The Slane Community Forum held a meeting on Monday, 2 November 2026, at which 39 local organisations were represented. The meeting confirmed the election of officers to serve on the Forum’s Committee and provided an opportunity for representatives to discuss matters of significant importance to the Slane community.
Newly elected Chairperson, Ronan Coleman, underlined the important role the Forum has in ensuring that every voice is heard and represented in Slane and stated that the incoming committee will endeavour to do this in an open and transparent manner. Coleman was elected winning the chair with 19 votes to Rhonda Smith 18 votes. He told the meeting he would work with the best interests of the community in Slane.
At the meeting Pat Doyle gave a recap of the work that had been done in the past and acknowledge the hard work by previous members in the Slane Community Forum which included a number of highlights that included the Slane Hub, Slane Mens Shed and Slane Arts and Crafts that was part of the village. He said SFC needed to be strong platform to get the best return for the good of the community when dealing with MCD and to let Meath County Council the village needs to be repected.
One issue that is central to the community at present is that of rock concerts held at Slane Castle. Slane is no stranger to concerts and there is broad local support for the concerts, but there is also concern at the move to two back to back concerts, as happened this year and four concerts planned for 2027.
A key issue raised during the meeting was the Community Benefit Fund. A robust discussion took place regarding the Terms of Reference for the distribution of the Community Benefit Fund and the composition of the Liaison Committee responsible for engaging with the community in relation to the Fund.
The newly elected Committee stated: “The strong representation at Monday night’s meeting reflects the concern that exists about public representation and consultation regarding issues arising from concerts. As the newly elected Committee of Slane Community Forum, we are committed to representing the views of our member organisations and the wider community. We believe that the proposed Terms of Reference for the Liaison Committee should be made available for community consideration and consultation before the Committee is established.
“We look forward to engaging constructively with Meath County Council and working together to ensure that the interests and views of the Slane community are appropriately represented.” Above picture some of the many thousand who enjoyed Luke Combs concert this summer. Luke Combs who played Slane Castle on Saturday18th and Sunday 19th July as part of his My Kinda Saturday Night Tour.
