About Us
The village of Tallanstown occupies a picturesque location on the banks of the River Glyde in the heart of Co. Louth. Triangular in shape, the village was developed in the 19th century to house workers on the nearby Louth Hall estate and it has the trim and neat appearance of many such estate villages. Not surprisingly, the village has several times been winner for the county in the National Tidy Towns competition. At the apex of the triangle stands The Louth Arms, a charming old traditional inn whose history stretches back to 1685 when it was granted a charter as Manor Court to the estate. At that time the estate was owned by the Plunkett family whose most celebrated member was St Oliver Plunkett.
The Louth Arms has been run by the Smyth family in Tallanstown for many years. Originally a barracks the building in which the Louth Arms is now situated dates back to 1685. The Smyth family have run the business there for over 100 years and over four generations of the family have worked behind establishments counter.
The exile loves his native shore,
The huntsman loves his sport,
But all good judges of the vine,
Insist on Old Club Port
- One of the best ones on the market sold by Tomas Smyth.
The above is an inscription on a mirror situated behind the bar.
Tomas Smyth (1874-1944) established the Louth Arms. Upon his death the business was carried on by his wife Minnie (otherwise known locally as ‘Granny Smyth’. Her daughter May took over the running of the Louth Arms after Minnie’s death in 1965 until 1977, following her death her two brothers Tom and Dessie and his son Tomas carried on the family business into the four generation.
In 1997 Dessie’s other son Andrew took over the complete running of the business and is still running the bar, lounge and function room to this day along with his wife Caroline, their son Darren and daughter Colleen.
In the summer of 1995 after purchasing the adjoining house to the Louth Arms Andrew and Caroline totally refurbished the building and opened up a B&B.
Refurbished to a very high standard, the inn has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence and is also approved by Family Homes of Ireland and Bord Fáilte.
It has a spacious lounge, a bar, private function room and also a riverside beer garden. The accommodation consists of two double rooms, one family room, and one single room. All of them are stylishly furnished and decorated, with en suite facilities, multi-channel TV and telephone. There are attractive rates with special discounts for long term and group bookings; all major credit cards are accepted.
