Drogheda

Drogheda (Irish: Droichead Átha, "Bridge of the Ford") is a large town on the East coast of Ireland. It is midway between Dundalk to the north and Dublin to the south.

Get in

Drogheda

By car

By car Drogheda can be easily accessed from the Dublin-Belfast M1 motorway which bypasses the town. If you are travelling from Dublin there is a toll after the Julianstown exit but this can be avoided by taking this exit which leads into Drogheda.

By train

Drogheda has a train station, 🌍 Drogheda (MacBride), on the south side of the town on the Dublin Road which run trains to and from Dublin and Belfast almost every hour (more trains are run during peak times). It is within 15min walking distance to the town centre.

By bus

There is a 🌍 Bus Éireann station in the centre of town (opposite McDonald's; on Donore Road) which offer buses to and from the main cities and towns as well as surrounding villages in the North East.

Get around

• The town is generally small enough to walk around, but there are several taxi ranks in the town centre and it is generally easy enough to get one.
• There is a good bus service to outlying residential areas.
• There are buses to the nearby coastal towns of Termonfeckin and Clogherhead

See

Newgrange Neolithic Burial Mound

• 🌍 Newgrange (Irish: Sí an Ḃrú/Brú na Bóinne). Neolithic burial mound. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, built in the Neolithic times before the Celts had arrived on the island, Newgrange is a huge passage tomb. Older than both Stonehenge and the pyramids, it's a World Heritage Site. The unique and advanced design of this tomb includes a lightbox that beams a shaft of light into the tomb only on the winter solstace. It is part of the Brú Na Bóinne Archaeological Park, located about 5 miles West of Droheda, local buses run out to the visitor centre.  
• 🌍 St. Peter's Church, West Street. In the town centre contains a shrine to St. Oliver Plunkett. Relics on display there include some of his bones and, most notably, his severed head.  
• 🌍 Highlanes Gallery, St. Laurence St, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 10:30-17:00. A municipal gallery for Drogheda and the north east, aims to be one of the islands most important visual art spaces preseting a dynamic and diverse programme of temporary exhibitions and exhibitions drawn from the Drogheda Municipal Art Collection. The gallery is in a former Franciscan church and has a 54 seater cafe, run by Andersons Cafe and a craft and design hub for the region-Louth Craftmark. Free.  
• 🌍 Saint Laurence Gate, St. Laurence Street. 13th century Barbican tower which once served as part of the walled defences of the town as well as access in and out of the town from the east. It is currently not possible to gain entry into the tower.  
• 🌍 Millmount Museum & Tower, Barrack Street, ☎ [phone]. Easily one of the most dominant features in Drogheda is the Martello Tower located at Millmount. The site dates back to the 12th century and was used as a strategic point throughout the history of Drogheda from the Siege of Drogheda by Oliver Cromwell to the Irish Civil War. The tower and museum are open to the public. Museum: adults €3.50, tower: adults €3, combined: adults €5.50.  

Do

Go down to the pub in the evening and have a few drinks with the locals. You're in Ireland; you may as well.

• Go see the Bellewstown Races, Bellewstown Racecourse, Bellewstown, County Meath, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Meetings. Flat and hurdle ("jumps") course. € 15. (updated Jan 2019)

Buy

• 🌍 Scotch Hall. A large shopping centre in the town centre with plenty of high street shops. 
• 🌍 Laurence Shopping Centre, St Laurence St, Lagavooren, ☎ [phone]. Another shopping centre. 

Eat

• Bizou, Meatmarket Lane. Has a good selection of lunches. Quaintly serving pints of milk with a menu that includes bacon and cabbage and some pasta and fish dishes. 
• Salty House (in town, on the quays). Great host, Justin is a bit of craic actually. The rest of the waitresses are a nice bunch, well it depends on the night really. Good atmosphere, food is alright, nothing mad spectacular but fair. Kangaroo steak (a wee bit tough), crocodile meat, crepes (they need to get a proper recipe from a proper french chef), etc... Wine list is fair but not great quality! One of the best place in town nonetheless. 
• The Tower (on top of town, where the Martello tower is). Great view if you are lucky to get the right seat. Food is fair, very very very well seasoned (easy on the salt, shallots, etc chef). Recommended! 
• 🌍 Eastern Seaboard. A good place too even though getting worse by the month as they do good business. Great value for lunch or dinner but it used to be better (quality vs. quantity vs. service). Still a great spot even though a wee bit noisy and always busy. 
• 🌍 Brown Hound Bakery. A posh spot to have tea and coffee with fresh baked cakes. It is a lovely place to hook up with friends but it is not baby or kids friendly at all (no changing facility, cakes at the height of a 18 months old to poke freely and at will...) There is one fish shop in the main street which sells lovely fresh expensive seafood. What a pity to pay over €4 for a bag of mussels when it is €2 in posh Howth. 

Drink

• McPhails, Lawrence St. One of the busiest bars. 
• Earth, West St (at the back of the Westcourt Hotel). A nightclub. Regulary packed to capacity and well known among the young local community. Contemporary decor and a spacious smoking room, this club attracts all ages, especially the younger generation. Door policy is strict but the cocktails are delicious. 
• Storm, Stockwell St. Another nightclub. It draws a regular more older crowd than Earth. 
• Mariner Bar (on the quays). Has a wonderful decor festooned with brass portholes, fish tanks,standard divers suits and marine artefacts.They do a nice hot chocolate with whipped cream if you are not in the mood for a pint. 

Sleep

• Green Door Hostel, Dublin Rd. Nice hostel in a good location. 
• 🌍 Boyne Valley Hotel, Stameen, ☎ [phone]. Nice hotel on woodland with leisure centre, restaurant, gardens. It is old and wee bit manky in all fairness! 
• 🌍 The D Hotel (Attached to Scotch Hall), ☎ [phone]. Great hotel, great bar and restaurant. Nice clean rooms. Excellent breakfast. 

Go next

Drogheda is reasonably close to both Dublin and Belfast with regular buses and trains going each way.