Johnstown
Baile Sheáin

The Ireland's Ancient East
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Baile Sheáin · Co. Meath

A commuter village southeast of Navan, home to a business park and secondary school.

Johnstown (Baile Sheáin in Irish) is a village in County Meath, located approximately 3 kilometres south-east of Navan town. The village lies near the N3 national primary road and is 40 kilometres north-west of Dublin city centre. The surrounding landscape is primarily agricultural, with the village becoming increasingly developed as a residential area serving as a commuter settlement for people working in Navan and Dublin. It is a townland in Navan Rural Electoral Division, part of Athlumney Civil Parish, in the barony of Meath.

Johnstown has developed significantly in the twenty-first century. The IDA Business Park, located south-east of Navan town in Johnstown, provides employment and economic infrastructure for the area. Coláiste na Mí, a secondary school, opened in 2013 and serves the Navan area. Johnstown Shopping Centre provides retail and hospitality services, including Supervalu supermarket and Costa café. The village is fundamentally a product of Navan's growth — not a place with deep history, but a place where modern Ireland is being built, a few kilometres out from the county town.

Population

~800

Coords

53.6392° N, 6.6658° W

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At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

01 The location

Three kilometres southeast of Navan.

Johnstown is a townland in Navan Rural Electoral Division, close to the N3 national primary road. Forty kilometres northwest of Dublin city centre.

Getting there → 02 IDA Business Park

Employment hub.

The IDA Business Park is located in Johnstown, south-east of Navan town, providing employment and economic development.

Stories & lore → 03 Coláiste na Mí

Secondary school opened 2013.

A VEC-run secondary school serving the Navan area, opened in 2013. Johnstown Shopping Centre hosts retail and food services.

Stories & lore →

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Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

Employment and economic development

The IDA Business Park

The IDA Business Park in Johnstown is an industrial and commercial development located south-east of Navan town. It is part of the IDA's strategy to decentralise employment from Dublin and concentrate it in regional hubs. The park provides space for manufacturing, logistics, and service companies. It is the economic driver of the Johnstown area and the source of most non-agricultural employment.

Opened 2013

Coláiste na Mí secondary school

Coláiste na Mí is a co-educational secondary school run by the VEC (Vocational Education Committee) in Johnstown. It opened in 2013 to serve the secondary education needs of the Navan area. The school offers a mix of academic and vocational programmes and has grown to become a significant institution in the locality.

Twenty-first-century development

Commuter village growth

Johnstown has become an increasingly popular residential area near Navan, serving as a commuter village with good connections to Dublin via the N3 and M3. The village has grown from a scattered rural townland to a developed residential area with schools, shopping facilities, business parks, and modern housing. The growth reflects the wider pattern of Dublin commuter zones expanding outward into rural areas as Irish incomes and transport links improve.

Getting there.

By car

From Navan: 3km south-east on the N3 toward Dublin. From Dublin: 40km north-west on the N3. Parking available at Johnstown Shopping Centre and IDA Business Park.