The Archaeological Literature on Louth

Of any county in Ireland, Louth is undoubtedly the most studied in respect of its archaeology. In the first instance, Thomas Wright's Louthiana (1748) represents the earliest example of a county survey of archaeological remains. In the modern era, Louth was chosen as the first region to be studied when the Office of Public established the 'Archaeological Survey of Ireland' in 1963. As a result, it was been the first county in the Republic of Ireland to have a Sites & Monuments Record, an Archaeological Inventory and a detailed Archaeological Survey published, in 1984, 1986 and 1991, respectively.