Is the account actually expired - if its renewal date came after June 6 last year it would have been extended for free until June 30 this year and so will still be running. Can you access your email online at http://me.com and signing in with the address?
If so you can set up the account in iCloud - if you are already signed in with another ID you can add this one in System Preferences>Mail, Contact & Calendars (Lion 10.7.2 required - if you are using an older system please say so as the method is different).
If the account expired before 6 June last year its contents will have been deleted and will no longer be recoverable.