Drogheda is an industrial and port town located in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, approximately 43 kilometres north of Dublin. It straddles the border between County Louth and County Meath, with a 2022 population of 44,135 inhabitants, making it the eleventh largest settlement in Ireland and the largest town in the Republic of Ireland by both population and area. The town sits on the River Boyne at its last bridging point before the river enters the Irish Sea, and its name derives from the Irish "Droichead Átha," meaning "Bridge of the Ford."
Drogheda possesses significant medieval and historical architecture. St. Laurence's Gate, a medieval structure featuring two circular towers connected by an archway, is regarded as one of Europe's finest gates and was renamed in the fourteenth century after the Hospital of St. Laurence. The town centre contains St. Peter's Catholic Church, which houses a shrine to St. Oliver Plunkett, a Catholic martyr executed in 1681. Additional notable sites include the Drogheda Museum, housed in a Napoleonic-era Martello Tower, and the historic Tholsel building on West Street, which now serves as the Tourist Information Office.
The town functions as a gateway to the Boyne Valley region and lies 8 kilometres east of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Newgrange. Drogheda hosted the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, the world's largest traditional Irish music festival, in 2018 and 2019. The town also hosts an annual Arts Festival and contains cultural venues including Droichead Arts Centre, Tommy Leddy Theatre, and Highlanes Gallery. Nearby attractions include Brú na Bóinne, Monasterboice, the site of the Battle of the Boyne at Oldbridge, and Mellifont.