One of Dundalk's longest-standing and most successful businesses, Meehan's Ltd., is proud to be associated with Louth GAA. Celebrating 25 years as a main Toyota dealer in 2005, Meehan's wish continuing good fortune to the local clubs in the Dundalk/Blackrock area and hope that '06 will prove a memorable year for Wee County GAA in general. Meehan's Ltd. is located at the very heart of Dundalk GAA territory, on the Dublin Road, within close proximity of a number of clubs. Talk of gaelic games is never far from the surface and the company directors always keep a close eye on events in the GAA world. They were thrilled when Dundalk Gaels stormed to the inaugural Leinster intermediate club championship a couple of years ago and were equally elated in September 2005 when another local outfit, Geraldines, captured the Louth intermediate football championship and promotion to senior football for the forthcoming campaign. The team at Meehan's Ltd. is confident that the Haggardstown/Blackrock men will be good enough to hold their own against the best of the rest in the Wee County in 2006, which also promises to be another great year for one of the town's most vibrant motor dealers. Toyota became 'The Official Car to the GAA' in 2003, continuing its support of the GAA through a sponsorship in which the winning teams in the All-Ireland football and hurling championships receive new Toyota Corollas. Under the terms of this agreement, both All-Ireland and national league winning teams are presented with the brand new Toyota Corrolla cars, while All Star footballers and hurlers receive a special discount on the purchase of any new Toyota during their term as an All Star. Furthermore, the respective runners-up each receive a Toyota Yaris. As well as the national football and hurling leagues, Toyota Ireland also presents the winners of the All-Ireland club football and hurling championships with Toyota Corollas. The objective of presenting these cars to the relevant County Boards or clubs is to assist them in their fundraising initiatives for the players. Over 200,000 euro has been raised to date to benefit the players' funds. There are also signage and advertising programmes in place around match days at Croke Park. Over the years, Toyota has been a strong supporter of the GAA. Toyota was a founder sponsor of the GAA Museum at Croke Park, a sponsor of the GAA's Players Sponsorship and Endorsement Programme and sponsors the clock at Croke Park. Toyota Ireland is a wholly owned Irish company. Since its entry into the Irish marketplace, Toyota has become a dominant player and consistently achieves the No. 1 position in the Irish car market. Meehan's Ltd. is justifiably satisfied with Toyota's strong ties with our indigenous sporting organisation. The company was established by Tom Meehan in 1947. Starting life selling Massey Ferguson tractors and then Hillman/Chrysler vehicles, Meehan's Ltd. always provided an exceptional service, but the business really came into its own after being appointed main Toyota dealer for the Dundalk area in 1980. Two-thousand-and-five was a landmark year for Meehan's Ltd., who celebrated a quarter of a century as a main Toyota dealer and continued to bring the best quality products and service to the appreciative motorists of Louth and surrounding areas. "We have really developed since the Toyota dealership came on stream," notes company director Alan Meehan, third generation of this vibrant family business. "Toyota remains No.1 in Louth, with close to a 20% market share, and we're delighted to be a part of that. Like Toyota, Meehan's Ltd. is totally focused on quality and customer satisfaction, so it has been a winning combination. "The dealership has definitely been instrumental in our own growth. Back in 1979, Chrysler was the second-best selling car in Ireland and Toyota was well down the rankings. But Toyota has been the best-selling car in Ireland since the late-eighties." Boasting unparalleled knowledge of the local motor trade, Alan's father Colm is dealer-principal at Meehan's Ltd. and has been at the forefront of the Dundalk success story for over 50 years. The Dublin Road business currently provides employment to a fully-trained and efficient crew of 17, each of whom plays a key role in the ongoing success of one of the county's best-known businesses. The prominent, well-appointed premises was completely refurbished at the start of 2005, comprising state-of-the-art showrooms/lounge area and full waiting room/customer services, while upgrading work was also carried out on the state-of-the-art workshop/servicing area. Meehan's Ltd. stocks the full range of new Toyotas and all makes of pre-owned vehicles. In its servicing department, all technicians are Toyota-trained and the business is also recognised as a Toyota-authorised repairer. The full range of service equipment required for working on Toyota vehicles (as well as all other models) is carried on site and maintained to the very highest standards. The parts department stocks only genuine Toyota parts and a painstaking attention to detail throughout all aspects of the business ensures absolute customer satisfaction at all times. Today, Meehan's still have some customers who have been regulars for over 50 years - so they're obviously doing something right! Full finance packages can also be arranged to suit individual customer requirements. As well as the full range of passenger (Avensis, Corolla, Previa, Prius, Aygo and Yaris) and sports (Celica, MR" and Yaris and Corolla T Sport) cars, Meehan's are renowned for their expertise in the commercial (Dyna and Hiace) and 4 x 4 (Landcruiser and Rav 4) side of things. The Toyota Landcruiser currently has approximately 60% of the overall 4 x 4 market. Alan is particularly excited about some of the new developments taking place within the impressive Toyota range: "We have a brand new model which has just been launched - the Aygo. This is the smallest car Toyota has made and is an urban car aimed at the 20-30 age group. A new Hi-Lux has also been launched and the Prius is the revolutionary new hybrid, which offers great performance and was voted European Car of the Year. This is an excellent car from an environmental point of view and the VRT is only 50% due to its environmental-friendliness." Meehan's Ltd. is situated in a prime location on the outskirts of Dundalk. Its accessibility has been enhanced by the new motorway and it's safe to assume that the Meehan family will continue to offer the best quality motoring experience from their Dublin Road premises for many years to come. And they'll continue to support the local GAA scene, as Alan confirms: "We have always strived to support Louth GAA and the various local events in whatever way possible. We have a budget which we set aside annually for community sponsorship and the GAA accounts for a large part of that. "As I live in Blackrock now, I was delighted to see the Geraldines enjoying such a great year but we have a lot of goodwill towards all the local teams and clubs. Dundalk Gaels is the closest club to the garage and we're hoping to see them back in the big time soon as well." Tweet

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