‘Leave a Light On’ in Drogheda to make the town centre safer, says Mayor

By Olivia Ryan, The Drogheda Independent

Drogheda could be joining the ‘Leave a Light On’ campaign in a bid to improve safety and boost the night-time economy in the town centre.

The initiative, which is already underway in Cork and Limerick, encourages businesses to brighten up the streets by leaving a light on after closing time. This additional lighting is aimed a creating a safer, more welcoming and vibrant environment during dark winter nights.

Louth County Council revealed this week that a proposal to introduce the scheme to Drogheda is currently being reviewed.

Mayor Michelle Hall highlighted the benefits of improved lighting at the January meeting of Drogheda Borough District, where asked the council to “ensure all street lights in the town centre are working and repaired in a timely manner.”

She appealed for St. Peter’s Church and Laurence Gate to be lit up “by taking the lights into the asset management of the council.”

Drogheda businesses should also be supported to ‘Leave a Light On’, said the Mayor, explaining the initiative that encourages businesses to keep a single light on during winter nights to enhance safety, vibrancy and community spirit in urban areas after dark.

David Hanratty, Operations and Environment Delivery at Louth County Council said that all public lighting within the county is managed by the operations section and maintained by a contractor.

"Repair and replacement metrics form part of the contractors performance reporting. The average time to repair a light has ranged from two to six days across 2025.”

He explained that a legacy agreement of ‘shared responsibility’ for the lights at St. Peter’s Church exists. The lights are in the ownership of the church, but the electricity costs are covered by Louth County Council.

The lights at Laurence Gate are currently owned and maintained by Louth County Council.

Mr. Hanratty outlined work done by the council on the proposal for Drogheda to join the ‘Leave a Light On’ campaign, which is currently underway in Cork and Limerick.

"The Night-Time Economy Advisor for Drogheda has reviewed the initiatives in these areas and formulated a specific proposal for Drogheda which is under consideration. The proposal aims to support and work with businesses and retail to enhance a sense of welcome and vibrancy on the streets after dark.”

He added that this would be in addition to the public street lighting “and would aim to address feedback from the Drogheda By Night consultation in April 2025, looking at street ambience and safety concerns.”

It would, he said, also consider environmental issues around energy use and carbon impact.

If approved the ‘’Leave A Light On’ scheme would be implemented in Drogheda in the first quarter of 2026.