Moneymore, Drogheda
Moneymore is a housing estate in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. It is located on the northside of the town. It comprises both bungalow and two story homes. Built in the 1980s by Drogheda Corporation (now Drogheda Borough Council), the housing estate contains 244 houses, a Boxing Club, Moneymore Football Club, Moneymore Community Creche and Connect Family Resource Centre.
In March 2009, the estate was rocked by news of a raging house fire at number 171 Moneymore, in which the residents of the house, the McDonagh family, lost three family members. It is the biggest disaster to hit the estate in its almost 30-year history.
Moneymore Playing Fields are on council owned land zoned for recreational purposes in the 1980s in accordance with the building of Moneymore Estate at the same time. The Playing Fields were in full use by Moneymore Football Club, which was run by the residents of Moneymore throughout the 80’s. However Moneymore Football Club dissolved in the mid 90s and was only reformed in 2003 whereby the Playing Fields were by then a derelict meadow with burnt out cars.
Moneymore Playing Fields now consists of 1 x 11 - a side pitch (standard size) and 2 x 7 - a side pitches (standard size) with a boundary fence and gate to gain entry that was only erected in 2006 through a Peace 11 grant that was awarded to Moneymore FC due to its ongoing work in peace and reconciliation through sport with many clubs from Northern Ireland including Linfield FC, Northland Raiders FC and Lisburn Predators FC.
The outer area from Moneymore Playing Fields has been with continuous housing development over a 15-year period. There are 7 housing estates in the immediate vicinity of Moneymore Playing Fields - 3 being council housing estates, 2 being affordable housing association estates and 1 private housing estate. In general the North side of Drogheda has very little affordable sports and recreational facilities in comparison to the South side of Drogheda however the area of the Twenties has noticeable lack of planning for sport and recreational infrastructure.
Moneymore FC grew with accreditation but on their relationship with Girls Football their developing Girls U-14 team being on the losing end of the 2006 Drogheda and District League Cup Final were crowned League DDSL champions in 2006 and then went on to win the U-14's Dublin Women's Soccer League during that Summer. The girls pushed harder and won the U-14 Drogheda and District League and Cup Final in 2007 and went out in 2008 to win the Girls U-16 North Dublin Brenfer League and Cup Double.
Public transport
Moneymore is served by Bus Éireann route 173, the Northside Drogheda Town Service. There is a bus every half an hour daytime Mondays to Saturdays inclusive.[1]