About Meath

Meath's "Hidden Resources " Campaign

This new website is the latest initiative in the Hidden Resources campaign which aims to attract economic investment into county Meath. The campaign started with the launch of the new "Hidden Resources" brochure by Mr Gary McGann, CEO of the Jefferson Smurfit Group at a reception in Fairyhouse Racecourse in May 2004.

The campaign is aimed at attracting investment into the county in the following sectors

  • manufacturing and services businesses from overseas
  • re-location of businesses from urban and congested areas  
  • investment in sectors such as Tourism and Leisure and Retail 

Why the Need for this Campaign?

Meath's population has grown rapidly in recent years. It rose to 134,000 between 1996 and 2002, and is projected to reach 180,000 by 2012. Growth in local economic activity has been much slower in the same period, which has led to a massive increase in commuting, as more and more Meath residents make the daily trip to work outside of the county. The growth in commuting places great pressure on the county's roads infrastructure, and is not sustainable in the long run.

Meath County Council has embarked upon the Hidden Resources campaign to attract investment into the county in order to provide more local employment opportunities for it's population.

The role of the new Website

Commuters who wish to work locally can register their interest on our new website.  In doing so, they will help us to help them achieve their goal. One of the strongest advantages Meath can offer as a location for business is access to a large and skilled labour pool. In today's labour market, access to such people is a key need for business survival and growth. By registering on the website, our commuters will be saying in a very clear way that Meath has a labour pool that is as large, as deep and as experienced as the labour pool in the Dublin city area, and therefore offers a tremendous opportunity for any business to meet it's recruitment needs.

Our intention is to use the database we will build up of those who register on the website as a key tool in our on-going campaign to attract employment opportunities to the county. There are many other variables which we have to compete on, but being able to demonstrate evidence of large numbers of skilled and experienced people who would welcome a chance to work in Meath will give us a big advantage.

Remember, no details of any registration will be given to a third party without prior consent. The data collected will be used to build up an aggregate Skills Profile for the county.  It is not the intention of the Hidden Resources campaign to act as a recruitment service, but we will build in processes for advising those who register of economic and employment news as it arises in the county.

Should Companies Register?

Yes! We also want to hear from businesses who are

  1. seeking to move to a new location
  2. considering an expansion and are open to placing  that expansion in a new location

Meath offers many valuable advantages to companies looking for a business location. These include

  • Lower cost base relative to urban locations
  • Large labour pool of experienced staff
  • Ready access to graduates and third level institutions
  • Less commuting for employees: easier access for customers
  • Available land and buildings in strategic locations around the county
  • Widespread availability of excellent greenfield sites in gateway locations, offering the opportunity for customised buildings to suit your business needs
  • Proximity to Dublin Airport
  • Easy access to the M50 and national motorway network
  • Fast access to the major east coast ports
  • Easy access to Dublin, and to Belfast along the M1
  • Full services for Business: Broadband, Power, Water, Gas
  • Pro-active and responsive approach to Planning and Development by Local Authority

Whether you are a large or small business, Meath has attractive options for you.

The new website is a joint initiative of Meath County Council's Economic Development Office  and the Meath County Enterprise Board 

Web design and web development by Tibus