Year in Review: Looking back on the news acorss Louth in Janaury 2024

January 9th
There was another disappointing result for Dundalk in the litter survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter(IBAL), with the town ranking 39th out of 40 towns and cities surveyed, and being deemed “littered ”, according to results released at the beginning of January.

Dundalk's performance was described as “another poor result for a former winner of the IBAL league, with a number of heavily littered sites”.

While Dundalk performed disappointingly in the latest survey, a number of areas in the town were described as “top-ranking sites”, however, including Dundalk Train Station, Red Barns approach road and ‘The Clump’ Park / Playground, with IBAL describing them as “all very much deserving the top litter grade”.

January 16th
It was announced in January that a never seen before multisensory light performance in Dundalk town centre called Northern-Lights 1500; paying homage to Brigid of Faughart, would be on of the many highlights of the Brigid 1500: ‘Louth Birthplace of Brigid’ festival, that month.

Celebrations commemorating the remarkable life of St Brigid of Faughart captivated audiences throughout Louth during the festival.

The programme, spearheaded by Louth County Council, was a tribute to one of Ireland’s most esteemed saints, offering a rich tapestry of events and initiatives highlighting her legacy.

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SAFE (Suicide Awareness For Everyon) Castlebellingham held their annual fundraising Black Tie Ball in Darver Castle.
The elegant event saw guests enjoying a four course meal, an auction, a raffle and live music by Vertigo.
The SAFE service is available to anyone not just people from Castlebellingham, with two registered counsellors available for anybody who needs to talk.
The service was set up by Patrick and Sandra Byrne in the wake of a number of tragedies in the village.
Their Black Tie fundraising vent was hailed as a fantastic success.

January 23rd
It was announced in January that parts of the PJ Carroll building on the campus of DkIT are to be refurbished to expand apprenticeship provision at the college as part of a major project, it was announced last week.
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Cllr Antóin Watters expressed anger in January at news that a decision on government funding for emergency repairs for the road network in north Louth following the floods will not be known for
a number of weeks.

January 30th
A Dundalk funeral home warned the public in January of an online scam targeting mourners which they have described as “a new low for humanity” .

Quinns Funeral Home warned that a person or group had been creating Facebook profiles of high interest funerals including a recent one in Louth.

The scammers were taking photos from the person's own social media pages to populate the profile and offering a link to view the funeral service live

Anyone who clicks on the link is then taken to a page asking them to create an account and enter their financial details.

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The Sisters of St Louis celebrated 74 years of service to the community in Castletown, the wider Dundalk hinterland and beyond on Saturday 27th January.

The Convent and school welcomed past pupils from every decade, including individuals and groups who attended as Boarders and day pupils in the 1950s!

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There were fresh calls in January for groups such as the families of those who died in Dealgan House Nursing Home in Dundalk to be consulted about the terms of reference for the new Covid 19 inquiry.

Twenty three residents of the home died in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic and families of the deceased residents have been calling for an inquiry into the matter for almost four years.

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Louth County Council refused planning permission for a 502 unit Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) at Haggardstown, Dundalk.