Louth's coffee lovers sipping success of late night cafe initiative
She highlighted that a similar scheme would work very well in Dundalk.
"I've received a number of queries from Dundalk businesses who would be very interested in taking part, and also from the public who think this would be a great idea, so I'm wondering is it possible if we could do a similar pilot for Culture Night in Dundalk.'
She added that a number of businesses would be very keen to join the initiative, saying that some were already opening late in the summer months.
"There is a big coffee culture now in Louth, and across Ireland. On summer nights you can see people sitting at Market Square in Dundalk with their coffees, a lot are walking their dogs or bringing their children in."
"I do think that given the success it has been in Drogheda it is something we could capitalise on in Dundalk. A lot of people don't necessarily want to go to pubs, but do want to sit outside on these warmer evenings and drink their coffee.'
The pilot scheme in Drogheda followed a survey conducted by Louth County Council which indicated that people were keen to have more options for late night entertainment.
Over 73% of the 1,238 people who responded to the Drogheda by Night 2025 public consultation highlighted that they would like to see more late-opening cafés.
Hundreds of respondents said they would welcome more non-alcoholic or alcohol-light options at night.
The pilot scheme was developed to offer a more diverse night-time offering, and saw a number of cafes in Drogheda open late in the evening, something which proved popular with the public.
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Speaking at the Louth County Council meeting, Cllr. Dolores Minogue, who is Cathaoirleach of Ardee Municipal District called for the pilot programme to be extended to the mid-Louth town for Culture Night.
"I think all three Municipal Districts in Louth should all be given the same time and effort. We are all trying to build tourism, and we are all trying to support the economy in all our towns. We can't just sit in this chamber and always talk about Dundalk and Drogheda and not Ardee.'
She said extending the Culture Night initiative to Ardee would bring real benefits to the town.
A spokesperson for Louth County Council said it was a pilot programme linking in with the Night Time Economy Advisor in Drogheda, but added that one of the elements of the LECP (Louth Economic Community Plan) is that it would have links with other Louth towns to assist and advise traders in Ardee or BIDS in Dundalk.
The aim of the LECP was to bring benefits to all parts of the county.
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