New "Local Lens" podcast to shine a light on work of Meath Co Council

Meath County Council has launched Local Lens, a podcast series of six 30-minute episodes that will serve as an additional channel to communicate and increase awareness around the services provided by the local authority.

To celebrate the launch, a double episode will be released on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, with the rest of the episodes being released weekly on Tuesdays in March.

Communications Manager Ailish Shaw said the podcast will provide an additional channel, “for us to share information. We offer over one thousand services to over two hundred and twenty thousand people.”

“Local Lens is another way of letting people know who we are and what we do. It is important that we use as many ways as we can to communicate with the residents of Meath so having a podcast is another way of reaching them.”

The series includes interviews with senior staff responsible for delivering some of the most strategic services in the county including economic development, housing, road maintenance and climate change.

There are contributions from members of the public who use the services including at Trim library, on the greenway in Wilkinstown and there is a vox pop featuring people from all over the world who were enjoying the Samhain Festival in Kells.

“It was important for us to include these contributions so that the podcast is as relevant as possible to the public in county Meath,” she said.

In that spirit, the council welcomes feedback, questions and suggestions regarding the podcast and will be very responsive to any emails received at locallens@meathcoco.ie, so are asking people to please get in touch.

Episode 1 – Meath the Space and Place to Thrive

The first episode of Local Lens will look at Economic Development and the different supports provided for start-ups and for larger established companies including FDI.

Dara McGowan, Director of Services for Economic Development, Rural Regeneration and EU affairs, and deputy Chief Executive Officer, outlines the focus on driving economic activity, what the new Centre of Business Excellence that opens this year in Navan will provide and the pending regional economic plan.

Emma Jane Clarke, Martinstown Lodge talks about the Local Enterprise Office supports that benefitted her business while James McDermott, General Manager of PCI Pharma, Stamullen explains why Meath is the location that works for them.

Episode 2 – Exploring Meath’s Cultural Treasures

The joy of reading, the wide ranges of services in Meath’s libraries for people of all ages and the exciting plans for Navan’s Cultural Quarter feature in the second episode of Local Lens, also released on Tuesday, February 25, 2025.

Executive Librarian Aoife Carberry shares all of the information on the new East Meath Civic Centre that includes meeting rooms with AV facilities for community and not-for-profit groups as well as the first purpose built sensory room for Meath’s libraries.

The popularity of the libraries meant there were 352,000 separate library visits in 2023. She explains how membership, which is free, covers access to libraries countywide and nationwide.

While physical books are still a huge draw, children also love the events programmes, and we hear from one family on how the love of reading is shared by their children.

The library headquarters in Navan will become part of Navan’s Cultural Quarter which last year secured €7 million and is known as the THRIVE project - Navan Cultural Quarter: Community Hub & County Archive is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021-27.

Senior Engineer John McGrath outlines what is planned, the challenges involved and what it will bring to the community while County Archivist Patricia Fallon explains what her job involves, the fascinating records about Meath that are in her care and why a new archive is needed. The Book of Kells gets a mention as well!

The first two episodes will be published on all major platforms, on Meath.ie, and on Meath County Council social media channels, on Tuesday, February 25, 2025.