To whom it may concern,

My name is Georgia McCann.

I am a 26 year old woman born and raised in Drogheda. Like many of my peers, I have experienced growing up in a large town often forgotten by local councils, leading to lack of investment in improving our facilities. Like many others, I was forced to travel outside of my hometown to continue my education after completing secondary school as there was no 3rd level university facility local to me.

Drogheda and East Meath, in my opinion, should be recognised as one large urban area with its own administration. All of my peers from the East Meath region identify themselves as residents of Drogheda and consider it to be their town. There is a serious lack of resources available to the residents of these areas, particularly with a population of our size. Drogheda suffers due to being split across two counties across the River Boyne. As a result, neither of the local councils have any particular interest in serving Drogheda. It is my firm belief that for a town of our size to thrive, it is essential that we have our own dedicated administration.

Drogheda / East Meath is the fastest growing urban area in Ireland, with a shared population of 67000 people. Many state bodies already recognise this as one large metropolitan area – An Post, HSE, LMETB, Irish Water and Emergency Fire and Ambulance Services to name a few. Meath East became a part of the Louth constituency in the last review in recognition of the agglomeration, acknowledging it as one natural catchment from both an economic and community perspective.

Drogheda and East Meath are no longer distinct and separate areas; they are rapidly merging with the population of these regions sharing various resources, including infrastructure, facilities, transportation, employment, and much more. I would propose that Drogheda and East Meath remain in the same constituency. Alternatively, it makes sense to establish a new constituency for the Drogheda/South Louth/East Meath area, including some outlying regions that depend on Drogheda for resources and facilities.

An area of this size needs dedicated local representation. I urge the Commission to consider a new
“Boyneside” constituency made up of Drogheda, East Meath and South Louth taking in coastal areas and Julianstown, Duleek, Donore, Tullyallen, Collon, Monasterboice, Sandpit, Termonfeckin and Clogherhead. The residents of these areas rely on Drogheda for many facilities and services including healthcare, education, employment, shopping, transport, leisure, etc. If we include these areas in our population count, the number rises conservatively to the 90000 mark, which meets the criteria for a 4 seater constituency.

Yours sincerely,
Georgia McCann