Today I was surprised to learn that Louth County Council had purchased the 18th century St. Mary Magdalen's church from the Dominican order in 2020 when they decided to leave Drogheda after almost 800 years. Apparently the Order of Preachers had decided back in 2014 to withdraw from the following locations - St Magdalen’s, Drogheda; Leeson Park in Dublin; St Dominic’s, Athy; St Saviour’s, Limerick; and St Saviour’s, Ballybeg, Waterford. Until today, they only one that I was aware of was the church in Limerick.

A few months ago Local Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd confirmed that Louth County Council had applied for funding to extend and refurbish the Dominican Church in Drogheda to provide for a brand new state of the art library.

St. Mary Magdalen's Roman Catholic Church was designed in the French Gothic style and is one of a number of Roman Catholic churches within Drogheda. Associated with the Dominican convent to the north the church forms the centre piece of a small religious group. The structure itself has been carefully designed with the large geometric stained glass window dominating the gable fronted elevation and the small tower onto Dominick Street reaching to the sky. The interior is simple and relatively unadorned for a Roman Catholic church of this period with the main focus being on the altar and chancel with its beautiful mosaic panels depicting stories from Christ's life. The church of St. Mary Magdalen is an important building not only for its decorative and architectural significance but also as a place of worship for the people of Drogheda.