Drogheda’s decline is not an accident – it’s been deliberate policy

Things are getting pretty scary in the Middle East. The last thing the world needs is a full-scale war between Israel and Iran.

They have been having tit-for-tat skirmishes for years but nobody actually thought Tehran would fire over 300 drones and missiles into Israeli territory like they did at the weekend.

Thankfully the Israeli defence system worked and very few people were hurt.

The United States and the West are rightly trying to keep a lid on the conflict. It is time for cool heads and restraint.

Enough innocent people are dying in the Middle East on the streets of Gaza we don’t need anymore.

MY home town Drogheda used to be one of the finest in the country - now it is gone to the dogs.

When I was a kid, it was full of shops, bars, cafes and busy from one end of the week to the next.

It didn’t matter what day of the week you went downtown, it was always busy, full of people, full of cars and bustling with colour and energy.

Now it has become a ghost town with historic buildings falling down or derelict and inadequate investment by Louth County Council and the central Government in the area.

Drogheda has not had a cabinet minister for years and it shows. Nearby towns in the north east like Navan, Trim, Dundalk, Cavan and Monaghan are smarter, busier and cleaner. You can see with your own eyes where the money is being spent and good luck to them.

The anger among our local community is now at breaking point. We are only 28 miles from Dublin but we have become the forgotten people of Ireland. We have watched our medieval, historic home being brought to its knees by State neglect and incompetence and no one in authority seems to be prepared to do anything about it.

The removal of Drogheda Corporation – as it was known – in June 2014 by the then Fine Gael-labour Government has been an unmitigated disaster.

The town came under the control of Louth County Council which is run from Dundalk and has gone downhill.

As the fastest growing town in Ireland, Drogheda has a population of around 60,000 with 41,000 in the old borough on the Louth side and another 20,000 living in suburbs on the Meath side.

Meath County Council equally has no interest in the town and is reluctant to spend a penny on its citizens.

The problem the people of Drogheda have is they are all paying big sums of money in property taxes and none of the cash is being spent in the area.

The centre should be swept, cleaned and washed everyday but it isn’t.

Many days the litter bins aren’t empty and grass in green areas hardly ever cut. We don’t have what most normal people regard as local Government services.

The county council is spending millions on plush new offices in Drogheda but not enough is being spent on rejuvenating our beloved town centre.

It was only a few years ago that Drogheda was the talk of the country for all the wrong reasons over the local drugs feud. This left four people dead and many citizens terrified to leave their homes or to call to some housing estates. Most of the ringleaders responsible either died or fled abroad.

But now there is hardly a Garda to be seen on the beat in the town centre from one end of the week to the next.

This has led to various incidents of antisocial behaviour with drunks and junkies occasionally causing trouble.

To make things worse, Integration Minister Roderic O’ Gorman decided to use a large hotel, the D, in the middle of the town centre, for international protection refugees.

He refused to listen to local businesses about the catastrophic fallout this would have and cost Drogheda at least €5million a year.

It is estimated the town centre needs investment of €40million to €50million to restore it to its former glory. The people want their town made a city but Louth County Council is opposing it and Darragh O’ Brien, the Minister with responsibility does not want to know.

I have wonderful memories of Drogheda and would not wish to live anywhere else.

The people are amazing as all the Dubliners who moved to Drogheda in the last 30 years found out. The people have a great sense of humour but they believe the Government is taking the mick.

Our new young Taoiseach Simon Harris says he wants to genuinely help the people of Ireland.well I invite him to Drogheda and if he can get us the investment we need we will remember him for ever.

The truth is almost every government department except the one for refugees and civil servants does not know where Drogheda is on the map.

Council spent millions on offices but not enough on town centre