St Johnstone have announced details of their pre-season tour for 2011 – with five away matches in preparation for our third straight SPL campaign.

It looks like a good little programme – with an away game at Spartans in Edinburgh to start on Saturday July 2.

We then head over to the Republic of Ireland for games away at Drogheda on Thursday July 7 and Bohemians in Dublin on Sunday July 10.

It’s then back to Scotland for a potentially brilliant game – away to Dundee. Clearly the Dens Park side feel it’s unlikely they’ll be joining us for a competitive match any time soon!

The final match is away to Ayr United at Somerset Park – one of (in WAP’s opinion) the best grounds to visit in the country.

We all know about the Scottish grounds – so here We Are Perth take a look at the Irish venues Saints will be heading off to over the summer.

Drogheda United FC:

Graham Gartland formerly starred for the Drogs between 2005 and 2008 – holding a club record of 12 appearances in European competition for the club. He scored three goals in those games, which included a 3-1 aggregate victory over FC Levadia Tallinn and a 3-4 aggregate defeat to Dinamo Kyiv in the 2008/09 Champions League qualifiers.

Those heady heights must seem a distant memory for their supporters though – the club currently lie ninth in the Airtricity League, amassing just five points from 15 games and netting only eight goals.

Drogheda (pronounced Dr-och-eda) sits in County Louth around 35 miles north of Dublin, where most Saints fans making the trip are likely to base themselves.

Drogheda United's Hunky Dory Stadium

Their stadium – the wonderfully named Hunky Dorys Park (sponsored by one of the Republic’s leading crinkle cut crips manufacturers, apparently) – has a capacity of 2000.

The stadium is in the town’s Windmill Road, a couple of miles away from the main railway station, which you may see noted as “McBride station” or “Drogheda Railway Station”.

The station is well served by direct services from Dublin, which take between 30 and 50 minutes depending on which train you take.  These services leave approximately every half hour from Dublin Connolly station.

The last trains back to Dublin leave at 9.45pm and 10.05pm. However, the 9.45pm train – the outstanding Enterprise service that runs between Belfast and Dublin – takes just 30 minutes while the later service takes 55. A taxi should see Saints fans back to the station in time for either, assuming the kick off is 7.30 or 7.45pm.

The ticket prices vary depending on when you book. See http://www.irishrail.ie/your_journey/printed_timetables.asp for timetable details and booking information.

A bus service does operate between Dublin and Drogheda, but the last bus back to Dublin leaves at 9pm.

The town is served by numerous pubs for a pre or post match drink, with Redz in West Street and Clarkes in Peter Street coming recommended.

Bohemians FC:

The Bohs are the third most successful club in League of Ireland football history – having won the league title 11 times and the FAI Cup on seven occasions, and once dumped Aberdeen out of the UEFA Cup in 2000.

They currently sit sixth in the Airtricity League, with 25 points from 15 games played so far in the league’s summer season.

Bohemians FC Dalymount Park

The club’s ground, Dalymount Park, is in the Phibsborough area of north Dublin and has a capacity of around 12,000. It formerly hosted Irish international matches – but hosted its last such game in September 1990 when the Republic defeated Morocco 1-0.

The stadium is hidden away in the area’s residential streets around two miles north of the city centre.

The closest railway station is Drumcondra – around half a mile to the west of the stadium. It is only one stop from the central Dublin Connolly station, so tickets aren’t expensive, and the trains run every half hour on Sundays.

Alternatively, the ground is served by a series of buses – look out for numbers  4, 4A, 10, 19, 19A, 38A 83, 120 and 140. For timetable information see http://www.dublinbus.ie/

Obviously, being so close to the city centre there are plenty of choices for pre and post-match refreshment. For a more complete guide, check out http://www.pubguidedublin.com/