Overview
St Peter’s sits on West Street in the middle of Drogheda, an 1884 church in French Gothic Revival style built from local limestone. The pointed arches and 222-foot (68m) spire are a landmark for the town, but the reason most visitors come is smaller and stranger than the building: the shrine of St Oliver Plunkett, whose preserved head is on view in a side chapel off the nave. It’s a genuinely arresting object, and worth knowing before you go – if you or the children would find a blackened, mummified head confronting, this is the sight the whole visit turns on.
The shrine of St Oliver Plunkett
St Oliver Plunkett (1625–1681) was Archbishop of Armagh and Ireland’s only canonised martyr, hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn in London on a fabricated charge of treason. His head was rescued and preserved, and after his beatification in 1920 and canonisation in 1975 it was enshrined here. The reliquary in the side chapel holds the head along with his shoulder blade and other bones, and the door of his cell from Newgate prison in London.
The future Pope Paul VI came to venerate the relic years before his papacy, as Cardinal Montini. A Mass in Plunkett’s honour is said on the last Saturday of each month at 6.15pm, and the church draws more pilgrims around his feast day, 1 July.
Architecture and interior
The exterior is local limestone ashlar from the Sheephouse quarries, a warm, honey-coloured stone against dark slate. The church runs to 161 feet in length and 222 feet to the top of the spire, designed by the architects J. O’Neill and W.H. Byrne. Inside, the nave is lined with more than forty stained-glass windows – biblical scenes, Irish saints and local history – and a large rose window above the main door shifts the light across the marble high altar through the day.
History
There has been a Catholic church on this site since 1791; parts of that earlier building were incorporated into the present one. As the congregation grew through the 19th century, the architects O’Neill and Byrne were commissioned to design the larger memorial church you see today, completed in 1884.
Visiting and practical information
St Peter’s is an active parish church, so the doors are open around the Mass schedule rather than fixed visitor hours. There’s no admission charge and everyone is welcome; a donation is appreciated.
Mass and opening times
- Monday–Friday: 8.30am – 10.30am
- Saturday: 10.30am (Vigil at 6.15pm)
- Sunday: 8.00am – 11.00am
- Tuesday: 10.30am & 7.30pm (St Anthony’s Novena)
- Schedules vary during holidays and special events – check the parish website before you travel.
Each July the St Oliver Festival brings guided tours of the church, a debate on Plunkett’s trial in the Barbican Centre, and a procession ending with concelebrated Mass; it’s the best window for a fuller visit.
Accessibility and amenities
- Wheelchair access: a side entrance gives step-free entry; the main nave has steps, so contact the parish office ahead if you need assistance.
- Toilets: in the adjacent parish hall.
- Parking: limited street parking on West Street; the nearby Town Hall car park is free, subject to local time restrictions.
Getting there
- By train: Drogheda station is on the Dublin–Belfast line, with services roughly every 30 minutes; the church is a 10-minute walk.
- By bus: Bus Éireann and other operators run frequent services from Dublin, Dundalk and Belfast, stopping a short walk from West Street.
- By car: from the M1, take the N52 Drogheda exit and follow signs to the town centre and West Street.
- On foot: the church is central, near the Bridge of Peace and within easy reach of the Barbican Centre and the town’s hotels.
Nearby attractions
- Highlanes Gallery – a contemporary art space in a restored 19th-century building, a short walk away.
- Millmount Cultural Quarter – Millmount Fort, the martello tower and museum, across the river.
- Magdalene Tower – the surviving tower of the 13th-century Dominican friary, with views over the Boyne.
- Boyne Valley heritage – the church is a handy start for Newgrange and the Hill of Tara, both on the Boyne Valley Drive.
Time a visit for the last Saturday of the month if you want the Plunkett Mass, or early July for the festival tours; otherwise check the parish website for Mass times before you set off.