Editing Ardee

{{Short description|Town in County Louth, Ireland}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=July 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                  = Ardee
| native_name           = {{lang|ga|Baile Átha Fhirdhia}}
| settlement_type       = Town
| image_skyline         = Ardee - Market Street.jpg
| image_caption         = View north along Market Street,<br />from the battlements of Ardee Castle, 1997
| image_shield          = Ardee Coat of Arms.png
| shield_size           = 150px
| shield_alt            = Ardee Coat of Arms
| motto = ''Na Bris Sith, Na Bris Cairdis''<br>Don't Break Peace, Don't Break Friendship
| pushpin_map           = Ireland
| pushpin_label_position= right
| pushpin_map_caption   = Location in Ireland
| coordinates           = {{coord|53.8554|-6.5379|dim:100000_region:IE|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type      = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name      = [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
| subdivision_type1     = [[Provinces of Ireland|Province]]
| subdivision_name1     = [[Leinster]]
| subdivision_type2     = [[Counties of Ireland|County]]
| subdivision_name2     = [[County Louth]]
| subdivision_type3     = [[Dáil Éireann]]
| subdivision_name3     = [[Louth (Dáil constituency)|Louth]]
| subdivision_type4     = [[EU Parliament]]
| subdivision_name4     = [[Midlands–North-West (European Parliament constituency)|Midlands–North-West]]
| population_as_of      = [[2022 census of Ireland|2022]]
| population_footnotes  = <ref name="cso2022">{{cite web | url = https://visual.cso.ie/?body=entity/ima/cop/2022&boundary=C04160V04929&guid=0139a442-0f36-46dc-b383-2a34d4d3f6f7 | publisher = [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|CSO]] | work = Census 2022 | title = Census Interactive Map | date = 2022 | access-date = 2025-02-03 }}</ref>
| population            = 5478
| area_code_type        = [[Telephone numbers in the Republic of Ireland|Telephone area code]]
| area_code             = +353(0)41
| postal_code_type      = [[Eircode]] routing key
| postal_code           = A92
| timezone              = [[Western European Time|WET]]
| utc_offset            = ±0
| timezone_DST          = [[Irish Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset_DST        = +1
| blank_name_sec1       = Irish Grid Reference
| blank_info_sec1       = {{iem4ibx|N958906}}
}}

'''Ardee''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɑr|d|iː}}; {{Langx|ga|Baile Átha Fhirdhia}}, {{IPA|ga|ˈbˠalʲə aːhə ˈɪɾʲjiə|pron}}) is a town and [[townland]] in [[County Louth]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. It is located at the intersection of the [[N2 road (Ireland)|N2]], [[N52 road (Ireland)|N52]], and [[N33 road (Ireland)|N33]] roads. The town shows evidence of development from the thirteenth century onward but as a result of the continued development of the town since then much of the fabric of the medieval town has been removed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|date=Summer 2016|title=Where Ferdia fell: Ardee, Co Louth|url=https://www.louthcoco.ie/en/Services/Heritage/Publications/Ardee%20Heritage%20GUide.pdf|journal=Archaeology Ireland Heritage Guide|volume=73|page=6}}</ref> The town is in a [[Civil parishes in Ireland|civil parish]] of the same name.<ref name=logainm>{{cite web | url = https://www.logainm.ie/en/1682 | title = Baile Átha Fhirdhia/Ardee | work = [[Placenames Database of Ireland]] | access-date = 12 April 2024}}</ref>

Ardee is on the banks of the [[River Dee, County Louth|River Dee]] and is equidistant between the county's two biggest towns - approximately {{convert|20|km}} from [[Dundalk]] and [[Drogheda]], while it is also close to [[Slane]] and [[Carrickmacross]].

In the 20 years between the 1996 and 2016 census, the population of Ardee increased by approximately 30%, from 3,791 to 4,928 inhabitants.<ref name="sapmap2016">{{cite web | url = http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=ST2016&Geog_Code=5DEEAC31-E9BA-406A-849A-3A695B3AE93F | publisher = [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|CSO]] | work = Census 2016 | title = Sapmap Area - Settlements - Ardee | date = 2016 | access-date = 12 January 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180112100923/http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=ST2016&Geog_Code=5DEEAC31-E9BA-406A-849A-3A695B3AE93F | archive-date = 12 January 2018 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.citypopulation.de/en/ireland/towns/louth/10019__ardee/ | website = City Population | title = Ardee (Ireland) Agglomeration| access-date = 3 February 2025 }}</ref> By 2022, it had a population of 5,478.<ref name="cso2022"/>

==History==
{{Historical populations
| state = collapsed
|1801|2067
|1901|1883
|1911|1773
|1926|1729
|1936|2383
|1946|2346
|1951|2489
|1956|2719
|1961|2710
|1966|2919
|1971|3096
|1979|2982
|1981|3199
|1986|3253
|1991|3296
|1996|3440
|2002|3564
|2006|4301
|2011|4554
|2016|4928
|2022|5478
| footnote = <ref name=cso2022/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.cso.ie/table/C0112|title=C0112 - Population|access-date=2025-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.cso.ie/table/A0112|title=A0112 - 1996 Population|access-date=2025-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census1986results/volume1/C_1986_V1_T19.pdf|page=1|title=Alphabetical list of Towns with their population in 1986|access-date=2025-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census1981results/volume1/C_1981_V1_T20.pdf|page=1|title=Alphabetical list of towns with their population in 1981|access-date=2025-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census1979results/volume1/C_1979_V1_T9.pdf|page=2|title=Population of towns with legally defined boundaries by type of district, 1971 and 1979|access-date=2025-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census1966results/volume1/C_1966_VOL_1_T19.pdf|page=1|title=Alphabetical list of towns, with populations|access-date=2025-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census1961results/volume1/C_1961_VOL_1_T15.pdf|page=1|title=Alphabetical list of towns, with populations, 1961|access-date=2025-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census1956results/volume1/C_1956_Vol_1_T14.pdf|page=1|title=Alphabetical list of towns with populations 1956|access-date=2025-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census1951results/volume1/C_1951_V1_T14.pdf|page=1|title=Alphabetical list of towns, with populations, 1951|access-date=2025-03-22}}</ref><ref>https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census1946results/volume1/C_1946_V1_T13.pdf</ref><ref>https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census1936results/volume1/C_1936_Vol_1_T13.pdf</ref><ref>https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census1926results/volume1/C_1926_V1_T8.pdf</ref><ref>https://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/ep/storiesfromcensus1911/census1911originalreports/455_Area_Houses_and_population_Leinster_Ireland_1911_Louth.pdf</ref>
}}
=== Origins ===
Originally called ''Atherdee'', the town's name is from {{Langx|ga|Áth Fhirdia}} (the Ford of Ferdia) which itself is derived from the fabled four-day battle between [[Cúchulainn]] and [[Ferdia]], for the defence of Ulster from Queen Maeve of Connacht. It is said Ferdia fell after four days of battle, and is buried on the southern banks of the river alongside the Riverside Walk. A depiction of the pair is located on Bridge Street in the town as a bronze statue.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Ross. Noel (2011). "The Walled Town of Ardee: Selected Extracts." ''Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society,'' '''27''' 339-365.</ref> The [[River Dee (Ireland)|River Dee]] was originally named in {{Langx|ga|An Níth}} but took on the final element of the town's name in English usage.

Ardee is an example of a medieval "walled town", a number of which can be found across Ireland. The town itself is situated in the southern part of the ancient territory known as the Plain of Muirheimhne. The town lies along the 15th-century Pale frontier between Dundalk and Kells.

The town comprises the townlands or town parks – the greater portion of which is made up of Ardee bog, and a small portion of Dawson's Demesne, which takes in the southeastern quadrant of the town on the northern side of the River Dee.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

Ardee received its royal [[charter]] from  King [[Henry V of England|Henry V]]  in 1414.<ref>''Patent Roll, 3 Henry V''</ref>

=== Smith schools ===
A philanthropic trust founded by [[Erasmus Smith]] in the 17th century funded the establishment of a boys' school in 1806 and a girls' school in 1817. Both Protestant and Catholic children were allowed to attend. At the time there were other schools but in 1824 they became the sole schools in the area. The Smith schools amalgamated into a combined-sex establishment by 1858, by which time the National School movement was leading to the creation of denominational schools there. The school remained a non-denominational institute but the school decreased in numbers and in 1868 had a roll of only 16 Protestant boys. It was fully integrated into the National School system in 1954, when it became known as Saint Mary's Church of Ireland National School.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Quane|first=Michael|year=1969|title=The Erasmus Smith School, Ardee|journal=Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society|volume=17|issue=1|pages=10–18|doi=10.2307/27729188|jstor=27729188}}</ref>

== Administration ==
Ardee is in the [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland|local government area]] of [[Louth County Council]]. Members of the council are elected from five [[local electoral area]]s in the county. The Ardee local electoral area returns six of the council's 29 members, who sit as the Ardee Municipal District.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.louthcoco.ie/en/louth_county_council/membership/|title=Membership of the Louth County Council|website=Louth County Council|access-date=2019-06-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.louthcoco.ie/en/louth_county_council/municipal-district-of-ardee/|title=Municipal District of Ardee|website=Louth County Council|access-date=2019-06-25}}</ref> As of the [[2024 Louth County Council election|2024 local elections]], the members included:{{fact|date=October 2024}}

{{Multi seat members begin
|constituency = Local electoral area
|title        = Council members from [[2024 Louth County Council election|2024 election]]
}}
{{Multi seat constituency
|name    = Ardee
|seats   = 6
|member1 = {{sortname|Dolores|Minogue|nolink=1}}
|party1  = Fine Gael
|member2 = {{sortname|Paula|Butterly|nolink=1}}
|party2  = Fine Gael
|member3 = {{sortname|Pearse|McGeough|nolink=1}}
|party3  = Sinn Féin
|member4 = {{sortname|Jim|Tenanty|nolink=1}}
|party4  = Independent politician (Ireland)
|member5 = {{sortname|John|Sheridan|nolink=1}}
|party5  = Fianna Fáil
|member6 = {{sortname|Bertie|Conlon|nolink=1}}
|party6  = Independent politician (Ireland)
}}
{{end}}

Ardee had a corporation first mentioned in a charter of 1378.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ardee |url=https://www.ancestryireland.com/history-of-the-irish-parliament/constituencies/ardee/ |website=Ulster Historical Foundation |access-date=30 December 2022}}</ref> An electorate of 24 burgesses and 80 freemen elected two MPs for the [[Ardee (Parliament of Ireland constituency)|parliamentary borough of Ardee]] to the [[Irish House of Commons]]. It was disfranchised under the [[Acts of Union 1800]]. The corporation was abolished by the [[Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840]].

== Media ==
Newspapers include the Mid-Louth Independent, a regional edition of the Drogheda Independent newspaper, which is published weekly. It is distributed and sold in Ardee, Collon, Dunleer and Tallanstown. The Dundalk Democrat is the regional edition of the weekly newspaper, which covers Ardee and its surroundings.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.dundalkdemocrat.ie/section/413/about-us|title=About The Dundalk Democrat|work=Dundalk Democrat|access-date=2018-07-30}}</ref>

[[LMFM|LMFM Radio]] is the local radio station for the North East covering Ardee as well as the rest of Louth, Meath, Monaghan and North Dublin.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

== Transport ==
[[Ardee railway station]], previously serving the town, was linked to the main [[Belfast–Dublin line]] at [[Dromin Junction railway station|Dromin Junction station]], along a five-mile (8&nbsp;km) long branch line. Ardee railway station opened on 1&nbsp;August 1896 and passenger services ended on 3&nbsp;June 1934. The line continued as a freight service until finally closed on 3&nbsp;November 1976,<ref>{{cite web | title= Ardee station| work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | access-date=2007-09-08| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070926042407/http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf| archive-date= 26 September 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> serving the local fertiliser factory, sugar beet and livestock transport. The trackbed was lifted in the late 1980s, and much of the short route is now a designated walkway.

Ardee's transport network consists of the N2, which runs directly through the town, and the M1 motorway, which is connected to Ardee through a bypass/link road the N33. The N52, which connects the [[M7 motorway (Ireland)|M7]] at [[Nenagh]] to the [[M1 motorway (Ireland)|M1]] at Dundalk, passes through the town serving a southwest-northeast link from Limerick to Belfast without going near Dublin and the M50.{{or-inline|date=April 2024}}

==Religion==
Ardee is in the [[Roman Catholic]] parish of Ardee and Collon which lies in the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh|Archdiocese of Armagh]] in the [[ecclesiastical province]] of Armagh.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ardeecollonparish.com/|title=Catholicchurch {{!}} Cappocksgreen {{!}} Ardeecollonparish|website=Ardee and Collon Parish|language=en|access-date=2019-06-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Handbook of Britist Chronology|last1=Pryde|first1=E. B.|last2=Greenway|first2=D. E.|last3=Porter|first3=S.|last4=Roy|first4=I.|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1986|isbn=9780521563505|pages=415–416}}</ref>

In April 2021, the [[Traditionalist Catholicism|Traditionalist Catholic]] [[Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest]] purchased a former convent building in Ardee, for the use of its own nuns; the [[Sisters Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus Christ Sovereign Priest|Sisters Adorers]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Italian Religious Order buys Ardee convent for Nuns|url=https://www.meathchronicle.ie/2021/04/14/italian-religious-order-buys-ardee-convent-for-nuns/|website=Meath Chronicle|date=14 April 2021 |access-date=21 February 2022}}</ref>

== Culture ==
=== Built heritage ===
==== Ardee Castle ====
[[File:Ardee Castle on street.jpg|thumb|Ardee Castle]]{{Main|Ardee Castle}}
Ardee's identity as a walled town is further enhanced by surviving medieval buildings and some of the features that survive within the town, including the intact medieval street pattern and the castle itself.{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}} Previously known as St. Leger's Castle, Ardee Castle is the largest fortified medieval tower house in Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://curiousireland.ie/ardee-castle/|title=The largest fortified medieval tower house in Ireland on the edge of The Pale|year=2015|publisher=Curious Ireland}}</ref> Built circa 15th century, the castle was used as a prison during the 17th and 18th centuries, before going on to become Ardee's district courthouse until June 2006 when a specialised facility was built as it "''could no longer meet the official needs of court users in the 21st century''".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.courts.ie/Courts.ie/Library3.nsf/16c93c36d3635d5180256e3f003a4580/1e56603c96cc171b80257460003405ff?OpenDocument|title=New €2.3m courthouse opens in Ardee|date=6 June 2006|publisher=The Courts Service of Ireland}}</ref>

==== Chantry College ====
[[File:Ardee Chantry College.jpg|thumb|Chantry College]]

Founded a short time prior to 1487, "Chantry College" consists of a gabled tower, four storeys in height, which has an adjoining two-storey hall to the north. Although the structure was defensible, it is not classified as a fortified townhouse. It was an ecclesiastical building, and as such differs from the two castles in the town. The small section of the original building shares similarities to another surviving building in Howth, Dublin.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Murtagh|first=Ben|date=1989|title=Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society|journal=County Louth Archaeological and History Society|volume=22|issue=1|pages=16–19|doi=10.2307/27729670 |jstor=27729670}}</ref>

[[File:Hatchs Castle.jpg|left|thumb|upright|Hatch's Castle]]

==== Hatch's Castle ====
A gift given to the Hatch family by Oliver Cromwell, Hatch's Castle is still in use as a private family home and as a [[bed and breakfast]]. A late 14th-century urban fortified house, it is the older of the town's two castles. It was modernised in the 19th century with large windows placed in the east and west faces. The southern corner has a projecting turret which houses a spiral stairway to roof level.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Silence of Barbara Synge|last=McCormack|first=W. J.|publisher=Manchester University Press|year=2003|isbn=9780719062780|pages=27–28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://archiseek.com/2010/hatchs-castle-ardee-co-louth/|title=1600c – Hatch's Castle, Ardee, Co. Louth|date=2010-01-06|website=Archiseek - Irish Architecture|publisher=Irish Georgian Society|language=en-IE|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327035905/http://archiseek.com/2010/hatchs-castle-ardee-co-louth/|archive-date=27 March 2016|access-date=2019-10-13}}</ref>

==== Jumping Church of Kildemock ====
[[File:The Jumping Church, Kildemock, Ardee - geograph.org.uk - 1772397.jpg|thumb|upright|The west gable that "jumped"]]
The Jumping Church of Kildemock (''also known as Millockstown Church)'' is a tourist attraction in Ardee which claims to be an "unsolved mystery". The site was restored in 1954 after the site was cleared of debris by archaeologists the previous year. Excavations revealed stained glass fragments and stone carvings suggesting that the church was rebuilt at that time. The site fell into disrepair after the [[Dissolution of the monasteries]] by Henry VIII.<ref>{{cite book |last=Meehan |first=Cary |date=2004 |title=Sacred Ireland |url= |location=Somerset |publisher=Gothic Image Publications |page=304|isbn=0 906362 43 1 |access-date=}}</ref> Legend surrounding the church states that a non-Christian was believed to be buried inside the church walls in 1715, and that the church "jumped" later that night to leave his remains outside of the sacred grounds.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ross|first=Noel|year=1983|title=The Historical Writings of Diarmuid Mac Íomhair.|journal=Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society|volume=20|issue=3|pages=175–179|doi=10.2307/27729563|jstor=27729563}}</ref>

A plaque on the site reads:<blockquote>"This wall by its pitch, tilt and position can be seen to have moved three feet from its foundation. Contemporary accounts mention a severe storm in 1715 when the wall was lifted and deposited as it now stands but local tradition states that the wall jumped inwards to exclude the grave of an excommunicated person."</blockquote>
All that remains at Kildemock today is a small ruin, containing the wall that for a reason unknown moved three feet. It is believed to be caused by a storm but this cannot be confirmed.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Kildemock and its Jumping Church|last=Murtagh|first=Michael|year=2005}}</ref>
[[File:Ardee - The Church of the Nativity of Our Lady - 20180930165353.jpg|thumb|Church of the Nativity of Our Lady]]

==== Nativity of our Lady Church ====
The church is a detached multi-bay Roman Catholic church, built in 1974. The church replaced a previously existing Catholic church built in 1829, which is now derelict.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archiseek.com/2010/1829-former-catholic-church-ardee-co-louth/|title=Former Catholic Church, Ardee, Co. Louth|date=2010|website=Archiseek}}</ref>

It is a post-Vatican II church, designed by Guy Moloney and Associates. The leaded light clerestory windows introduce colour to what is otherwise a plain interior.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=lh&regno=13823024|title=The Church of the Nativity of Our Lady, John Street, Ardee, County Louth: Buildings of Ireland: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage|website=www.buildingsofireland.ie|language=EN|access-date=2019-06-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Church of the Nativity of Our Lady, Ardee|last1=Ruddy|first1=Tom Joe|last2=Magennis|first2=Seamus|publisher=Ardee Parish Council|year=1980}}</ref>

==== Saint Mary's Church ====
Built in the early 19th century on the site of an earlier church, St Mary's Church was substantially repaired and rebuilt preserving portions of a tower belonging to a previous church. This site has been the focus of Christian worship for at least eight hundred years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archiseek.com/2010/old-st-marys-church-of-ireland-ardee-co-louth/|title=1814 – Old St. Marys Church of Ireland, Ardee, Co. Louth|date=2010-01-06|website=Archiseek - Irish Architecture|publisher=Irish Georgian Society|language=en-IE|access-date=2019-10-13}}</ref>

=== Arts and festivals ===
[[File:Cuchulainn and Ferdia Statue.jpg|thumb|upright|Cuchulainn and Ferdia Statue]]
Founded in 1860, Ardee Concert Band is the third oldest concert band in Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History|url=http://www.ardeeconcertband.com/history/|access-date=2020-07-11|website=Ardee Concert Band|language=en-GB}}</ref>

Ardee has an annual St Patrick's Parade on 17 March. The first parade began in Ardee in 1962 and has run almost every year since then, exceptions include 2001's cancellation due to the [[2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak#Spread to the rest of Europe|foot-and-mouth crisis]], 2020's cancellation due to [[COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland|COVID-19]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-03-09|title=Irish St Patrick's Day parades off over coronavirus|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51806551|access-date=2020-07-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Landy|first=Barry|date=2020-03-09|title=No parades in 2020 as St Patrick's Day hit by Covid-19 fears|url=http://louthnow.ie/2020/03/09/no-parades-in-2020-as-st-patricks-day-hit-by-covid-19-fears/|access-date=2020-07-11|website=LouthNow.ie|language=en-IE}}</ref>

Since 2004, the town has hosted the Ardee Baroque Festival, which includes performances by the [[Irish Baroque Orchestra]] and others.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}[[File:Ardee Helmet Monument.jpg|thumb|upright|Helmet Monument|alt=|left]] The "Turfman Festival", launched in Ardee in 2009, was held on the August bank holiday weekend and included a number of community events and a Festival Queen competition. The festival was last held in 2013.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

== Education ==
Ardee has one secondary school, [[Ardee Community School]], which opened in 1974. The school was an amalgamation of three schools that had previously existed independently; St. Anne's Convent of Mercy, De La Salle Brothers' School and the Vocational School. As of 2019, the school had a student body of around 890.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Inspection-Reports-Publications/Subject-Inspection-Reports-List/91441T_Subject%20Inspection_10130_20190514.pdf | publisher = Department of Education | website = education.ie | title = Department of Education and Skills - Subject Inspection Report - Ardee Community School| date = 9 May 2019 | access-date = 6 February 2020 }}</ref>

There are three primary schools in the town: Monastery Boys National School, Scoil Mhuire na Trocaire Girls School and Ardee Educate Together. Ardee Educate Together is a multi-cultural primary school for both girls and boys. Ballapousta National School is located just outside the town and (as of early 2020) had approximately 220 pupils.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.education.ie/en/find-a-school/School-Detail/?roll=01554B | publisher = Department of Education | website = education.ie | title = Find a School - Baile An Phusta N S | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200206000948/https://www.education.ie/en/find-a-school/School-Detail/?roll=01554B| archive-date = 6 February 2020 }}</ref> As of 2014, the Monastery Boys National School had approximately 250 pupils enrolled,<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Inspection-Reports-Publications/Whole-School-Evaluation-Reports-List/report1_17124M.pdf | publisher = Department of Education | website = education.ie | title = Department of Education and Skills - Whole School Evaluation - Ardee Monastery National School | date = 29 January 2014 | access-date = 6 February 2020 }}</ref> while the Scoil Mhuire na Trocaire Girls School and the Educate Together School had 290 and 150 pupils respectively as of early 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.education.ie/en/find-a-school/School-Detail/?roll=18099V |title=School Detail: S N Muire Na Trocaire - Department of Education and Skills |website=education.ie |access-date=6 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.education.ie/en/find-a-school/School-Detail/?roll=20171P |title=School Detail: Ardee Educate Together N.S - Department of Education and Skills |website=education.ie |access-date=6 February 2020}}</ref>

== Sport ==

=== Association football ===
Ardee is home to two [[association football]] (soccer) clubs that play in the North East Football League (formerly MDL) - Square United and Ardee Celtic. Both teams have junior sections that cater for very young players up to Under-18 level.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

=== GAA ===
[[St Mary's GAA (Louth)|Ardee St Marys]] are the main [[Gaelic Athletic Association|GAA]] team in Ardee. The club, known as "the Blues", has had 12 [[Louth Senior Football Championship]] wins in their history - the first in 1914 and the most recent in 2023.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

There are five other GAA sides located in Ardee's hinterland - [[Hunterstown Rovers GAC|Hunterstown Rovers]], Westerns GFC, John Mitchels, Sean McDermotts and Stabannon Parnells. Hunterstown Rovers are twice Louth Intermediate Championships and were founded in 1941.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

=== Rugby ===
The town's rugby club, [[Ardee RFC|Ardee Rugby Club]], has a first and second senior team and a number of juvenile teams. The club won the McGee Cup in 2015.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

=== Other sports ===
Ardee and District Athletic Club was founded in 1992. It was originally named Ferdia A.C., but changed its name in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Us – Ardee & District A.C.|url=https://ardeedistrictac.com/about-us/|access-date=2020-07-11|language=en-US}}</ref>

Ardee Cycling Club, formed in 2010, organises cycling groups of differing abilities. The club also engages in charity cycles.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ardee Cycling Club - History|url=https://ardeecc.club/history|access-date=2020-07-11|website=ardeecc.club}}</ref>

== Twin town ==
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Nettuno]], Italy <ref>{{cite web |title=Comune di Nettuno|url=https://www.comune-italia.it/comune-nettuno.html|website=comune-italia.it|language=it|access-date=2022-06-02}}.</ref>

==People==
* [[Ross Gaynor]], former professional footballer<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.dundalkdemocrat.ie/news/sport/540164/former-dundalk-star-ross-gaynor-enjoying-fantastic-time-in-my-life-after-early-retirement.html | publisher = Dundalk Democrat | website = dundalkdemocrat.ie | title = Former Dundalk star Ross Gaynor enjoying 'fantastic time in my life' after early retirement | date = 5 May 2020 | access-date = 23 November 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.independent.ie/regionals/droghedaindependent/sport/ross-gaynor-aims-to-bring-back-fai-cup-to-ardee-34163096.html | publisher = Independent News & Media | work = Drogheda Independent | title = Ross Gaynor aims to bring back FAI Cup to Ardee | date = 4 November 2015 | accessdate = 23 March 2022 }}</ref>
* [[Kian Leavy]], professional footballer<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lmfm.ie/news/sport/ardee-man-leavy-called-up-to-ireland-u21-squad/|title=Ardee man Leavy called up to Ireland U21 squad|website=LMFM}}</ref>
* [[Mairead McGuinness]], attended secondary school in Ardee<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.independent.ie/regionals/droghedaindependent/news/mep-loved-languages-27157163.html| publisher = Independent News & Media | work = Drogheda Independent | title = MEP loved languages | date = 8 June 2011 | accessdate = 23 March 2022 | quote = I completed my Leaving Cert in 1976, at Ardee Community School }}</ref>
* [[Dermot O'Brien]], céilí and showband musician<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.independent.ie/world-news/dermot-obrien-26293530.html | publisher = Independent News & Media | website = independent.ie | title = Obituaries - Dermot O'Brien | date = 27 May 2007 | access-date = 23 November 2020 }}</ref>
* [[Fergal Reilly]], film maker<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/we-re-not-in-ardee-any-more-meet-the-irish-director-of-the-angry-birds-movie-1.2634504 | publisher = Irish Times | website = irishtimes.com | title = We're not in Ardee any more: meet the Irish director of the Angry Birds Movie | date = 5 May 2016 | access-date = 23 November 2020 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Wikivoyage|Ardee}}
{{Commons category|Ardee}}
{{Reflist}}{{County Louth}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ardee| ]]
[[Category:Towns and villages in County Louth]]
[[Category:Townlands of County Louth]]
[[Category:Civil parishes of County Louth]]
[[Category:Locations in Táin Bó Cúailnge]]
[[Category:Former boroughs in the Republic of Ireland]]