The poet Francis Ledwidge was born in Slane on 19 August 1887, the eighth of nine children of Patrick and Anne Ledwidge at Janeville, just outside the village. From the age of fourteen, his poems were published in the Drogheda Independent, reflecting his love for the Boyne Valley. While working as a road labourer, Ledwidge…
The historic ruins of Monasterboice are part of an early Christian settlement in County Louth, north of Drogheda. Founded in the late 5th century by Saint Buite (who died around 521), it remained an important religious centre until the nearby Mellifont Abbey was established by the Cistercians in 1142. The site was captured by Vikings…
Two local beaches popular with sea swimmers are to get new double changing cabins. Over €20,000 has been allocated to pay for badly needed amenities at the blue flag Port beach Clogherhead and at Shelling Hill beach,Templetown. There has been a massive rise in the number of people sea swimming in the northeast since Covid. The Little Stand…
Drogheda’s name comes from the Irish Droichead Átha, meaning “bridge of the ford,” a reference to the River Boyne on which the town stands. Granted its charter in 1194 by Hugh de Lacy, after whom the town’s De Lacy Bridge is named, Drogheda became a major Anglo-Norman stronghold, with town walls completed in 1334 enclosing…
There aren’t many places in Drogheda that everyone knows quite like Scotch Hall. For twenty years, it’s been part of the town’s heartbeat, a place to meet friends, grab a coffee, and make memories big and small. Since opening in November 2005, Scotch Hall has stood proudly at the centre of Drogheda’s retail and social…
Mellifont Abbey, steeped in history, was the first Cistercian monastery in Ireland. Founded in 1142 by Saint Malachy, Archbishop of Armagh, it was built on the banks of the River Mattock, about 10km north of Drogheda and two miles from Monasterboice. The abbey flourished, and by 1170 it was home to one hundred monks and…
Highlanes Municipal Art Gallery, which opened in 2006, is recognised as one of Ireland’s leading visual art spaces. Serving the North East region, it features national and international temporary exhibitions, as well as works from the Drogheda Municipal Art Collection, a remarkable collection dating from the mid-18th century. The gallery is housed in the former…
Beaulieu House is a 17th-century house and gardens, among the first unfortified residences built in Ireland. It was created around an old Plunkett property by Sir Henry Tichbourne, who was granted the lands in 1666 by Charles II. Set on the north bank of the River Boyne between Drogheda and the Irish Sea, the estate…
Drogheda is set to shine brighter than ever this Bank Holiday weekend as the Lú Festival of Light 2025 transforms the town into a live theatre of light, sound and storytelling. Running from Friday, 24 October to Bank Holiday Monday, 27 October, the festival is expected to attract around 40,000 visitors, bringing new life to…
Newgrange is a magnificent ancient temple, built over 5,200 years ago by a thriving farming community in the Boyne Valley. While often called a passage tomb, its true purpose was far more complex, serving as a site of astrological, spiritual, and ceremonial importance. Part of the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage Site, Newgrange stands…
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