information you need for a lovely visit to the Wee County.
County Louth has a lot to offer visitors from blue flag beaches, hill walking in the Cooleys, strolling the Great Eastern Greenway and all types of watersports..
