President and Taoiseach due to visit Meath this week

County Meath will this week see visits from both the President, Mary McAleese, and the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, who are expected to fulfill a number of engagements in the county and constituency. The President will be in her old stomping ground of Dunshaughlin today (Wednesday) for a number of official openings. Mrs McAleese previously resided in the area for a number of years in the early 1990s. She is scheduled to open the new pastoral centre in the grounds of the Church of Ss Patrick and Seachnall, at 11am, followed by the opening of the First Steps Childcare Centre on the Lagore Road, at 11.50am. The Taoiseach, Mr Cowen, meanwhile, is pencilled in for a visit to the Meath West constituency on Friday, providing that affairs of State don't cause him to postpone, particularly the crisis Northern Ireland talks taking place early this week. The Friday afternoon tour is scheduled to begin in Clonmellon, followed by a visit to Tara Mines in Navan and a number of Fianna Fail party political engagements in Navan later on Friday.