A collaborative effort involving Iarnród Éireann, Dublin Road Residents and Drogheda Tidy Towns is transforming the Dublin Road with the planting of flowers and shrubs at the embankment either side of the railway bridge.
The Dublin Road residents have always done a great job in ensuring the very best presentation of Drogheda as you approach from Dubin and the South.
If you walk, cycle, or drive along the Dublin Road you cannot fail to see the fruits of their labours, be it planting, cleaning, litter picking, weeding or otherwise.
Good work attracts attention and when local Iarnród Éireann man Maurice Power had the idea of planting the embankment, he reached out to the Dublin Road Residents and Drogheda Tidy Towns for help and this has resulted in a partnership that has led to the transformation of the railway embankment.
The work involved the clearing and planting of the Dublin Road railway station embankment with sustainable biodiversity pollinator friendly plants and shrubs. This embankment runs alogside the Dublin Road for 200 meters and provides a wonderful setting for planting which can provide great cover and food for wildlife and birds.
The planting area itself is 1,000 square metres. Over the last few months Enda Murtagh and the team in Iarnród Éireann working with Eamonn Clinton from Tidy Towns and with the support of Elias Mlmbila from Louth County Council agreed a planting plan.
For the front three or four rows, they chose spotted laurel, an evergreen featuring large, lustrous, gold-ivory speckled dark green leaves and small clusters of small purple flowers followed by bright red berries when pollinated in April and May.
For the higher areas of the embankment, they planted a hedge of a shrub called Pyracantha Dawky which is a handsome evergreen shrub with spring flowers and brilliantly colourful autumn berries. At the entrance to the station, they added some Hebe, a bushy evergreen shrub with purple, pink or white flowers in summer.
“All of the work was done in one day, thanks to a team from Iarnród Éireann supported by Dublin Road and Tidy Towns volunteers” said Tidy Towns Chairman Gerry Leydon.
“The day started before 8am and by lunchtime 1,000 plants were in the ground. It was a great day. There was the familiar picture of Donal Lucey sweeping and cleaning up while Ken, Frank, Gerry, Alistair and Anthony kept the planters on the embankment continuously supplied with shrubs and compost.
“We had the pleasure of many locals stopping to compliment the work and it was particularly nice to chat with Mary and Paula who were out showing Liam and Edmund from the local community residential service what was happening.
“Again, we had the very valuable help of two of the lads from the TUS team, who continue to do tremendous work in improving the cleanliness and tidiness of the whole town. Now we await with excitement for the summer to see all in bloom!
“This project is important for many reasons, it is a great example of what groups coming together can achieve. It supports work on biodiversity and helps to counter some of the negative impacts of climate change and habitat loss, we see around us too often these days.
“It is also a significant improvement that all can hopefully enjoy and something that will further enhance that strong local sense of pride and welcoming. From the reaction so far, we are certain this will be the catalyst for other such ideas and projects. It also sits as a nice compliment along from the “Drogheda Gateway to The Boyne Valley” mural by artist Ciaran Dunleavy, this same group of Drogheda Tidy Towns and Dublin Road Residents organised last year.
“With Spring in the air, the local WhatsApp group will be calling out the troops again, to continue the great work this year!”
