The Ardee Poor Law Union was officially declared in 1834. The Workhouse was opened in 1842 at a cost of £7,150. It was built to house a maximum capacity of 600 inmates. The Ardee Workhouse was built to accomodate people from the areas of Ardee, Castlebellingham, Clonkeen, Collon, Dromin, Drumcar, Dunleer, Mansfieldstown, Stabannon, and Tallonstown in Co. Louth, and Drumcondra, Killary, and Grangegeeth in Co. Meath.
Extensions during the years of the Great Famine increased the capacity of the Ardee Workhouse by 400.
From the 1930's onwards, the Ardee Workhouse was repurposed as a vocational school. Since then the buildings have been put to a number of different uses, most notably a furniture store.
The Ardee Workhouse site is now occupied by a meat processing plant.
References
For more information see here | Ireland | VIEW SOURCE | |
County Louth Archives | Ireland | VIEW SOURCE |