Clogherhead

Clogherhead is a village in County Louth, 12 km northeast of Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland. Ceann Chlochair means "rocky headland" but the name of the headland became applied to the entire village. It's a resort village with sandy beaches and in 2016 had a population of 2145.

Not to be confused with Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

Get in

See Drogheda for intercity routes by bus and rail.

Bus Éireann 168 follows the coast north from Drogheda to Baltray, Termonfeckin, Clogherhead, Grangebellew, Castlebellingham, Dromiskin and Dundalk. It's every 2 hours M-Sa with four on Sunday.

By car from the south follow M1 to junction 9 (toll just before you exit) then through Drogheda onto R166.

Get around

The village beach, harbour and cliff tops are within a km walk, and Old Mayne Church is 2 km.

Bus 168 will get you to Terminfeckin and Drogheda.

See
  • 🌍 Port Oriel is the harbour, with the shrine "Queen of the Sea" by its entrance. It's a working fishing port so it's authentic rather than picturesque. Use the big free car park and don't clutter up the quays.
  • 🌍 Clogherhead Cliff is the rocky headland that gave its name to the entire village.
  • 🌍 Clogherhead Beach is sandy. Thatched cottages stand by the shore. Free parking, dogs welcome. The sands stretch all the way south to the Boyne estuary below Drogheda.
  • 🌍 Old Mayne Church is the scenic ruin of a late medieval church. It's along R166, 500 m northeast of St Michael's which was built in 1856.
  • 🌍 Port Beach is the long sandy beach stretching north of the village. It's flanked by a road so access is simple.
  • 🌍 Termonfeckin is the village 4 km south of Clochermore along R166 to Drogheda. There's a beach, the ruin of a 15th / 16th century tower house, and St Fechin's church with a decorated 16th century High Cross. The village has a few B&Bs.

Do
  • You can shore-dive from the harbour slipway. Turn right / east and remain within the harbour walls, maybe 6-7 m at high tide. Try not to stir up the silty bottom, and beware boats overhead.

Buy

The Civility of Albert Cashier

That was the title of the 2017 musical about Clogherhead's most remarkable son. Cashier (1843-1915) stowed away on a boat to America, worked as a farmhand then joined the Union army. He saw many battles and was captured at Vicksburg but escaped; he survived to go back to farm work. It was only when he became mentally frail in his last year that Cashier was outed: she was Jennie Irene Hodges but had always adopted a male identity. He / she was buried with military honours in Saunemin, Illinois.

  • Mace is the convenience store south end of the village, open M-Sa 07:00-22:00, Su 08:30-20:00.
  • Fisherman's Catch on the harbour is as fresh as fish can be. It's open daily 09:00-18:00.
  • Ireland's Only Potato-Vending Machine was set up in 2018 along a lane off R166: go past Old Mayne Church then next right marked "Coast Road". Farmer Finnegan set it up as a protest at the pittance the supermarkets were paying for his produce. It's open 24 hours, put €5 in the big blue machine and out comes a 10 kilo bag of spuds, varieties are seasonal.

Eat
  • 🌍 La Pizzeria, Main St, ☏ +353 41 982 2223. Th-Su 16:00-21:00. Splendid little pizzeria, gets great reviews. (updated Jan 2021)
  • Smugglers Rest, Harbour Rd, ☏ +353 41 988 9302. Su Tu W 09:30-21:30, Th 09:30-18:00, Sa 12:00-23:30. Gastropub at head of Harbour Rd. (updated Jan 2021)
  • Great Wall on Main St is open M-Sa 17:00-00:00, Su 15:00-00:00.
  • Roberto's, 5 Main St A92 RX92, ☏ +353 41 988 9762. M-Th 16:00-00:00, F-Su 12:00-00:00. Good fish & chips and similar fast food. (updated Jan 2021)

Drink
  • Sharkey's is on Main St, and Declan Levins is on the corner of Harbour Rd.

Sleep
  • In early 2021 there is no accommodation in or near the village. There isn't a hotel, and the B&Bs are small family-run places unable to covid-distance. The two caravan parks are only for privately-owned static units, with no rentals, tourer pitches or camping.

Connect

As of Jan 2021, Clogherhead has 5G from Eir, but no signal from Three or Vodafone.

Go next
  • Drogheda is a historic town close to the Boyne battlefield and Brú na Bóinne Neolitic complex.
  • The County Dublin coast is worth exploring on the way to the city: Balbriggan, Skerries, Malahide and Howth.
  • Dundalk near the border has scenic Cooley Peninsula and several medieval sites.


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