Dundalk (Dún Dealgan, "Delga's Fort") lies on the Irish east coast near the frontier with Northern Ireland, in Dundalk Bay, which forms a sheltered harbor. It is at the meeting place of three main roads - the N1, N52 and N53.
With a variety of industry (engineering, printing, tobacco, footwear) the town has a busy and prosperous air.
In the 1
0th C. the Irish inhabitants of the area were attacked by Viking raiders, and a naval battle was fought in the bay. The town was fortified in 1185. In 1253, and again in 1315, it was burned down. Thereafter for 300 years it was a cornerstone in the defense of the Pale (the territory in the east of Ireland under English control) and was subjected to repeated attacks. In 1690 it was taken by William of Orange, and in 1724 its fortifications were pulled down.