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Photo: Jan van Huchtenburgh, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Within Oldbridge House, a 1740 manor house, the centre presents the pivotal battle of 1690. King James II was ousted in England in 1688 but well-supported in Ireland, a potential powerbase for regaining his throne. King William III (aka "William of Orange") countered with forces under General Schomberg, which made little progress. Then William landed in the north and marched upon Dublin: James drew up his defence on the south bank of the River Boyne. The battle on 1 July 1690 was close-run, with multiple mistakes, near misses and "what-ifs" by both sides, yet with only moderate losses. James' forces had to retreat but were little scathed: they could have re-grouped and fought another day. But James scarpered south to exile in France, abandoning his supporters to shattering defeat at Aughrim and forlorn retreat to Limerick, while William marched into Dublin. The era of Protestant hegemony over Ireland had begun.
The Battle of the Boyne took place in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II, had acceded to the Crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1689. The battle was fought across the River Boyne close to the town of Drogheda in the Kingdom of Ireland, modern-day Ireland, and resulted in a victory for William. This turned the tide in James's failed attempt to regain the Crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland and ultimately aided in ensuring the continued Protestant ascendancy in Ireland.
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Cistercian Abbey founded in 1142 by St Malachy to reform the lay-about standards of Irish monks. In 1152 it hosted the synod of Kells-Mellifont, and it was the leading abbey in Ireland until the Dissolution in 1539. Much of its masonry was then re-used to make a Tudor fortified house, where the 1603 Treaty of Mellifont ended the Nine Years War, and where William of Orange was based before the Battle of the Boyne. Little remains of the medieval buildings: the main standing ruin is the 13th-century lavabo, where the monks performed their ablutions, so you come all this way to admire a Gents.
Theme park with water slides, zipline, climbing wall, bowling alley and so on. You pay for individual activities, there isn't a day-pass.
Modern military exhibits, basically a personal collection that got out of hand. Interactive and family-oriented and you can even book to drive a tank.
Stately mansion built around 1715 with a terraced walled garden. There's also a museum of vintage racing cars, collected by Gabriel de Freitas, a notable female racing driver of the 1960s and 1970s. The estate is used as an event space and isn't open to individual visits. There are occasional open days and guided tours in summer, see website.
This is one of the oldest courses in Ireland, a sharp left-hand oval of 9 furlongs. It has both Flat and National Hunt (jumps) races. On race days a free shuttle bus meets the trains at Drogheda.