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GARDA STATION AND NEW COURTHOUSE

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IN CONTEXT WITHIN THE HISTORIC TOWN OF DROGHEDA

THE TOWN OF DROGHEDA OCTOBER 2023

Drogheda was founded as an Anglo-Norman town with the first town charter dating from 1194. It was a walled town surrounded by medieval defences enclosing 113 acres with a circumference of 2.3km. The new courthouse is within the old walled area and the route of the old town wall can be seen on the part of the public plaza closest to the river.

The courthouse, which opened in July 2017, has two double height courtrooms and ancillary accommodation for judges, staff, practitioners, vulnerable witnesses and persons in custody. The floor plans are organised around the central courtrooms allowing the public, judge, jury and persons in custody to enter from distinctly different directions.

Apparently this ‘New’ Garda Station is twenty seven years old as the building was handed over to the Gardai in July 1996 after a series of construction set backs. It was first delayed when medieval remains were found on the site and then the main contractors collapsed.

The station was recently extended and the development consisted of the demolition and removal of existing store and outbuilding, demolition of section of existing concrete block wall on Patrickswell lane, construction of a new 2 storey building with pedestrian access via the existing car park and old abbey lane, construction of new boundary wall and access from Patrickswell lane, conservation of existing facades on Patrickswell lane and old abbey lane and reinstatement of opes, provision of adjustments to existing hard landscaping to incorporate universal access to the building, provision of renewable energy equipment, cctv cameras, additional foul drainage and surface water drainage and all ancillary site services and works.

ST DOMINICK’S BRIDGE AND NEARBY

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DROGHEDA 16 OCTOBER 2023

I do not remember seeing this bridge but when I checked my catalogues I discovered that I photographed it in July 2009 but it looked very different back then and it was rather unattractive and uninteresting. I was also surprised to discover that I may not have been to Drogheda since 2012.

Also spelt St. Dominic’s, this bridge is now for pedestrians only, since the new bridge to its west was opened in the 1970’s. St. Dominick’s Bridge was built in 1863. It is made of iron with limestone piers and buttresses at both ends. It spans the River Boyne and was originally named the Western Bridge, but was renamed in 1878 following the completion of the nearby church of the same name.

About two years ago Louth County Council signed a €2.2m contract to refurbish St. Dominic’s Bridge and to upgrade cycling lanes and facilities on the bridge. It is a key link serving the Rathmullen Road and Ballsgrove estates to the south of the River Boyne to the Town Centre and the improvement was very much appreciated by cyclists and pedestrians.

Drogheda has a total of seven bridges.

Boyne River Bridge:
The Boyne River Bridge is Ireland’s longest cable-stayed bridge, located 3 kilometres west of Drogheda.

Boyne Viaduct:
The Boyne Viaduct is a railway bridge that crosses the River Boyne in Drogheda, carrying the main Dublin–Belfast railway line.

Bridge Of Peace:
The Bridge of Peace is the second furthest west bridge in Drogheda. It was built as a part of an inner by-pass of the town in the 1980s.

Dominic’s Bridge:
Dominic’s bridge is one of the closest bridges to Drogheda’s town centre. It is now a pedestrian bridge, one of two in Drogheda, but was previously also used by motor-vehicles until its replacement by “The Bridge of Peace” in the 1980s.

De Lacy bridge:
The De Lacy Bridge is one of two pedestrian bridges in Drogheda. It is part of Scotch Hall phase one.

St. Mary’s Bridge:
St. Marys Bridge is the main bridge to the centre of Drogheda. It was, for hundreds of years, the site of the only bridge at Drogheda. It is at the meeting of the two major south side roads the N51 and the Marsh Road.

Hay Market Bridge:
This bridge is also a major bridge in Drogheda. It is flanked by a McDonald’s restaurant, Xtra-vision store and a health centre on the south side. On the north side: Haymarket car park and a block of apartments.

TODAY I VISITED DROGHEDA PHOTOGRAPHED THE HUGH DE LACY PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

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16 OCTOBER 2023

I lived near Drogheda and my sister had a business in the town but she relocated to Florida and it is many years since I visited to town.

Back in 2004 a child in Drogheda, yet unknown, was set to have a lasting impact on the town by naming the new bridge at Scotch Hall. Children from primary schools across Drogheda were be asked to forward their ideas on a name for the bridge in January. I believe that the bridge was originally named the Millennium Bridge.

The De Lacy Bridge was opened in 2005 and, apart from the Boyne Railway Viaduct, is the lowest crossing point of the River Boyne. It is named after Hugh De Lacy who founded the town of Drogheda in 1194. Hugh de Lacy was one of the most powerful men in Ireland in the late 1100s

The bridge was built in conjunction with Phase 1 of the Scotch Hall shopping centre development on the south bank of the river.

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