Things to do in Dundalk
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Dundalk
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best window, with the longest evenings for the greenway, Slieve Foye and Blackrock, and May and September often the sweet spot.
Spring on the peninsula is green and good for hiking, with changeable weather.
Autumn brings the all weather racing season, Ravensdale colour and Fitzpatrick's Halloween displays.
Worst general window: short days, rain and exposed hikes, partly redeemed by Christmas nights and St Brigid's at Faughart.
What's on
- Brigid of Faughart Festival around 1 February
Talks, walks and events at Faughart, St Brigid's traditional birthplace.
- St Patrick's Day Parade, Dundalk 17 March
The town's parade and family festival day.
- SEEK Dundalk Urban Arts Festival summer, dates vary by year
New large scale murals commissioned live across the town centre.
- All-Ireland Poc Fada Championships August bank holiday weekend
Long puck hurling over a mountain course on the Cooley Peninsula.
- Carlingford Oyster Festival mid August, typically four days
Oysters, a pearl hunt, sailing and street food in Carlingford's medieval streets.
Best things to do in Dundalk
Spirit Store
An intimate dockside listening room above a pub, and the best night of live music in Dundalk when a good act is on.
Dundalk Stadium
Ireland's only all weather race track, with greyhound cards too, and the town's most reliable big night out.
County Museum Dundalk
The county museum in a former distillery warehouse that explains border town Dundalk in about an hour.
An Táin Arts Centre
Dundalk's arts centre in the Town Hall, with touring theatre, music, comedy, film and a gallery.
St Patrick's Church
Dundalk's landmark Gothic Revival church on Roden Place, worth stepping inside for its mosaics and glass.
Castle Roche
A dramatic Norman castle ruin on a rocky outcrop above the border hills, free, quiet and with wide views.
Proleek Dolmen
A Neolithic portal tomb with a huge capstone, reached by a signed walk through the Ballymascanlon grounds.
Oriel Park
Home of Dundalk FC, a compact old ground where a Friday night League of Ireland match is pure Dundalk.
Where to stay in Dundalk
Ballymascanlon and the Carlingford Road
the splurge, golf, a resort weekend
Parkland resort hotels north east of town, closest to Carlingford and the Cooley Peninsula.
Ravensdale
spa breaks and border touring stopovers
A valley setting just off the M1 toward the border, built around one large spa hotel.
Dublin Road
business, value and motorway arrivals
Modern mid range hotels on the southern corridor, a short drive from the centre.
Town Centre
no car, the station, pubs and the museum on foot
Walkable to Clarke Station and the main streets, at the lowest prices in town.
Think twice about
- Town centre as a charm base
Main streets are scruffy with derelict units and can feel rough after pub closing. Base there for the station and price, not charm.
- Muirhevnamor and the north west estates
Deprived residential estates with no visitor accommodation and nothing to visit. Do not book an unvetted cheap short let there.
Best restaurants in Dundalk
Ghan House
A Georgian house dining room in Carlingford, the peninsula's special occasion table for lough seafood.
The Restaurant at Ballymascanlon
The formal dining room at Ballymascanlon, white tablecloth Irish cooking with parkland views.
Fitzpatrick's Bar and Restaurant
A famous destination pub at the foot of the Cooleys, best known for its seafood chowder and huge portions.
Windsor Bar & Restaurant
The town centre stalwart since the 1800s, where regulars rate the fillet steak the best in Dundalk.
The Spotted Dog
A small modern Irish bistro with seasonal specials, a strong brunch and a dog friendly courtyard.
The Jockeys Bar
A traditional bar serving pub food to a 4.6 star standard, the reliable everyone leaves happy dinner.
Atami Japanese Cuisine
Sushi and Japanese hot dishes in the town centre, the welcome change of pace from pub food.
Strandfield
A farm shop cafe in a converted farm setting, the best slow brunch or lunch in the Dundalk area.
Outdoor things to do in Dundalk
Slieve Foye Loop
The Cooley Peninsula's signature hike, climbing Louth's highest peak above Carlingford Lough from the village.
Carlingford Lough Greenway
A flat, mostly off road shore path between Carlingford and Omeath, ideal for walking or a hired bike.
Carlingford Adventure Centre
Skypark aerial ropes, kayaking on the lough and 30 plus led activities, the peninsula's organised activity day.
Ravensdale Forest Park
Waymarked forest trails along a river at the foot of the Cooley Mountains, with deer and a waterfall.
Dundalk Golf Club
An immaculate championship parkland course at Blackrock overlooking Dundalk Bay and the Cooley Mountains.
Ballymascanlon Hotel Golf Course
Parkland golf through the hotel estate, where the round walks you past the 5000 year old Proleek Dolmen.
Greenore Golf Club
Links and heathland golf on the shore of Carlingford Lough, the connoisseur's round in the Dundalk orbit.
Blackrock Bay Beach
Dundalk's seaside village beach and promenade, a tidal bay walk rich in wintering birds at low tide.
Best hotels in Dundalk
Ballymascanlon Hotel & Golf Resort
A four star parkland resort with golf, a pool and the Proleek Dolmen in its grounds, Dundalk's top stay.
Carrickdale Hotel & Spa
A large spa hotel off the M1 in Ravensdale gardens, a good value base for Carlingford and Newry.
Fairways Hotel Dundalk
A modern Dublin Road four star rated Dundalk's best value large hotel, with food above hotel standard.
The Gateway Hotel Dundalk
The tall modern hotel long known as the Crowne Plaza, with panoramic upper floor views to the Cooleys.
Hotel Imperial Dundalk
The walkable town centre three star, chosen for the station, the museum and the price, not style.
Innisfree House
A small family run guesthouse with a cooked breakfast and local advice, well below the big hotel prices.
Is Dundalk expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €140 a person |
| Splurge | €280 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Spirit Store: a few days ahead
- Dundalk Stadium: a few days ahead
- An Táin Arts Centre: a few days ahead
- Oriel Park: a few days ahead
- Carlingford Adventure Centre: a few days ahead
- Dundalk Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Ballymascanlon Hotel Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Greenore Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Book Spirit Store and An Tain shows, Fitzpatrick's, the Spotted Dog and Ghan House ahead.
- Book stadium restaurant packages, big Oriel Park fixtures and Skypark sessions in school holidays.
- Wedding season fills Ballymascanlon and the Carrickdale at weekends, so book stays early.
Is Dundalk safe?
- Emergency number is 112.
- At Blackrock beach, time walks to the tide and do not pass the old pool wall because of quicksand.
- On Slieve Foye, bring boots, layers and a downloaded route, and do not start late in winter light.
- At Castle Roche the ground is uneven with real drops, and there is no visitor facility.
Dundalk travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not judge the area by Clanbrassil Street alone, and do not mistake the M1 retail corridor for Dundalk.
- Dundalk's best nights are event nights, so check stadium, Oriel and venue calendars before you come.
- Carlingford is a separate village 20 minutes away with its own weekend crowds and parking pressure.
Getting around Dundalk: public transport and more
- Dundalk Clarke Station is on the Dublin to Belfast Enterprise line, about an hour to either capital.
- The M1 puts Dublin Airport about 40 to 50 minutes south and Belfast about an hour north.
- You need a car or pre booked taxis for Carlingford, Slieve Foye, Ravensdale and the golf clubs.
- The town centre is compact and walkable, and local buses cover Blackrock.
Who Dundalk suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Dundalk your trip
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