Drogheda (Irish: Droichead Átha, "Bridge of the Ford") is a town of 41,000 people (2016) on the east coast of Ireland. It is midway between Dundalk to the north and Dublin to the south.

Get in

Drogheda

By car

By car Drogheda can be easily accessed from the Dublin-Belfast M1 motorway which bypasses the town. If you are travelling from Dublin there is a toll after the Julianstown exit, but this can be avoided by taking this exit which leads into Drogheda.

By train

Drogheda has a train station, 1 Drogheda (MacBride), on the south side of the town on the Dublin Road which run trains to and from Dublin and Belfast almost every hour (more trains are run during peak times). It is within 15 min walking distance to the town centre.

By bus

There is a 2 Bus Éireann station in the centre of town (opposite McDonald's; on Donore Road) which offer buses to and from the main cities and towns as well as surrounding villages in the north east.

Get around

• The town is generally small enough to walk around, but there are several taxi ranks in the town centre and it is generally easy enough to get one.
• There is a good bus service to outlying residential areas.
• There are buses to the nearby coastal towns of Termonfeckin and Clogherhead

By bus

Town service

Bus Éireann operate a frequent town bus service in Drogheda, consisting of three routes:

• Routes D1 and D2 provide a frequent service between Drogheda, Bettystown and Laytown, running daily every 15 minutes. Both routes follow the same alignment, except:
  • Route D1 operates via Mornington and Donacarney, daily every 30 minutes.
  • Route D2 operates via Golf Links Road, daily every 30 minutes.
• Route 173 operates two loops within the town from Drogheda West Street:
  • A northside loop via M1 Retail Park and Termonabbey back to Dominick Street, every hour Monday to Saturday, with no service on Sundays.
  • A southside loop via Meadowview and Rowan Heights back to Dominick Street, every hour Monday to Saturday, with no service on Sundays.

The cash fare within the town (as of Apr 2020) is €2 adult and €1.20 child, while if paying with a TFI Leap Card is €1.40 adult and 84c child. The cash fare to Bettystown and Laytown is €2.40 adult and €1.40 child, while if paying with a TFI Leap Card is €1.68 adult and 98c child.

Local and regional services

Local and regional bus services from Drogheda include:

• Bus Éireann 100 operates north to Dunleer, Castlebellingham and Dundalk, every hour Monday to Sunday.
• Bus Éireann 100X is an express commuter service, running south to Dublin Airport and Dublin City Centre, and north to Dundalk. Buses run every hour Monday to Sunday.
• Bus Éireann 101 is a frequent commuter service, running south to Julianstown, Balbriggan, Swords, Dublin Airport and Dublin City Centre. Buses run every 20 minutes Monday to Friday, every 30 minutes on Saturdays and every hour on Sundays.
• Bus Éireann 105 operates southwest to Duleek, Tayto Park, Ashbourne, Ratoath, Dunboyne and Blanchardstown, every hour Monday to Sunday.
• Bus Éireann 163 operates west to the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre, Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre and Donore Village, twice a day Monday to Sunday.
• Bus Éireann 182 and 182A operate northwest to Collon and Ardee, every hour Monday to Saturday. Every second bus (route 182) extends to Carrickmacross, Castleblayney and Monaghan. A reduced service operates on Sundays.
• Bus Éireann 189 operates northeast to Baltray, Termonfeckin, Clogher and Grangebellew, 6 times per day Monday to Friday and 4 times per day on Saturdays.
• Bus Éireann 190 operates west to Slane, Navan and Trim, every hour Monday to Sunday.

Route maps, including stop locations, are available by entering the route number into the TFI route mapper.

See

Newgrange Neolithic Burial Mound

• 1 Newgrange (Irish: Sí an Ḃrú/Brú na Bóinne). Neolithic burial mound. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, built in the Neolithic times before the Celts had arrived on the island, Newgrange is a huge passage tomb. Older than both Stonehenge and the pyramids, it's a World Heritage Site. The unique and advanced design of this tomb includes a lightbox that beams a shaft of light into the tomb only on the winter solstace. It is part of the Brú Na Bóinne Archaeological Park, about 5 miles (8 km) west of Droheda, local buses run out to the visitor centre.  
• 2 St. Peter's Church, West Street. In the town centre contains a shrine to St. Oliver Plunkett. Relics on display there include some of his bones and, most notably, his severed head.  
• 3 Highlanes Gallery, St. Laurence St, ☏ +353 41 980-3311. M-Sa 10:30-17:00. A municipal gallery for Drogheda and the north east, aims to be one of the islands most important visual art spaces preseting a dynamic and diverse programme of temporary exhibitions and exhibitions drawn from the Drogheda Municipal Art Collection. The gallery is in a former Franciscan church and has a 54-seat cafe, run by Andersons Cafe and a craft and design hub for the region-Louth Craftmark. Free.  
• 4 Saint Laurence Gate, St. Laurence Street. 13th-century Barbican tower which once served as part of the walled defences of the town as well as access in and out of the town from the east. No entry is allowed to the tower.  
• 5 Millmount Museum & Tower, Barrack Street, ☏ +353 41 983 3097. Easily one of the most dominant features in Drogheda is the Martello Tower located at Millmount. The site dates back to the 12th century and was used as a strategic point throughout the history of Drogheda from the Siege of Drogheda by Oliver Cromwell to the Irish Civil War. The tower and museum are open to the public. Museum: adults €3.50, tower: adults €3, combined: adults €5.50.  
• The Battle of the Boyne was fought across the river a few miles west of town, with William's forces on the north bank and James' to the south. The visitor centre is south bank near Slane in County Meath.
• Mellifont Abbey is a ruined Cistercian abbey at Tullyallen 10 km northwest of Drogheda. It's open June-Aug daily.

Do

Go down to the pub in the evening and have a few drinks with the locals. You're in Ireland; you may as well.

• Go see the Bellewstown Races, Bellewstown Racecourse, Bellewstown, County Meath, ☏ +353 41 9823614, info@bellewstownraces.ie. Meetings. Flat and hurdle course. € 15. (updated Jan 2019)

Buy

• 1 Scotch Hall. A large shopping centre in the town centre with plenty of high street shops. 
• 2 Laurence Shopping Centre, St Laurence St, Lagavooren, ☏ +353 41 981 0940. 

Eat

• Bizou, Meatmarket Lane. Has a good selection of lunches. Quaintly serving pints of milk with a menu that includes bacon and cabbage and some pasta and fish dishes. 
• Salty House (in town, on the quays). Great host, and the staff are a nice bunch. Good atmosphere, food is alright. Kangaroo steak (a wee bit tough), crocodile meat, crepes, etc. Wine list is fair but not great quality. One of the best place in town nonetheless. 
• The Tower (on top of town, where the Martello tower is). Great view if you are lucky to get the right seat. Food is fair. Recommended. 
• 1 Eastern Seaboard. Great value for lunch or dinner but a wee bit noisy and always busy. 
• 2 Brown Hound Bakery. A posh spot to have tea and coffee with fresh baked cakes. It is a lovely place to meet friends but it is not baby or children friendly. 

There is one fish shop in the main street which sells lovely fresh expensive seafood.

Drink

• McPhails, Lawrence St. One of the busiest bars. 
• Earth, West St (at the back of the Westcourt Hotel). A nightclub. Regulary packed to capacity and well known among the young local community. Contemporary decor and a spacious smoking room, this club attracts all ages, especially the younger generation. Door policy is strict but the cocktails are delicious. 
• Storm, Stockwell St. Another nightclub. It draws a regular more older crowd than Earth. 
• Mariner Bar (on the quays). Has a wonderful decor festooned with brass portholes, fish tanks,standard divers suits and marine artefacts.They do a nice hot chocolate with whipped cream if you are not in the mood for a pint. 

Sleep

• Green Door Hostel, Dublin Rd. Nice hostel in a good location. 
• 1 Boyne Valley Hotel, Stameen, ☏ +353 41 983 7737. Nice hotel on woodland with leisure centre, restaurant, gardens. It is old and wee bit manky in all fairness! 
• 2 The D Hotel (Attached to Scotch Hall), ☏ +353 41 9877700. Great hotel, great bar and restaurant. Nice clean rooms. Excellent breakfast. 
• 3 Collon House, Ardee St, Collon A92 YT29, ☏ +353 87 235 5645. Sumptuous bijou hotel, open Feb-Dec, no children under 13 or dogs. Cash only! B&B double from €160. (updated May 2020)

Go next

Drogheda is reasonably close to Dublin and Belfast with regular buses and trains going each way.

Routes through Drogheda

Belfast ← Dundalk ←

N  S

→ Balbriggan → Dublin