Drogheda Droichead Átha
Location
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53°42′50″N 6°21′01″W / 53.713889, -6.350278
Irish grid reference O088754
Statistics
Province:	Leinster
County:	County Louth
Elevation:	1 m
Population (2006)	28,973[1]
Website: www.droghedaboro.ie

Drogheda (pronounced /ˈdrɒhədə, ˈdrɔːdə/) (Droichead Átha in Irish, meaning "Bridge of the Ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km (35 mi) north of Dublin. Drogheda is the largest town in Ireland, recently surpassing its neighbour Dundalk. The River Boyne, split the town in half between County Meath and County Louth until the enactment of the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 which saw a large area of Drogheda, south of the Boyne signed over to form part of an extended Co Louth. With the passing of the County of Louth and Borough of Drogheda (Boundaries) Provisional Order, 1976, County Louth again grew larger at the expense of County Meath. However the 2007 - 2013 Meath County Development Plan recognises the Drogheda environs as a primary growth centre on par with Navan. This plan in conjunction with ambitious plans for growth to the north of the town by Louth County Council will ensure growth for Drogheda in the future, despite not obtaining Gateway status in the Irish government's National Spatial Strategy.

In recent years Drogheda has been diversifing its economy away from its traditional industrial image, as an increasing number of people employed in the retail, services and technology sectors they also have plenty of independent artists and musicians who have been looking to the local economy instead of Dublin for employment.

History

The town is located close to the site of Newgrange, a burial mound constructed around 3200 BC. A trading post and settlement existed on the site of the town from Roman times and was known as Inver Colpa. The town itself was founded in 911 by the Danes and officially chartered as a town in 1194. The Irish Parliament moved to the town in 1494 and passed Poyning's Law a year later. The town was besieged twice during the Irish Confederate Wars (see the siege of Drogheda). On the second occasion it was taken by Oliver Cromwell in September 1649, as part of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Drogheda was the site of an infamous massacre of the Royalist defenders. The Battle of the Boyne, 1690, occurred some 6 km (4 mi) west of the town, on the banks of the River Boyne, at Oldbridge.

Drogheda's coat of arms bears the star and crescent and has its origin with King Richard I (the Lionheart), in whose reign Drogheda was granted its charter in 1194 by Hugh de Lacy (after whom the de Lacy bridge in Drogheda is named). Another Norman element on Drogheda's coat of arms is its centrepiece, St. Lawrence's Gate. The three lions which flank the Norman barbican are also taken from King Richard's coat of arms. On the other side of the barbican is a ship denoting Drogheda's status as an important port. The town's motto Deus praesidium, mercatura decus translates as "God our strength, merchandise our glory".

The Earldom of Drogheda was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1661.

In 1837 the population of Drogheda area was 17,365 of whom 15,138 lived in the town.^[2] In 1921 the shrunken head of Saint Oliver Plunkett, who was executed in London in 1681, was put on display in the cathedral.

The estate in the famous series "The Thorn Birds" was named after the town of Drogheda.

Arts and Entertainment

Theatre & Performing Arts

Drogheda has a thriving arts scene; it hosts the annual Samba festival every summer, where Samba bands from around the world converge on the town for a week of drumming and parades.

It is also home to the Calipo theatre company which specialises in multi-media productions and has achieved considerable success in Ireland and abroad.

The town also supports one of the largest and most successful youth theatres in Ireland (Droichead Youth Theatre) which has toured to Belfast, London, Italy, and Sweden. The addition of the Little Duke Theatre company in Duke Street, in the old Julian Blinds building, adds to this scene. The Municipal Centre in Stockwell Street acts as a base for most of the town's artists, under the umbrella of the Droichead Arts Centre, and featuring a gallery space and a theatre. The former Garda (Police) station in West Street is now a satellite site of the Droichead Arts Centre. This site is called Barlow House.

UnderGround Music

Drogheda Also has a thriving underground music scene with genres including Rock, Punk, Funk, Metal, Rap, Hip Hop And Hardcore being just a few. Recently local band Holy Matrimony have emerged proving to be very popular and going places

Visual Arts

October 2006 saw the opening of the town's first dedicated municipal art gallery and visual arts centre, the Highlanes Gallery, housed in the former Franciscan Friary on St. Laurence Street. The Highlanes Gallery holds Drogheda's important municipal art collection which dates from the 17th century as well as visiting exhibitions in a venue which meets key international museum and gallery standards.

The original Drogheda bypass bridge over the river Boyne, known locally as the "Bridge of Peace", is well-known regionally for its aerosol graffiti murals. Under the bridge, on each side of the river there are two large concrete supports that measure approximately 8 metres high, and 20 metres long. Starting in the 1980s with the breakdance craze, these supports were painted and sprayed with murals by aerosol artists. This activity at the time was technically illegal and frowned upon by the local authorities. Today the murals are frequently updated and limited sponsorship of the artists is provided by local businesses.

Live Music Notable venues are , he Pheasant on Duleek Street, McPhail's in Laurence Street, McHugh's on Cord Road , The New Central in Peter Street and The Market Bar on Magdalene Street. For traditional Irish music, Carberry's (Teach Uí Cairbre) pub near the North Quay has regular sessions by amateur and professional musicians alike

A local live music venue which no longer exists, but which was very popular in the 1980s was Johnny Connor's Boxing Club. A tribute page featuring video and pictures of patrons can be found hereThe site of the Boxing Club is now occupied by the Haymarket Bridge and Development.

Drogheda today

With the expansion of the Irish economy in the 1990s, during the "Celtic Tiger" years, Drogheda has become one of the primary locations for people who work in Dublin to buy a house. Property prices in the capital are prohibitive for first time home buyers. With the expansion of transport infrastructure in the area around Drogheda i.e. the Swords and Balbriggan bypasses, the Boyne River Bridge and the increased number of commuter trains serving the town, Drogheda is now an attractive location for Dubliners to buy their first house and commute to work, the downtown area of Drogheda has been transformed over the past two years, two large shopping centres have opened, and large numbers of national and international retails have opened stores. In 2007 the partial pedestrianisation of the town's main street, West Street, was completed. The Boyne Cable Bridge in particular has dramatically increased the profile of the region as a location for out-of-town retail parks.

On the south quay in the space of the former Lakeland Daries premises (an old industrial area), the Scotch Hall Shopping Centre and the D hotel was completed in November 2005. A new pedestrian bridge extends from the north quay, at Mayoralty Street, into the complex. Phase two of the development, which will shortly commence construction, will extend further down along the river front, on the site of the former Irish Oil Cake works. It will have an extension to the Shopping Centre and Hotel, new apartments, cinema, and a riverside plaza.

Colp is a suburb of Drogheda. It is the site of Grange Rath, the biggest housing estate in Drogheda. There is a shopping centre in Colp, although not yet built it is close to completion.

Local economy

The local economy of Drogheda, like that of many other towns in Ireland, is changing rapidly. The old industries based around linen and textiles, brewing, shipping and manufacturing have now disappeared or are in decline.

There are still a number of large employers in the town including:

Flogas - National Gas distributor

Natures Best - fresh food processing factory

Hilton Foods - Meat processing Plant

Boyne Valley Foods - Production and distribution of jams and honey

Irish Cement - Ireland's largest cement works, known locally as Platin

International Flavours & Fragrances (IFF) - Produces perfumes and food fragrances

Becton Dickinson (BD) - manufacturing a variety of medical syringes and associated equipment.

Recently additions to the local ecomony include:

• IDA Business & Technology Park: a 25 hectare (63 acre) with direct access onto the Dublin / Belfast motorway developed and landscaped for the needs of both the IT, financial and internationally traded services sectors.
• International Fund Services, a leading provider of fund accounting and administration services to the hedge fund industry globally, is to establish a hedge fund administration operation in Drogheda, Co. Louth with the creation of up to 235 jobs.
• Eight enterprise incubation units for high tech startup companies are provided in the Milmount complex.

The opening of the Drogheda bypass has led to the development of 2 large retail parks adjacent to the motorway, either side of the Boyne cable bridge. On the south side, is the M1 Retail Park and on the north side is the Drogheda Retail Park.

Transport, communications & amenities

The town is located close to M1 (E1 Euro Route 1) (main Dublin - Belfast motorway). Drogheda acquired rail links to Dublin in 1844, Navan in 1850 and Belfast in 1852. Passenger services between Drogheda and Navan were ended in 1958, however the line remains open for freight (Tara Mines/Platin Cement) traffic. In 1966 Drogheda station was renamed "McBride". Drogheda railway station opened on 25 May 1844.^[3]

Media

The local newspapers are the Drogheda Leader, and the Drogheda Independent.

The Drogheda Independent also publishes a newspaper called the Drogheda People.

Despite their official titles the newspapers are known locally as "The D.I' and 'the Leader'.

Both principal newspapers are published every Wednesday. The headquarters of The Drogheda Independent are on Shop Street and The Drogheda Leader's offices are on Laurence Street.

The local radio station is LM-FM, broadcasting on 95.8 FM. The headquarters of LM-FM are on Marley's Lane on the south side of the town.

Sport

• Soccer: In December 2005 the town's soccer team, Drogheda United, won the national FAI Carlsberg Cup for the first time. In 2006 Drogheda United won the Setanta Cup becoming the champions of all Ireland. In 2007, Drogheda United won the League of Ireland for the first time in the club's history.
• Rugby: Drogheda is home to many schools including "St.Marys" who are the under 14 Leinster rugby champions.

Drogheda Star and Crescent Moon Emblem

There is a popular tale, that Drogheda’s Star and Crescent Moon Emblem originates from a gesture of appreciation to "the Sultan Abdul Hemid", who sent three ships full of food to the town during the Great Famine.^{[citation needed]}. It is recorded that Sultan Abdul Medjid Khan did send £1,000 in famine relief aid to the government of the day, there is no historical record of any ships being sent containing food. ^[4] The star and crescent are in fact the royal seal of King John, who presented the town with its charter in 1194 ^[5].

The Civic Arms are also medieval in origin. The gate is St. Lawrence's Gate, a Norman building that still stands in the town. The ship represents the town's status as a major trading port, while the three lions (or leopards) represent the House of Plantagenet.^{[citation needed]}

People

Soccer Players

• Nick Colgan, goalkeeper for the Republic of Ireland men's national team.
• Ian Harte, full-back for Sunderland A.F.C. and the Republic of Ireland men's national team.
• Gary Kelly, soccer player and charity campaigner.
• Sean Thornton, midfielder Doncaster Rovers F.C. in England and former Republic Of Ireland under 21 national team.
• Kevin Thornton, midfielder Coventry City F.C. in England and former Republic Of Ireland under 21 national team.

Others

• Pierce Brosnan, actor and film producer. Though he was born in Drogheda he grew up in nearby Navan.
• Eamonn Campbell, famous Guitarist and Music Producer, member of The Dubliners.
• James Cullen, mathematician who discovered what are now known as the Cullen numbers.
• Deirdre Gogarty, 1997 Women's International Boxing Federation (WIBF) Featherweight Title Champion.
• Shane Horgan, Ireland international rugby union player.
• Jonathan Kelly, singer-songwriter.
• Tony Martin, Canadian social democratic legislator
• Michael Scott, architect who designed Busáras and the Abbey Theatre.
• T.K. Whitaker, former Irish economist who wrote the Programme for Economic Expansion went to school in Drogheda.
• Evanna Lynch, actress, appeared in Harry Potter as Luna Lovegood.
• Deirdre O'Kane, award-winning comedian.
• Colin O'Donoghue, actor, appeared in RTÉ productions "Home for Christmas", "Love is the Drug" and "The Clinic" as well as numerous theatre productions. Won best newcomer in the IFTA's for his role in "Home for Christmas".

See also

• List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Louth)
• List of towns in Ireland

References

External links

• The Drogheda Community Forum
• Drogheda Tourism
• Drogheda Borough Council
• Louth County Council
• Architecture of Drogheda
• Photo Survey of Navan Drogheda existing railway line
• Drogheda Port
• Drogheda Chamber of Commerce
• IDA Ireland, Drogheda profile
• Drogheda's Municipal Art Gallery
• Drogheda United FC
• Droichead Arts Centre
• Bebo page for Johnny Connor's Boxing Club

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Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Drogheda". Image Credit.

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