Blackrock, County Louth 3.47

Blackrock is a seaside village just to the south of Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. The village is in the townland of Haggardstown. The current population of the village is about 3,000.In the 1950s and 60s, Blackrock was a holiday destination for people in landlocked Monaghan and Cavan. The beach that is pictured in the colourised postcards of that era (still on sale) was created with sand imported from beaches further down the coast, as the sand was continually washed away to contribute to the buildup of silt in Dundalk Bay. Although it is no longer considered a tourist resort, there remains a tradition of visiting Blackrock on the 15th of August (vide the Celtic feast of Lúnasa).Since the late 1960s, Blackrock has expanded significantly and has become a dormitory village of Dundalk. With the opening of the M1 motorway to Dublin, there has been another wave of expansion and it is also becoming a commuter town with access to north Dublin.Blackrock beach and its promenade (incorporating Blackrock's Millennium project - a sundial which is claimed to be the largest in a public area in Ireland) is still the focal point of the village and the site of Christmas Day fundraising events organised by Conor Hughes, an annual Raft Race, as well as several other events throughout the year. The promenade area includes a number of restaurants and public houses.