Dear Sir / Madam

I write as a Director and former Chairperson of Drogheda United FC, the leading sporting organisation in Drogheda and one of the top 10 football clubs in Ireland that has represented Drogheda nationally and internationally for over 100 years.

In my own lifetime, Drogheda has been transformed from a small regional town into a burgeoning soon-tobe City with an exploding population. Our football club represents the whole wider Drogheda area including its environs in East Meath which is a significant part of our supporter base. Even when I was growing up in Drogheda, the growing conurbations of East Meath were always considered suburbs of Drogheda, so now, as the green fields between Drogheda and East Meath have been replaced by housing and commercial developments, the lines are even less distinct. East Meath is now more pertinently part of the Greater Drogheda Area and will include the new developments on the North of the town where we hope to build our new stadium.

Our supporters, whether they be from Duleek, Bettystown, Tullyallen, Donore or Termonfeckin, see Drogheda as the focal point for their support. They are all as “claret and blue” as anyone who lives in the centre of the town.

With the above in mind, I would propose that Drogheda and East Meath remain in the same constituency. Alternatively, it may make sense to establish a new constituency for the Drogheda/South Louth/East Meath area, including some outlying regions that depend on Drogheda for resources and facilities. The projected growth in the area, I feel, warrants that representation be dedicated to this distinct urban area.

Kind regards

Conor Hoey
Director
Drogheda United FC