A report has concluded that Dundalk is the most deprived Border town in the Republic. The study by economist Pat McArdle, which measured population, class and the labour market, found the town trailed Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Monaghan, Letterkenny and Cavan. Dundalk was also the lowest performing of the State’s nine gateway towns.
The report was commissioned by Dundalk Chamber of Commerce as part of its campaign to have a cross-Border economic zone created to drive growth in the Dundalk-Newry area. Dundalk, the report said, had not benefited from the Celtic Tiger while Newry was the third most deprived Border town in the North. The area is disadvantaged from having two currencies and tax regimes. It has also suffered from the improved road links between Dublin and Belfast, which bypass both towns.