Dan Shaw Road in Navan is formally named

Unofficially known as The Dan Shaw Road for years, the road linking the Commons Road with the Trim Road in Navan finally has been given official recognition. The Dan Shaw Road was formally named on Wednesday of last week some five years after the name was first agreed by councillors. The name plaque was unveiled by newly elected Navan Mayor, Cllr Joe Reilly, and guests of honour at the ceremony were the late Dan Shaw"s wife, Anne, and his daughter, Suzanne. Dan Shaw was a trade union official with the then Irish Transport and General Workers Union (IT&GWU), now SIPTU, and SIPTU"s Meath headquarters - which is located on the road - is also named after Mr Shaw. In announcing the unveiling, Navan Town Clerk Shane Donnelly said the town council 'had agreed the naming of the the road five years ago and that it had taken some time but they had eventually gotten there'. Cllr Reilly said he was delighted to be able to formally name the new road. The opening of a new road adds to the history of the town, he said, adding that trade union history is equally as important as other histories and cultures in the town. Cllr Anton McCabe, president of the Meath branch of SIPTU, said it was a historic day for the branch and he welcomed Mrs Anne Shaw and her daughter Suzanne. He told how the Navan Educate Together school is now on the site of the former SIPTU premises and that the union has a great relationship with the school. He said he believed the Dan Shaw Centre was now complete with the naming of the road, making it a very proud day for the union. Branch secretary John Regan said this year marked the centenary year of SIPTU and that to offically name the road was a great way to mark the occasion. He said that as part of their centenary celebrations, SIPTU had taken part in the St Patrick"s Day Parade in Navan and then took the decision in February to approach the council about the road-naming ceremony. Mr Regan also said they are planning another celebration to bring back a number of activists and shop stewards and a lot of faces they would not have seen in years, later in the year. 'The work Dan did made the branch what it is today, followed by the late Andy Connolly. They both made it what it is. Dan Shaw will never be forgotten. A building can be knocked but a road will always exist,' said Mr Regan. SIPTU regional secretary Christy McQuillan spoke about the challenges facing the union including the 'runaway exploitation' of some workers and said that many of the things that Dan Shaw fought for were still relevent today. After the speeches, Joe Ledwidge, a nephew of Slane poet Francis Ledwidge, performed a song. Dan Shaw was a native of Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, who worked in the mines in his home town before joining the Irish Transport and General Workers Union (IT&GWU) as an official in July 1956. He was appointed branch secretary for Sligo in 1959 and remained there until October 1965 when he took over as district secretary in Wicklow. In 1972, he was appointed national industrial group secretary for the construction, mining and some public service industries, and held this post until his untimely death on 19th August 1976. Mrs Shaw said the occasion was 'a great tribute to Dan' and his daughter said it was 'a lovely tribute' and that the family was very touched by it.