Jedward blow away the blues as Navan puts on its happy face

Pop duo Jedward attracted a crowd of more than 6,000 to Navan's Kennedy Place on Saturday morning as they launched the town council's 'Navan Has The X-Mas Factor' shop local campaign and switched on the Christmas lights. Young teenagers queued from early morning to get a place at the front of the stage as thousands of people from all over the county descended on the town to witness the former 'X-Factor' sensations. The event was opened by 2 FM DJ Damien Farrelly who welcomed the crowd, built up the excitement and asked everyone to make Navan their number one shopping destination this Christmas. One of the 12 finalists on last year's 'X-Factor' Show, the pop duo John and Edward Grimes arrived on time at 11am and were greeted with a rapturous reception. They walked through the excited crowd, signing autographs and posing for photographs before taking to the stage to perform four songs. They went on to sign more autographs before officially turning on the spectacular Christmas tree and lights at Kennedy Place with the Mayor of Navan, Cllr Phil Brennan, Meath County Manager Tom Dowling and councillors. There was a fantastic atmosphere at Kennedy Place throughout the show and local traders reported an increase in business throughout the day, thanks to the bumper crowds who arrived into the town. “This was one of the best organised events that Navan has seen and I would like to pay tribute to all those involved in the planning of same, in particular Navan Town Council, An Garda Siochana and Meath Civil Defenceâ€, said Mayor Cllr Phil Brennan. “There is no doubt that this has been the best Christmas launch by any town in the country, the atmosphere was amazing. In the difficult times that we all face and the doom and gloom that exists, this was a day to be positive. Jedward brought the feelgood factor to Navan and everyone I met really enjoyed the event. There is no doubt that this launch has made a positive difference to the local economy and I am asking everyone to 'Think Local, Shop Local and Stay Local' by enjoying everything that Navan has to offer this Christmas,†added Cllr Brennan. County manager Tom Dowling added: “This was a fantastic event and is an acknowledgement of the huge investment that the council have made in the heart of our town over the last four years.†Town clerk Shane Donnelly said Navan did extremely well on the day and that, from speaking to traders, shops and coffee shops were thronged from early morning right into the evening. “We were delighted that businesses did so well. Damien Farrelly got the message out that the council wanted people to shop local and Jedward also gave it a mention,†he added. When asked about the cost of securing the pop duo for the event, Mr Donnelly said he was not yet in a position to reveal the final figure, which also includes advertising and other associated costs, but did say that the cost was a lot less than rumours were suggesting. There was also some criticism locally of the town council that Kennedy Place was cleared of snow and ice in advance of Jedward's appearance when many footpaths around the town remained in a dangerous condition. Kennedy Place was cleared of ice and gritted for the event and Mr Donnelly said the council had to do this as they were inviting people to attend the event, which was a different situation to people walking on footpaths. He said because the council was inviting people to attend, they would be responsible if anybody hurt themselves, and that they had to take the action to make sure the area was fit for the purpose of the event. The Jedward performance marked the launch of the town council's 'Navan's Got The X-mas Factor' campaign and other initiatives in the lead-up to Christmas week include free parking in all on-street and public car parks operated by Navan Town Council from 18th to 24th December inclusive (from 11am to 6pm), Christmas carol singing, Christmas tree and lighting at Kennedy Place, a Christmas market and local band performances. Mr Donnelly explained that, in partnership with the Navan Retailers Association and Navan Chamber of Commerce, a unique Christmas card is also being delivered to each household in Navan and to strategic locations across the region in a further bid to entice people to visit, shop and enjoy everything that Navan has to offer this Christmas.