Members of Drogheda and District Chamber and Drogheda United, with the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and the Black Sea Exporters Association.
Drogheda Chamber Türkiye mission has opened new business conversations between Drogheda, the M1 Corridor, and Trabzo
Drogheda & District Chamber travelled alongside Drogheda United to the Black Sea city, using the trip to meet local business organisations and explore future opportunities.
The Chamber delegation met representatives from the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and the Black Sea Exporters Association, with discussions focused on potential future trade, investment and tourism links.
Ahead of the trip, Chamber CEO Hubert Murphy described it as a fact-finding mission to identify opportunities for Drogheda businesses and raise the profile of the wider M1 Corridor.
Turkiye chamber: Mr Erkut Celebi, chairman of Trabzon Chamber, making a presentation to the visitors from Drogheda.
Business links take centre stage
The Drogheda Chamber Türkiye mission included meetings with the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and the Black Sea Exporters Association, with discussions focused on trade, investment and tourism links.
The meeting in Trabzon brought together representatives from Drogheda and the local business community in the Turkish city.
The Drogheda delegation presented the range of businesses and industries already operating across the town and wider region, from manufacturing and energy to food, tourism, healthcare, financial services and construction.
Among the Drogheda and North East businesses highlighted during the visit were WaterWipes, Hanley Energy, Boann Distillery, Meade Farm, Paysafe, Kingsbridge, Aspen Eco, Anglo Printers and Irish Cement.
Trabzon also has a substantial industrial and export base, including food production, hazelnuts and tea, seafood, textiles, construction materials, cement and shipbuilding.
A Turkish report on the meeting confirmed that Drogheda Chamber CEO Hubert Murphy was among the delegation and that discussions centred on developing the friendship between the two regions through trade as well as sport.
The Chamber says it now wants to continue those discussions and explore what lessons can be learned from investment and development projects underway in Trabzon.
Drogheda United make history in Trabzon
The business mission ran alongside Drogheda United’s first ever match in Türkiye.
The Drogs faced Turkish Süper Lig side Trabzonspor at Papara Park on Thursday, 1st October, in a friendly marking the long-standing links between Drogheda and Türkiye.
The game remained scoreless until the closing stages before Edwin Agbaje struck in the 86th minute to give Drogheda United a 1-0 victory.
The result capped a trip which had seen the Drogheda travelling party receive a warm welcome from Trabzonspor supporters on arrival.
Drogheda United and Trabzonspor have developed a relationship over a number of years, with the clubs sharing claret and blue colours and supporters highlighting the historical links between Drogheda and Türkiye.
The fixture also formed part of events marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Türkiye.
Turkiye paysafe banner: Chamber CEO, Hubert Murphy, with members of the Paysafe team at Papara Park in Trabzon.
European diplomats attend fixture
The occasion also attracted a diplomatic presence.
Through the organisation of the Irish embassy in Ankara, the support of Turkish ambassador to Ireland, Esra Cankorur and her team, and the team at Drogheda Chamber, some 26 European ambassadors to Türkiye arrived for the game, accompanied by ambassador, Clare Brosnan. They had been meeting locally and once they heard the story of Drogheda and Türkiye, dating back centuries, put the fixture in their diaries.
The visitors were presented with Drogheda United scarves before joining players for a photograph on the pitch following the game.
Drogheda United had said before travelling that it wanted the visit to create something lasting beyond the football, using the club’s profile to help local businesses and organisations make connections in Türkiye.
For Drogheda & District Chamber, the next stage will be to build on the meetings held in Trabzon and explore where practical opportunities can be developed for businesses in Drogheda and along the M1 Corridor.
