Dundalk Bay is a large (33 km
2), exposed
estuary on the east coast of
Ireland. The inner bay is shallow, sandy and
intertidal, though it slopes into a deeper area 2 km from the transitional water boundary. It is predominantly influenced by the sea, though several
rivers drain into the bay from the west. In the northwest corner of the bay, the
Castletown River cuts through the intertidal zone and the smaller
River Fane flows into the southeast corner. While the bay is largely made up of
intertidal flats, there is a significant area of
salt marsh on the western shore. The catchment around the bay is of mixed agriculture and urban land use. The Castletown River is routinely dredged for navigation purposes for the
deep water port of
Dundalk.