By Andy Spearman
It is always good to see a once run down area of town being given a new lease of life. A case in point is the Old Abbey, as it is usually referred to locally, but The Mary D`Urso medieval priory and hospital to give it it’s full title.
The Old Abbey has been at the centre of life in this town for over 700 years and the subject of archaeological excavations at least twice – in 1989 and again in 1995 – both of which revealed significant finds indicating the national importance of the site.
Right up until the beginning of the 21st century, the Old Abbey was more or less forgotten about and was allowed to fall into disarray. What remains of the Old Abbey buildings were shored up but the smaller buildings and the outlying areas of the site were vacant and unloved for many years.
More recently though, new businesses such as Kidkast Theatre and Dance School and Abbey Lane Recording Studios moved in, and so began the process of breathing new life into the laneway.
For several years now two local men, John Bannon and Eugene Boodie Brannigan, have taken it upon themselves to keep the Old Abbey Lane clean and fresh looking and their work, allied to a very effective social media campaign, has hopefully underlined the value of Drogheda’s medieval heritage. Take a bow John and Eugene, this town owes you a debt of gratitude.
Maybe it’s as a result of their work, maybe not, but the local authority has also recently drawn up plans for the restoration of the whole area with their ambitious West Gate Vision.
In 2017 the lane was finally closed to traffic and paved by the Council which made a huge difference to the appearance of the place and it has since been used in several festivals an outdoor events using the arch of the building as a wonderful backdrop.
Perhaps someone form the Council could have a look at the hideous Abbey Shopping Centre at the eastern end of the Lane. It is easily Drogheda’s ugliest building with a carbuncle of masts in the roof. Even flattening it would be an improvement but creating an urban open space would be a seriously progressive move.
Back in May a far seeing businessman, David Courtney who runs Advanced Digital Security saw an opportunity and took ownership of the old Callan’s building on the corner of Narrow West Street and renovated the it into a Digital Hub bringing it back to life.
Brú Digital Hub was created offering hot desk, private offices, and meeting rooms with a modern twist in an old building to develop a community of professionals looking to take advantage of the daily and monthly rates, rather than working at home and avoiding the long commute to the office.
A coffee shop is located in the back yard, which opens out onto Old Abbey Lane and it too is becoming a place where people can meet throughout the day.
Brú Hub proprietor David Courtneysaid that their aim is “…to create an inspiring workplace that unlocks potential, drives business growth, innovation and collaboration while also having a positive local impact.”
For more information about Brú Hub, including prices for the various packages available, see https://www.bruhub.ie/
