County Museum Dundalk occupies a restored 18th-century distillery building in the town centre, documenting the history of County Louth from prehistory to the present. The permanent collection covers the region's Bronze Age archaeology, Viking and Norman history, and the industrial development of Dundalk — particularly the linen trade and the Great Northern Railway locomotive works, which made Dundalk a significant railway engineering centre in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The museum has a collection of items related to the 1916 Rising and the Irish War of Independence in County Louth, a county that saw significant activity during both periods. Temporary exhibitions rotate regularly. Admission is free; the museum also serves as a good starting point for understanding the Cooley Peninsula's historical landscape before heading out into the hills.