The Cottage Hospital

The Cottage Hospital is an institution that has served the community of Drogheda well for over 107 years. It's distinctive Edwardian red brick buildings are still handsome looking and they provide daily, care services for the elderly citizens of the town amongst others (unless the HSE have their way).

The hospital was initially opened on 14th December 1909 by Countess Aberdeen with just 12 beds at first as a result of the efforts of two sisters known locally as the Misses Smith of Greenhills, who were its first secretaries, and who raised the money for its erection and maintenance. The concept of a 'cottage hospital' was a small rural building with only a few beds but the advantages were that the local physician knew their patients and their case histories better than at a county hospital, there were facilities to deal with emergencies more immediately than transferring to a voluntary or county hospital, and the level of care meant a journey to a county hospital was unnecessary.

Drogheda's Cottage Hospital had, like all worthy causes, a number of wealthy patrons; namely The Viscountess Gormanston and Lady Rathdonnell, whilst the President of the establishment was Lady Bellew. The rules of the hospital stated clearly that it was for all members of the community should they need it, and was equipped to deal with both out-patients and day-patients and had free beds and also paying patients.
Some of the rules stated:

"2. The Hospital shall be strictly non-sectarian, and the clergy and accredited ministers of all denominations shall be at liberty to visit the hospital at all times to minister to the spiritual wants of patients requiring their attendance.

4. The hospital is intended to be partially self-supporting, but shall contain a certain number of free beds, to be supported by annual subscription.

16. The definition of a paying patient is one who pays £2 0s. od. or upwards per week to the hospital. Those paying from 7s. per week upwards are defined as contributory patients. Children under twelve are half price.

17. No person suffering from infectious or contagious disorders, (unless the funds admit of a completely separate building for their use), or any chronic disease, shall be admitted unless in the last case the Medical Officers shall be of the opinion that the person would be benefited by hospital treatment. No patient shall remain in the hospital more than six weeks without the special permission of the Executive Committee. Every requisite of the patient (except personal clothing and medicine, 1s. per week being charged for medicine) will be provided in the hospital, and patients may not receive food or drink from any other source witout the sanction of the Matron."

The formidable Lady Rathdonnell, one of the patrons of the hospital

In the first year of opening the hospital had a debt of £55 19s. 1d. but due to support given by way of a jumble sale, a fete and a sports day that was wiped out, with "the building being thoroughly repainted inside and out, two new beds, carpets and new instruments provided". During it's first three years in operation the number of patients rose from 80 in 1908 to 240 by 1910. Amongst the various cases treated were appendicitis, peritonitis, pneumonia, blood poisoning, anemia and fractures, with 9 births and 3 deaths being recorded. The staff in 1909/10 consisted of Dr. Redmond, consulting physician and president of the Royal College of Physicians, Dr. Charles Maunsell, consulting surgeon, Drs. Byrne, Hunt and Tallan, visiting surgeons, a matron and nurses.

There was a large list of subscribers to the Cottage, with the founders the Misses Smith top of the list. A number of wealthy landowners, businessmen and gentry contributed, such as Colonel Coddington, H. St. George Osbourne, A. B. Cairnes, Lady Gormanston and Lord and Lady Bellew. Businesses also subscribed like the Drogheda & Castlebellingham Breweries, the Yorkshire & Lancashire Railways and the directors of the Boyne Mills. There were also a large number of gifts donated to the hospital such as magazines, food, books, cots and mattresses.

A brass plaque erected in the hall reads "This hospital stands as witness to the love and zeal of the Misses Smith of Greenhills, by whose efforts chiefly, the money for its erection and maintenance was raised and in particular, to the devotion of Miss Sidney Smith and Miss Rosa Smith who for fifteen years acted as secretaries 1908 - 1932". The Cottage Hospital is now managed by the HSE as a convalescent/respite centre for the elderly, and also houses the Doctor on Call centre and Ambulance Centre for the immediate area. Despite the best efforts of the HSE to close down the facility by removing beds and considering downgrading the hospital, this local institution still stands and thanks to the efforts of local groups like 'Save Drogheda Cottage Hospital' hopefully will continue to provide care for the people of Drogheda for years to come.

"Drogheda's the Place for Me"

This article by Evelyn Kirwan was originally published in the Old Drogheda Society Journal 1998:

"The song was written by Larry Branigan who was born in 1904. He was brought up in the Oulster Lane and Scarlet Street area and after doing his Leaving Certificate with the Christian Brothers, he commenced work in the offices of Dublin Port and Docks. He often described arriving in Dublin in 1922, wearing knickerbockers as the shells rained down on the Four Courts during the Civil War.

Larry only made one continental trip - to Paris in 1936, where he resisted efforts to recruit him for the war against Franco in Spain. He was widely read and an enthusiastic Gaelic scholar. He travelled to Dublin every morning until his retirement in 1966 and was once described by the Drogheda Independent as Ireland's "greatest commuter".

Married in 1957 to Kathleen McGrane, Larry moved to the Cord Road. He was an avid walker, swimmer and cyclist and could be seen for many years wandering the byroads of Louth and Meath, accompanied by his friend Tom McConnon, late of Patrick Street.

Larry has a sweet tenor voice and would sing at the drop of a hat. He wrote many songs. His "Drogheda's the Place for Me" is a love song to his hometown. He sang it at every opportunity. Not many people listened but he would be happy to know that the song is still there after his death which occurred in 1990.


                                                    "Drogheda's the Place for Me"

                                                                        1
                                                       Tell me you know the way
                                                        Beamore or sweet Baltray
                                                Down by the Boyne, its pleasant there
                                            Hawthorn and Roses and sweet fragrant air.
                                                        Maybe we'll go to Slane
                                                         Or round by Rosnaree
                                                   In by the Bolies, it's always fair
                                                      Drogheda's the place for me

                                                                         2
                                                        Drogheda's a pleasant town
                                                      Where streets go up and down
                                             High Lane and Low Lane and Duleek Gate
                                                 St. Peter's, St. Mary's, just don't be late
                                        Out by dear old Stameen and round by Mornington
                                                     Laytown or Butlin's its all the same
                                                         Drogheda's the place for me

                                                                         3
                                      You hear the joybells ring, you hear the Tholsel chime
                                                Down by the Rampart, we have a park
                                                   Out by the Obelisk we'll have a laugh
                                                      Where Billy crossed the Boyne
                                                         Newgrange is there to see
                                                 Dublin or Belfast or Cork by the Lee
                                                         Drogheda's the place for me

                                                                        4
                                                   Now lately there came to town
                                                  Pope John Paul of great reknown
                                                     At Kilineer he bowed a knee
                                                  Prayed we'd be free from hostility
                                  People from North and South, greeted with one great shout
                                              John Paul looked up and "Be God" says he
                                                      Drogheda's the place for me


                                         (with acknowledgement to Patrick Branigan, nephew)

Cairnes Ltd. - A Romance of the Brewing Industry

A message from Cairnes Brewery from 1939:

"Beside the storied River Boyne, in the historic, but progressive town of Drogheda in the County Louth, stands the extensive Brewery of CAIRNES LIMITED, far-famed for its ales and stouts.

Old in years, but modern and up-to-date in its methods, this brewing business has truly "moved with the times". One of the original pioneer firms of the brewing industry, the beginnings of "Cairnes Limited" date back to 1772 with the foundation of the Castlebellingham Brewery amidst ideal rural surroundings in the County of Louth. In 1825 Mr. Cairnes, who was related by marriage to the owners of the Castlebellingham Brewery, founded the brewery at Drogheda, though not until 1889 were the interests of the firms pooled. For years subsequent to this date the two breweries were worked independently, each supplying its own customers throughout Ireland and abroad.

The ale was very popular in America as this poster shows

In 1923 it was considered advisable to concentrate brewing operations at Drogheda owing to its more advantageous position, commercially, and as the brewing plant and premises there were more extensive. Actually the brewing plant of Cairnes Ltd. is one of the most up-to-date in Ireland and compares very favourably with that of breweries in the neighbouring island. The premises have grown with the years, they have been extended and modernised, yet combining in their "romance of industry" the mellowness of Yesterday with the progressiveness of today.

There are two supplies of water to the brewery. One is from the famous Tubberboice Spring, the property of the company, situated about two miles from the town of Drogheda. The other is from a deep Artesian well, bored some years ago at great expense, in the Brewery yard. The special properties of these springs help to produce the Company's far-famed Ales and Stouts, and with the best ingredients in finest of malted barley and hops, they combine to give to CAIRNES ALES their particular "sparkle", "verve" and "body" in a word, their charm and their strength.

Cairnes Ales have been the subject of hosts of testimonials as their qualities, at home and abroad, and they are worthy upholders of the great name Ireland fitly earned in the word of brewing.

the famous Stingo Ale

It s wonderful to see pioneers in any industry still "going strong" in these days of keen competition, amalgamations, monopolies - and, not least, heavy taxation - more particularly when unaided by tariffs and quotas as is the case of the Irish Brewing Industry. So one must admire this long-established concern. What changes it has seen in the 167 years since its inception at Castlebellingham! Today it goes forward, proudly, to add fresh laurels to the name of CAIRNES LIMITED and the fame of their products, those ales and stouts of which even Charles Lever and Thackeray wrote and enthused in the long ago, and which, now, as then, fill the connoisseur with the joy of having found perfection."

The brewery on the Marsh Rd, Drogheda

The Night of the Big Wind - 6th/7th January 1839

During this horrible weather we've been having over the past few weeks, it seems appropriate to remember that on the 6th January one hundred and seventy four years ago today "The Night of the Big Wind" - 'Oiche na Gaoithe Maoire', effectively a category 3 hurricane, wreacked utter destruction across the country.

It was by all accounts a freak storm. Ireland was experiencing very unseasonable weather; heavy snow on 5th Jan was followed by very warm weather on the 6th. Around 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the 6th January it began to rain with the weather deteriorating rapidly throughout the day, until ten o'clock at night when the winds raged up and mauled the country until six a.m. the next morning.

The scenes that greeted people in the dawn must have seemed unreal; roofs had been blown off buildings, trees uprooted and flung across streets and fields, windows & doors were blown out, whole cabins were blown, or subsequently burnt, down, farmland was destroyed, crops and hay ricks (essential for feeding livestock) blown clean away; fences & walls were blown down and livestock escaped & were lost. The storm had been so powerful that when it initially crashed into the west coast waves actually broke over the top of the Cliffs of Moher. What was probably the most terrifying aspect of the storm was that it happened in utter darkness; people had no idea what was going on as their homes were destroyed.

A cottage in Mohill, Co. Leitrim 1889 - many cottages in 1839 would have been like this one & so could be easily destroyed by high winds or flying debris.

The after effects in Drogheda and the surrounding area was described vividly in newspapers of the time. "As the hurricane hit Drogheda, many families fled in mortal terror for their lives as the wind thundered through their shaking homes. The nightmare atmosphere was further raised as slates and chimney pots crashed down into the streets in the darkness. Frightened horses bolted wildly about adding to the general terror and confusion. Some families made their way to the safety of the Tholsel and the Watch House. Others quit the town to spend the night huddled together in the freezing rain, under the hedgerows of the open fields.

As daylight broke on Monday morning the streets of the town were seen to be blocked with debris of every type and description. Very few houses had escaped the night undamaged. But the greatest loss and suffering was felt amongst the poor of the town. A large number of their cabins were demolished, two or three were burned to the ground, and the remainder were stripped of their thatched roofing. Remarkably in all this destruction, not one single life was lost, nor were any serious injuries reported in the vicinity of Drogheda.

The north side of the town bore the brunt of the storm. Homes in Windmill Lane, directly in the path of the scythe-like wind, suffered most. Of some 90 houses in the road, 32 had their roofs whipped clean away and were also damaged by falling debris. Residents in the North Road also reported extensive damages to their property." A family in Laurence Street had a narrow escape when a falling chimney stack caused their roof to collapse on top of them; luckily they weren't injured. A large number of buildings reported their roofs being stripped, including St. Peter's C.O.I., buildings on West St. and the quays, Mayoralty House, and Mell Flax Mill which was seriously damaged during the storm.

Throughout the county, from Dundalk to Ardee to Collon, stripped roofs and damaged buildings were the main reports. In nearly all of the great estates dotted throughout the county fallen trees were the main casualties, with entire groves of valuable timber being uprooted, some dating back centuries. Another extract from the papers highlighted that "in one instance on the Red House estate, to the north of the town (of Ardee), one desolated family saw their small house burned out during the storm. Everything they possessed was lost in the fire, even a valuable sow and her litter of young ones. The family spent the remainder of the night in the freezing sleet and snow in a hedgerow. Mr. W. P. Buxton, landlord of the Red House, on hearing of their terrible plight sent blankets and clothing for all the family."

Such was the intensity of the storm that in a letter from Slane dated from the 7th Jan, the writer states " a very curious fact that I have discovered from a twig having accidentally gotten into my mouth which, to my great suprise, I found strongly impregnated with salt. This turned out generally the case throughout the place: the spray, therefore, of the Atlantic must have crossed this island."

A huge rock thrown up by the recent storms in Doolin, Co. Clare. The storm in 1839 did much the same thing, and the crashing of the waves on the coast could be heard for miles inland.

It was estimated that between 300 - 800 people were killed, but the figure was probably much higher given the amount of people that would have either froze to death in the fields or died from illnesses that followed given the intense rain & snow that accompanied the storm.

The storm was a hugely traumatic event for the Irish people and it became a marker for an era. Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless and penniless, and the countryside and farmland was left devastated. One positive outcome was in 1909 when the Old Age Pension System was enacted, due to the lack of written genealogical records in rural areas, the ferocious storm that blew in from the North Atlantic 70 years earlier proved to be a useful marker. One of the questions asked of elderly people was if they could remember the 'Night of the Big Wind'; if they could, they were old enough to qualify for the pension.

Extracts from "The Night of the Big Wind, 6th January, 1839" by Michael O. McDonough, O.D.S. Journal 1990.

5 History-Changing Events that Happened in Drogheda

Drogheda has, perhaps surprisingly, been in the middle of a lot of important Irish events. Some may be very well known (Cromwell's Siege, the Battle of the Boyne come to mind) but there are less well-known happenings that had a huge effect, not only on Drogheda's history, but Irish history as a whole.

Here's your quick guide as to why Drogheda is more important than you think:

1. Poynings Law
Possibly one of the most important historical events to affect Irish history, this law, introduced by the then Lord Deputy of Ireland Sir Edward Poynings in the Irish Parliament sitting at Drogheda in 1494, was an attempt to bring the rebellious Irish back under the yoke of the Tudor Monarchy soon after the English War of the Roses. In it it stated that no Irish Parliament could meet without the permission of the King of England and no legislation could be passed or any parliamentary business done without first running it by the King's Deputy & Council in Ireland. It succeeded in restricting Irish affairs for the next 300 years and wasn't repealed until Henry Grattan's Parliament in 1782.

2. Synod of Mellifont
One of the many meetings of Irish bishops, but one of the most important, occurred in 1152 at Mellifont Abbey. It was basically to decide a whole reshuffle or redefinition of the Irish Church as it stood then; they increased the number of bishops and importantly redefined the number and size of the dioceses. This was when Drogheda was divided into the two dioceses as it still stands today; the diocese of Armagh on the northern side of the town and the diocese of Meath on the Southern side with the Boyne being the dividing line. This had the knock-on effect of Drogheda itself being founded as two separate towns initially in 1186 - one for each diocese, Drogheda-in-Meath & Drogheda-in-Louth - until their eventual unification in 1412.

So not only did the Synod redefine Ireland it also defined Drogheda itself.

3. King Richard II receives the submission of the Irish chiefs

Richard II knighting the Earls of Leinster & Ulster

In 1394 King Richard II came to Ireland with the intention of dealing with the problem of the native Irish; namely from the self-styled King of Leinster Art McMurrough. Richard's initial plan was to forge a military campaign against the Irish but their guerrilla tactics constantly had the English on the back foot. Many Irish lords and chiefs decided to submit to the king, possibly in order that he would then stay in the Pale and leave them alone to deal with their own lands instead of marching across Ireland interfering, as it were.

Richard II came to the Dominican Priory at Sundays Gate in March 1394 to accept the submission of the notable chiefs of Ulster, including the O'Neills, the O'Donnells and the O'Hanlons. This gesture in turn caused Richard to try the diplomacy tactic with McMurrough who did indeed take the deal offered, of a full pardon for past actions, a royal pension and swathes of land in Kildare and any others he could take off other rebel Irish. Unfortunately the truce didn't last and the Irish were back fighting the English in Ireland before King Richard had even left.

4.Battle of the Boyne
There have been many histories written about the battle, its origins and tactics and aftermath. It has often been said that the Battle of the Boyne was fought in Ireland but it wasn't an Irish battle. To an extant, this is true; what was at stake was the throne of England, fought over by William of Orange and James Stuart. It was also an international battle; the Dutch William wanted England so he could enter into an alliance against France. Religion of course came into the mix; with the Catholic James Stuart on the throne, Catholics would once again be able to hold public office, and regain their lands and livelihoods lost under Cromwell. Protestants naturally fought for the Protestant William, also fearful that a Catholic monarch would mean their removal from high society and their massacre and eviction from Ireland.

William did indeed win the day to become King William III of England whilst James II fled back to France. The political and historical landscape had once again changed.

5.Treaty of Mellifont.

Hugh O'Neill

The Treaty of Mellifont in 1603 brought to an end the 'Nine Years War' in Ireland, a series of skirmishes between Gaelic Chiefs (namely the Earl of Tyrone Hugh O'Neill) and Queen Elizabeth I. O'Neill, deflated by the loss at the Battle of Kinsale, agreed to meet the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Lord Mountjoy at Mellifont to sue for peace and to parley for pardon for his acts of high treason. Mountjoy made him beg for mercy on his knees and left him in that pose for an hour until Mountjoy would allow him into his presence. O'Neill was granted his pardon & his past transgressions forgiven, although Lord Mountjoy neglected to tell O'Neill that although he was surrendering to the Queen, she had in fact died 4 days beforehand.

The aftermath of the Treaty led to the 'Flight of the Earls' in 1607 to Spain and saw the end of the great Gaelic nobility.





Honourable mentions:
Cromwell's Siege: see our piece on Drogheda's gruesome events: http://droghedamuseum.blogspot.ie/2013/10/5-gruesome-drogheda-events.html

Famine Emigration: Drogheda was the second largest port of departure for people emigrating due to the Famine of 1845-52. In 1847 alone over 70,000 people left Ireland through Drogheda Port, mainly bound for Liverpool to seek a new life.

Toy-Making in Boyne Place

In a small alley off Dyer Street in Drogheda was a community of ten red-bricked terraced houses that ran down to the river's edge. The two rows of houses lined a small cobbled courtyard and was known as Boyne Place. Families such as Farrelly, Kiernan, Moran, Lynch, Tully, Murray and Byrne (who managed to squeeze a family of 12 into the small house in 1911) lived there until the houses were closed up in 1952. The families were subsequently re-housed in Yellowbatter and Bothar Brugha. The Place had one communal toilet for the ten houses, and fresh water had to be carried from a pump located further up the street at the Haymarket (in the area of where the old Boxing Club used to be).

Boyne Place just before it's demolition in 1982

From the census of 1901/1911, the occupations of many of the inhabitants were labourers, shop assistants and factory workers. By the late 1920's/early 1930's there was a special kind of trade being carried out in Boyne Place. The following extract is from a guide to "Drogheda & it's Industries" in 1932 and provides a wonderful insight into a small and long-forgotten craft industry for which Drogheda was once well known.

"In the last house in Boyne Place, an alley off Dyer Street, Drogheda, there is a little workshop belonging to Mr. Michael Burke, and it is from here the Drogheda hand-made toy industry is controlled, and has grown from a small beginning to a successful and progressive business. Up to a hundred hand-carved toys a week are turned out by Mr. Burke, and these are of a great variety, beauty and workmanship; and include dolls' houses of every size, dolls' furniture, railway engines, wheelbarrows and Noah's Arks, as well as the animals therefor.

The workmanship in every case combines beauty with durability, while the animals and birds for the Ark make an exceptionally fine display, and would add lustre to any toyshop window, provincial or metropolitan. There are mountainous elephants, sinuous tigers, long-necked giraffes, striped zebras, brilliantly plumed peacocks, and all the other folk who went afloat with Noah, and which delight the hearts of the youngsters.


It is regrettable that more Drogheda children are not amused by such toys, as there must be thousands of toys bought each year in the town, and if this demand could be diverted to the home-produced ones, it would be found necessary for more than one local trader to stock them, and the reaction on the industry would be beneficial. How many Drogheda people know that a shop has been opened in Dublin where Mr. Burke's toys are selling rapidly, and that they can also be bought in the leading toy-shops of many English towns? This is due to the enterprise of Mrs. V. Lentaigne of Termonfeckin, who has fostered this little industry since Mr. Burke's ability and skill were brought to her notice some years ago, when she arranged for an exhibition of his work at the Spring Show where Drogheda toys were first brought before the public eye."

The article goes on to state of the importance of people buying locally produced products "by insisting upon their children being supplied with Drogheda-made toys" instead of mass-produced ones (a problem which has come full circle with people nowadays again being encouraged to buy local)
. Mr. Burke's toys were for sale in Schwers shop, West Street, Drogheda and in The Country Shop on Stephen's Green, Dublin.

Sadly, today, the local toy-making industry is long forgotten and Michael Burke's crafted products are no more; just like Boyne Place itself which was demolished in August 1982 (it stood on the site where Kennedy Cycles is today in Dyer St.), both consigned to memory.

Working Class Drogheda 1836

Linen weaver & flax spinner

In 1833 an extensive survey of Ireland was initiated in order to investigate the causes for the widespread poverty and destitution in the country at the beginning of the 19th century. 'The Royal Commission for inquiring into the condition of the poorer classes in Ireland' conducted its survey over three years, from 1833 to 1836 and produced various reports of its findings and recommendations. These led to the introduction of the Irish Poor Law in 1838 which set up workhouses for the provision of the poor and poor rates collected for their upkeep.

Drogheda was one of the towns examined in the reports and makes for grim reading. It in it breaks down the various poorer classes into three distinct groups; the labourers e.g. weavers, mechanics etc., vagrants, and the destitute poor who do not work or have any income. The report from 1836 contains testimony from various businessmen and dignitaries of the town concerning its inhabitants, which could be scathing to say the least. It also highlights the decline of the linen industry in Drogheda at the time as being one of the main, if not the main, reason for the economic collapse in the town. It became cheaper to mass produce the linen in England; as a result, many local skilled weavers emigrated to England and Scotland, and local hand loom weavers couldn't compete with the prices and so suffered as a result.

The report offers a fascinating snapshot of life in pre-Famine Drogheda
for the poorer working classes and drives home the hardship that people had to endure.

Link to the third 1836 report here, well worth a read:  http://eppi.dippam.ac.uk/documents/11048/eppi_pages/252539 

Drogheda 1953 - Sport and Recreation

Here in Drogheda Museum Millmount's archive collection, there are a vast amount of various different sources and artifacts relating to the town down through the years. One interesting piece I came across the other day was a souvenir guide to Drogheda from 1953 (as far as I can tell) published as part of "An Tóstal". These were a series of festivals held across the country in the 1950's, the original purpose of which was a celebration of Irish culture, with an emphasis on drawing tourists into the country during the Easter off-season, like our more recent "Gathering" Festival. There were regional parades, as well as various arts and sporting parades. Many towns also began a clean-up operation for the festival every year, which became the National Tidy Towns Awards. Begun in 1953, An Tóstal continued on until 1958 when it died out in most towns, except for Drumshanbo Co. Leitrim and more recently, beginning again in 2011 in Salthill, Galway.

The guide offers a bright picture of the cultural activities to be had in the town, many of which are still continued on today. The article is as follows:

                                                        Sport & Recreation

"Most of the sports and pastimes indulged in today in Ireland are to be found in Drogheda and its neighbourhood but it must be admitted that only in the spheres of Gaelic football, golf, and, at one time, rowing, has this district reached the highest standards.

Football:  In Drogheda and the neighbouring counties of Louth and Meath Gaelic football is easily the most popular form of field sport. The Gaelic Athletic Association was established in Drogheda in 1885. All kinds of difficulties were encountered in its early days. Lack of playing fields, lack of social influence, and interference from the ruling powers only served to make its members more enthusiastic, and today the G.A.A. is one of the most important organisations in the district. The splendid playing park it now possesses on the northern extremity of the town, and, which, in spite of its size, is scarcely large enough to accommodate the huge crowds that patronize some of the major games, is a sufficient testimony of the esteem the G.A.A. enjoys among the sport-loving public.

There is also a Rugby Football Club and a fair number of Association Football Clubs in the town but the general standard of play is not very high.

Golf:  There are two fine 18-hole golf courses in the vicinity of Drogheda, one on the north side of the river at Baltray, the other on the south side near Bettystown. The Baltray course, one of the best known in Ireland, is used for Championship events and some of the best golfers in Ireland, male and female, have learned to play golf there.


Rowing:  was at one time a foremost sport here and Drogheda crews have won the highest honours in the country. For many years past the standard of performance has fallen considerably but the annual regatta on the Boyne has been revived in the past few years and Drogheda crews may yet attain their former eminence. The Rowing Club was established in 1863 and its possessions include a good boat-house, with attached tennis courts, on the south bank of the river.


Other Athletic Games:  Running, cycling and field sports are not very prominent in Drogheda but a number of clubs in nearby rural areas engage in these activities. The summer game of tennis has a good number of devotees and a small cricket club also exists. In the winter season table tennis is very popular and handball and badminton have made progress in the last couple of years. There is also a very promising boxing club.


Cultural Societies:  The Gaelic League plays a big part in the social life of the town. Irish language and dancing classes are largely attended. Lectures and socials are frequently held. The annual Feis na Boinne is now an institution and always draws a big attendance. A number of drama groups exist in the town and give regular public performances which draw big audiences. A Choral Society and a Pantomime Group attract many of their own characteristic types of performers and also give periodic pleasure to a large section of the populace. A flourishing branch of Town Associates of the Irish Countrywomen's Association exists. The Archaeological Society has not many members in Drogheda but these few are genuine and enthusiastic adherents. The town possesses an excellent brass band which is a very decided asset to the town, as its valued services are readily available for large out-of-doors functions.


Indoor Non-Athletic Pastimes: include public lectures of popular interest, ballroom dancing, billiards, card games such as whist and bridge drives, and cinema going.


Horse Racing: Drogheda has not a permanent race-course of its own but many of the townspeople are attracted to meetings held within reasonable distance of the town, e.g. the Dublin meetings, Bellewstown, Laytown Strand, Navan and Dundalk. A minor one-day racing fixture organised annually for the past few years at Beamore on the south-western outskirts of Drogheda draws a huge crowd from the town, including many who never attend any other race meeting.


Hunting:  can be had in districts fairly adjacent to the town. The Louth Foxhounds hunt the district between Louth and Ardee. Some of the finest hunting country in Ireland is in Meath where the Meath Foxhounds, the Tara Harriers and the Ballymacad Foxhounds operate.


Freshwater Fishing: in the upper reaches of the Boyne for salmon and brown trout is good and can be obtained in certain sections at moderate charges. A District Angling Club is in vigorous being. Sea-fishing for bass gives good sport in the Boyne estuary but particularly at the Clogherhead pier in the summer months."

An Tóstal - Drogheda 1953

Following on from our sporting post, the very same An Tóstal guide offers a look at Drogheda at the time and certainly offers an optimistic view of life in 1953 in the article "Life in Old and Modern Drogheda - A Contrast":

"Coming to more recent times, letters and records of pre-Famine days tell of a busy town and crowded streets, men on horseback, four-wheeled carts, and the sailing ships passing in and out of the River Boyne on their paths of commerce. The town then housed more than 20,000 inhabitants, but in a much smaller area than the present population enjoys. Thousands were herder together in lanes and courts at the back of the main streets, in tenements and cellars, with surroundings dark and drear and sanitation of the most primitive type. Working hours were long, leaving scant time for leisure or play. The rewards of labour were small and scarcely sufficient for the necessities of life. The gulf between the working classes and the upper classes were very wide indeed.

The Drogheda of today has changed in many ways and mostly for the better. The town is prosperous and progressive. The establishment of several large new industries brought an enlarged labour market, and most of the youth of Drogheda can, if they so desire, find employment at home. The population is now about 16,000, an increase of 3,200 in the last twenty-five years, and is steadily rising. The housing of the people has been improved out of all knowledge. Open spaces outside the limits of the old town have been transformed into residential areas where our people live in a comfort undreamed of by their forefathers.

The ordinary citizen in this democratic age can elect local representatives who are prepared to give their time and energy to promoting the general welfare of all sections of the Community. Working hours are shorter and pay much better than formerly. There is more time for leisure and, though much of it is still spent unprofitably, signs are not wanting that many people are beginning to put their spare hours to good use. Most of the new houses have small gardens attached where the raising of vegetables and flowers gives gainful and pleasurable occupation. Evening classes in the Technical School are availed of to increase educational attainments and to attain proficiency in the arts and crafts. Local societies for the promotion of the drama, instrumental and choral music etc are steadily increasing. An excellent public library gives access to the pleasures of reading in all its branches, cultural, educational and recreational. A new Art Gallery and Museum containing the nucleus of a permanent collection has been established; periodic exhibitions of the works of well-known artists are held. A fine public park and the provision of playing grounds for children in the new housing schemes are also much appreciated amenities. Outdoor sports and games of all kinds cater for the physical well-being of the populace. Dancing and whist drives are popular forms of amusement and a couple of splendidly equipped cinemas offer occasional hours of light relief from the daily grind.

Modern advances in science have in a large way revolutionised the lives of the people. The provision of electric power has added immeasurably to the comfort of town and rural life, and to the productivity of our factories. Formerly very few people travelled more than a few miles from their places of habitation unless compelled by the stress of war or similar impetus. The advent of the railroad, the bicycle, the motor car and the 'bus has completely changed this. The workman can now live farther from his work, his bicycle or the bus takes him there easily and speedily. Clogherhead and Laytown are within easy reach on a summer evening after the day's work. A day in Dublin is now no novelty to a Drogheda man, such visits are a regular part of his life. The motorist can range much further afield. Day tours to places of interest are common place and most of our people have progressed beyond the Boyne Valley to the Hills of Donegal or the Glens of Antrim. The town is easily accessible to the rural population, their children can take more advanced educational courses in the larger town schools. Many Drogheda people live at home and travel daily to Dublin to work or to attend University.

In many other ways also the lot of the ordinary person has been improved with the passage of time. Educational facilities are now provided for all children. State and locally administered schemes attend to the health of both the adult and school going population. Drogheda is singularly fortunate in having excellent hospital accommodation, which caters not only for its own citizens but for the people for many miles around. Most of our industrial firms have excellent superannuation schemes for the workers with accompanying medical and health services. Poverty is very much diminished and the ministrations of the St. Vincent De Paul Society and other charitable organisations do much to mitigate its hardships. Undoubtedly in its social services Drogheda is both up to date and progressive.

Yes, Drogheda today is a prosperous, expanding town, its way of life is Christian and edifying; no wonder its people are in the main healthy, pleasant and cheerful."

A somewhat rose-tinted view undoubtedly; what is interesting is to compare then with now and count the differences, most noticeably in the employment and population figures!



Here also is a timely article about An Tóstal from thejournal.ie in April: http://www.thejournal.ie/an-tostal-1953-the-gathering-854877-Apr2013/

Drogheda's Refuse Problems 1656 - 1707 A.D.

In this heatwave (and subsequent downpours) we've been having, give thanks for the fact that nowadays the citizens of Drogheda don't have to put up with dung, muck and refuse (of the human and household kind) all along our streets creating a foul sight and smell. Our seventeenth century counterparts were not so lucky in this regard. The rapid growth of towns in this period along with the consequent increase in population made the lack of sanitation, the shortage of good water, the dirty narrow streets and the lack of drainage an ever increasing problem.

From the minutes of the meetings of the Corporation of Drogheda (available from October 1869, the earlier records having been destroyed by Cromwell), it's clear that the council were well aware of both the danger and unpleasantness of uncontrolled refuse dumping. The great Plague of London in 1665 had also been attributed to the dirt and unsanitary conditions prevalent in that city. That the Corporation took whatever action lay within their powers to deal with the problem is evident from the following extracts from the minutes of the Council (original spelling used throughout).

7th August 1658: Petition of "Thomas Gregory, Bellowre (Town Crier) prayinge some allowance from ye worshipful Corporaceon for this dayly paines and labour for cleeringe the howse of office neere St. Saviours Key (ed. a mall which ran between Dyer St. and River Boyne) wch otherwise would be very noysome and hurtfull to ye adjacent inhabitants".

The "house of office" from the context would appear to have been a public convenience. Gregory was granted ten shillings sterling for services already rendered and promised that future remuneration would be considered by "ye committee of views".

8th July 1659: Ordered "that all such persons wch for the future shall carie or cause to be carried any durt or dunge through the streets of this towne, in any carre or carte, but such as may bee well closed on both sides, at at ye one ende, to keep ye same from falling upon streets, upon paine of XIId sterling, to be leavied of and upon the goods of ye offenders, as they shall be found peccant (guilty) herein..."

12th October 1660: The Gate Customs (or toll collection) at the town gates were leased to one Thomas Cockayne. A condition of the lease was that he "Thomas Cockayne, or his under tenants, shall from tyme to tyme be at charge of cleaninge the sayd Gates so that travellers and other inhabitants of the Towne may not be annoyed in their incomings into the said Town or out..."

The Corporation were apparently anxious to impress the tourist even then.

Drogheda 1749

During 1665, the year of the Great Plague of London, the Corporation were very much aware of the danger of the spread of infection from the crews of English ships using the port. At the 1665 Oct. meeting reference was made to the "severall proclamations from the Lord Lieutenant and Counsell, that noe master or vessel shall come ashore nor suffer passengers to land in any parte without lycence first obtayned from the Magistrate by reason of the infection continuinge in England." There were also orders given that the townspeople, under pain of hefty and continuing fines, should keep their streets clean in front of their doors, carry away their refuse and keep their swine off the streets to avoid spreading disease.

The subject of the pollution of the River Boyne was also troubling the Council around the start of the 18th century, judging by the following:

16th January 1707: "
Ordered that Mr. Mayor, the Mayor of the Staple, Ald. Graham, Ald. J. A. Meade, Mr. John Ffriend, Mr. Wm. Patten and Mr. Edward Fforbes or any five of them doe viewe the Strand where the greate dung hill lys without the Blinde Gate and consider what is fitt to be done for the security of the river from the nuisance of that dunghill and to report their opinion to the next General Assembly."

The "Blind Gate" was the original name for the present Constitution Hill, and the area seemed to have been used by the citizens in the 17th century as a dump. The Corporation, judging by their decree of 30th April 1669 in which they closed St. Katherines Gate (this was located in the east wall of the town close to the river in the vicinity of Greene's Furniture Showroom) to people dumping waste outside the town walls, were conscious of the danger to the river water from the effluent from the dump, flowing down the steep hill into the river.  

Whilst the problems facing the Borough Council may not have changed much in the past three hundred odd years, at least Constitution Hill is no longer a giant midden heap and for that we should be very grateful.



Extracts from: "Drogheda's Refuse Problem 1656 - 1707 A.D." by Moira Corcoran, Old Drogheda Society Journal 1983.

The Bathe House

In the 16th century while settlers in rural Ireland were living in fortified tower houses in stone construction, citizens residing within the safety of walled towns were able to build entirely unfortified houses. Sixteenth century Dublin consisted mainly of timbered cage-work houses of a type introduced into Ireland by English settlers during the reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. In Drogheda there were many picturesque wooden houses of equal, if not greater comparison, some of which survived into the 19th century.

A modern timber frame house to illustrate the construction

These houses were usually of box-frame construction, with horizontal and vertical timber members, joined together to form the frame of a wall whose panels were then infilled or covered with some cladding material and then plastered. Horizontal and vertical members were connected with specially designed joints to form a self sustaining box. The houses were generally roofed with slates, tiles or thatch. The timber used in them was usually cut in nearby woods and often the framework was made and assembled there. Each beam was then marked, after which the whole frame was dismantled and the pieces taken by wagon to be re-erected on the chosen site. In other words, the houses were prefabricated.

Bathe House as seen from Shop St.

By 1776 apparently most of Dublin's cage-work houses had disappeared, but in Drogheda by all accounts they had lasted much longer. One of the most remarked upon was known as The Bathe House, also commonly called The Wooden House, which was situated on the corner of Shop St. and Laurence St. It was constructed in 1570 by Nicholas Bathe, a member of the Norman family of De Bathe who then resided in Athcarne Castle in Co. Meath. The principal front of the building was in Shop St., and was comprised chiefly of oak said to have been obtained from Mellifont Park (Old Mellifont Abbey).

The building consisted of three stories, each story projecting beyond that immediately below. In Hughes History of Drogheda it is described: " the attic was composed of a strong square oak frame with oak quadrants and semi-circles within it, the interstices being filled with plaster; the drawing-room floor was of a more finished character, consisting of paneling or wainscot, each panel being a foot square and fancifully carved with quatrefoils and foliage, executed in good style. On this floor, at the Laurence St. side was a handsome semi-circular oriel window, consisting of four divisions; a panel in the pedestal of which contained the arms of the ancient family of De Bathe". It is difficult to say how the bottom story was arranged, according to The Dublin Penny Journal it had "undergone many alterations; it was, however, extremely low and divided into several small shops".

An example of the interior carving with the arms of the De Bathe family

   

On the bressimer (a load-bearing beam that extends the length of the building) facing Laurence St. was an inscription, stating the building to have been "MADE *BI *NICHOLAS *BATHE *IN *THE *IEARE
*OF *OUR *LORD *GOD *1570 *BI *HIV *MOR *CARPENTER". Hugh Moore is also thought to have constructed Athcarne Castle, the castle being completed some twenty years after the Bathe House. The bressimer bearing the inscription is now on display in the National Museum in Dublin.

The Dublin Penny Journal states that the house was considered a masterpiece when first constructed and "even in later times it was considered a curiosity, and commanded the admiration of many. Taaffe, among others, remarks, "I have seen wooden houses in Pilnitz, Reichenau, and other towns of Bohemia and Germany, but none of such curious and elegant, as well as durable workmanship."

"The Wooden House" lasted until 1824 when by order of the Corporation it was pulled down, having become "extremely rickety through "old age and infirmity"" and seemingly neglected for many years "being suspected of harbouring rats, reprobates and typhus fever" which was then raging in the town. Like the many other wooden houses in Drogheda, The Bathe House was consigned to history and modern brick buildings built in its place.



Extracts from : Corcoran, Moira, "Drogheda's Timbered Houses" from the Journal of the Old Drogheda Society 1990 No. 7

                        D'Alton, John, "History of Drogheda", 1844

                        Dublin Penny Journal, Vol. 1, No. 12, Sept 15th 1832

                        Hughes History of Drogheda, 1893

                        Kelly, Matthew J., "Some Wooden Houses of Drogheda" from the County Louth Archaeological Journal, 1941

The Pope who made a deal with the Unionists.

Community Historian, Brendan Matthews with an evocative piece on Drogheda's own pope.

Back in the 19th and early 20th century, there lived a man named Edward (The Pope), Heeney at Oldbridge, just to the west of Drogheda, in a small mud-cabin house adjacent to the Boyne Obelisk.

Mr. Heeney obtained the nick-name of the Pope, from the fact that he had taken part in the Papal War of 1860, when he was only 20 years old. He was recognised as an outstanding Lieutenant and had fought alongside two more local Lieutenants; a Mr. P.C. Greene of Moneymore and a Mr. Cronin of Drybridge, along with about 50 more men from Co. Louth; a number of them being from the Drogheda area.

Anyway, the Irish Papal Brigade arrived home to Queenstown (Cobh), in December 1860 before arriving in Drogheda by train, where they were received by thousands of people who lined the streets. Their return was also celebrated by huge bonfires at Moneymore, Drybridge and Oldbridge.

After the Pope arrived back in Drogheda, he settled back at his home in Oldbridge, where his humble little abode was situated only 30 yards from the famous Obelisk.

The Obelisk, a huge shaft of stone some 150 feet high sitting on a base that was some 20 feet square, had been erected in the year 1736 in commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

In his later years the Pope would come into Drogheda twice a week on a pony and trap and he was always a familiar sight as he wore the old “three-quarters” hat, which was as high as a tall hat, but rounded on top like a bowler.

One of the Pope’s favourite restaurants in Drogheda was that of Miss Hart’s in Laurence St, where he would sit at a table by himself and, never take his hat off while he was eating; `the Pope needs privacy`, he reportedly told friends, who had enquired why he always sat alone.

In June of 1923, the Pope was awoken from his sleep by a couple of armed men who told him to get dressed. The Pope reportedly told the men that, `if you’re going to shoot me you may as well do it here`; however he was told to leave his house and not go back until he had heard an explosion.

After the explosion had occurred, the Pope, who was now 83 years old, returned to discover that the Obelisk had been blown to pieces all over his land.

It was widely believed, for many years, that the Republicans had blown the Obelisk up; however, a revelation made in the 1980`s indicated that perhaps a number of `Freestaters` were actually responsible for its destruction, known that the blame would fall on the IRA.?

After the Obelisk had been blown up, hundreds of people arrived at Oldbridge to take home pieces of the shattered monument as souvenirs, many of them coming from the six counties of the North. And it was at this time that the Pope thought of the `brainwave` and began selling off pieces of the Obelisk stone according to size, thus, clearing his field of the debris and making a few quid at the same time.

The Pope also erected posters and advertisements in the area containing the following inscription.

To builders and contractors- for sale, the splendid building material which formed the Boyne Obelisk. Apply at once to Mr. Edward. P. Heeney, Oldbridge, Drogheda.

So, to the Unionist population in the North. If you have a piece of the Boyne Obelisk in your possession, would you happen to know if the souvenir stone was obtained, `free-of-charge`, or could there have been a `deal` made with the `Pope` to obtain it ?