Meath Chronicle's ten year challenge

By Michael Keaveny

Retail giant comes to Navan
Ten years ago this week M&S announced that they would be opening a new store in Navan which would create 100 new jobs in the area.
The store would be the 19th M&S shop to open in Ireland and at 30,000 sq ft it was one of the largest of its kind in Ireland.
 Navan Chamber of Commerce president, Mary Sadlier, said 'It is great news for the town. The Chamber is delighted at this boost to employment numbers,' she said. 'With a flagship name like that in Navan, it will keep shoppers at home and attract people to the area.'
She congratulated all those involved in persuading the retail giant to open in Navan. Jonathan Smith, Marks & Spencer"s Irish boss, said the company was delighted to be opening its first store in Meath.
'We"ve been looking for an opportunity to open in the region for some time and we look forward to bringing our great quality products to shoppers in the area,' he said.

Motorway gets Meath moving
A decade ago the construction of the M3 motorway was in full flow. At the time the  motorway was the longest stretch of new road ever to be constructed in the history of the Irish State. The total scheme length is around 60 kilometres, and the project covers a total of 700 hectares of land across the county.
Construction of the new road was evident all over the country, from Dunboyne through to Dunshaughlin, Skryne, Bellinter, Cannistown, the Trim and Athboy roads out of Navan, across to Boyerstown and Ardbraccan, onto Kells, Drumbaragh, Woodpole and finally finishing past Carnaross and Derver.
The official name for the project was the 'M3 Motorway Joint Venture", which is what motorists passing the flashing lights on the current N3 read as: 'M3 Motorway JV".

Snow joke in Meath!
While memories of the big snow of 2018 remain fresh in the minds of people, early 2009 saw life in Meath grind to a temporary halt as a cold snap blew in from Russia, which left Meath under a heavy blanket of snow.
A series of minor accidents were reported throughout the county as ice and snow left roads in a treacherous condition and many motorists were unable to complete their journeys.
Many workers were unable to get to work as the freeze took hold and schools thoughout the county closed down as cars and buses found it impossible to negotiate some of the roads around the county.
The area around Trim, Summerhill and Kilcock was one of the worst affected areas in Meath.