Summer Sundays at Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda

What to Expect

Highlanes Gallery normally opens Tuesday to Saturday, but every summer it extends its week to include Sundays from 11am to 3pm, supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. It is a small change with a real effect on a town that has very little free indoor culture open on a Sunday morning. Admission is free, the exhibition spaces are open as normal, and the gallery’s partner cafe, Five Good Things, serves tea and coffee to anyone who wants to make an afternoon of it.

The gallery occupies the former Franciscan church on Saint Laurence Street, which means the building itself is worth the visit even before you reach the art. It holds the Drogheda Municipal Art Collection, including work by the Drogheda painter Nano Reid, alongside a changing programme of contemporary exhibitions. The Summer Sundays run also carries occasional live events in the upper courtyard, including the Drogheda Brass Band performance on 16 August 2026 and other short afternoon slots. The 2026 season of Sunday openings ends on 23 August, after which the gallery returns to its Tuesday to Saturday schedule of 10:30am to 5pm.

Good to Know

• Sundays 11am to 3pm, with the 2026 run finishing on Sunday 23 August
• Free admission, no booking needed for a general visit
• Venue: Highlanes Gallery, 36 Saint Laurence Street, Drogheda
• The gallery cafe, Five Good Things, is open for refreshments
• Some Sundays carry a short live performance in the upper courtyard, ticketed separately
• Regular opening hours outside the Sunday season are Tuesday to Saturday, 10:30am to 5pm
• Supported by the Arts Council of Ireland

Getting There

Highlanes Gallery is on Saint Laurence Street in the middle of Drogheda, a couple of minutes’ walk from the Tholsel, West Street and Bolton Square. Drogheda MacBride railway station is about 15 minutes on foot across the Boyne on the Dublin to Belfast line, with a reduced Sunday service. Bus Eireann and Matthews coaches stop in the town centre. Drivers coming from the M1 should exit at junction 9 or 10 and use the Scotch Hall multi storey or the on street parking around Laurence Street, which is easier to find on a Sunday.