Population

Drogheda is one of the largest towns in Ireland with a population of approximately 67,000 invluding environs. This number has grown steadily since 1996. Drogheda's close proximity to Dundalk and Dublin increases its population within a 60km (1 hour commute) catchment area to over 1,700,000.

Over 40% of the Drogheda area population are between the ages of 20-44 (a higher percentage than the national average) providing Drogheda and the surrounding area with a comparatively higher economically active population.

Drogheda and its environs are home to approximately 10,000 people working in Dublin. These people are highly skilled and experienced and most have higher education qualifications, including in financial services, engineering, software development, business and legal studies, and management. These readily available skills place Drogheda in a unique position to attract inward investment.

Infrastructure

Drogheda is on the east coast of Ireland and has many key assets.

• Ireland's National Airport is located in North County Dublin just 15 minutes south of Drogheda and both the Belfast International Airport & Belfast City Airport are less than 90 mins north of Drogheda.
• Drogheda is on the M1 Motorway which commences in Dublin and runs straight through Drogheda to Belfast.
• Drogheda Port provides shipping access to Europe and the UK and is situated on the main Dublin to Belfast economic corridor.
• Drogheda Train Station handles over 80 train stops daily between itself and the two capitals on the island.
• There are numerous public and private bus services operating from Drogheda to all locations nationally and locally.

Communication Technology

Drogheda boasts excellent broadband fibre communications including a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) & the new 'Project Kelvin' transatlantic fibre link. The town also enjoys state of the art water treatment facilities & excellent connectivity to the ESB power network.

Local Facilities

Drogheda can boast a range of high end facilities which enhance modern lifestyle and also take full advantage of our exceptional heritage and culture assets. Modern support services are also within our town's list of assets & Drogheda is home to the largest hospital in the North East Region with 1,300 professional employees.

Education

Ireland's education system is ranked in the top ten of IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, 2011. In addition to this quality the proportion of Drogheda area residents with at least a university bachelor degree or its equivalent in 2006 was higher than the national average. Located in the Dublin catchment Drogheda provides easy access to 5 major Universities and 5 Institutes of Technology with a student population of over 50,000.

Access to these universities and Institutes of Technologies enable Drogheda based businesses to continue benefit from a workforce that can up skill constantly.

The closest universities and Institutes of Technologies are:

• Dundalk Institute of Technology
• Dublin City University
• Trinity College Dublin
• Dublin Institute of Technology

In addition to the many universities in the area there are also a number of private colleges and further education colleges.

• Drogheda Institute of Further Education
• Edgewater College

Research and Development

While these institutes and Universities provide a skilled labour force they can also provide research and development for industry specific areas.

The main areas of research conducted at Dundalk Institute of Technology are:

• Enterprise and Innovation Research Group (EIRG)
• Creative Media Research Group
• Organic Resources Research Group
• Electrochemistry Research Group
• Regulated Software Research Group

For more information on research centres at DCU click here