Dundalk Bay is place of stunning natural beauty and a sanctuary for wildlife. This large, open, shallow sea bay with extensive saltmarshes and intertidal sand/mudflats, extends some 16km from the Castletown River on the Cooley Peninsula in the north, to Annagassan/Salterstown in the south.

The bay encompasses the mouths and estuaries of the Rivers Dee, Glyde, Fane, Castletown and Flurry. The site contains five habitats listed under the EU Habitats Directive, i.e. perennial vegetation of stony banks, tidal mudflats, salt marshes, Salicornia mudflats and estuaries.

The extensive sand flats and mud flats have a rich fauna and are the main food resource of the tens of thousands of waterfowl which feed here. This site is one of the most important wintering waterfowl sites in the country, and one of the few which regularly supports more than 20,000 waterfowl, making it popular with Bird Watchers. It supports three species in numbers of International Importance and a further 15 species in numbers of National Importance.

A series of pathways and boardwalks allow you explore the riverside estuary in Dundalk, stretching from the Newry Road along the Navvy Bank to Soldier’s Point, where you can enjoy great views of the bay set against the spectacular landscape of the Cooley Peninsula. There is also a bronze sculpture of Manannan, the Celtic God of the Sea located here.