Mullane. Corbett. Time To Pay The Players?

Okay, so it's not my area of expertise - but I know a tremendous sportsman when I see one. And John Mullane is just such a sportsman. In the last 24 hours John, along with Tipperarys' infamous Lar Corbett have both announced retirements (of varying degrees - we hope John will be back in time) from Inter-County hurling causing shock and dismay across their respective Counties.

Listening - as I do - to a lot of commentary, it is obvious that the level of commitment required from amateur players in these days is, to be honest, excessive. They seem to train almost as much as professionals; their fitness and conditioning regimes are similar to professionals and their commitment and passion are in most cases from what I can see, superior to professionals. And that's all before they do their so-called 'real' days work!

What I can't understand (especially in these days of so much unemployment) is why the GAA refuse to even consider paying players or allowing them some kind of representational payment which might go some way towards allowing them to ease up on the requirement for a day job.

Why can't young boys grow up and dream of being a professional hurler - the same way they can aspire to be a professional rugby or football player? Surely with a little imagination it could be organised that Inter-County teams would have at least semi-professional players? That is in fact what they are - in every aspect, except pay.

We are expecting too much from our hurlers to expect them to give us the level of commitment now required at that level - and to hold down a full time job. Mullane and Corbett prove the case. We need guys like them on the field, playing for their Counties and for our entertainment. Not pulled in so many directions that they quite simply have to drop out - even if it's just for season!

I have to say, it's a no-brainer to me - and it creates jobs into the bargain. I'd call that a WIN:WIN.

But sure what do I know? (I hear you jeer....) I know we've lost two great servants to the sport - and I think that could be avoided. End of. (Other than that, I know nothing - I admit it!)

Dangerous Enough To Cause Death: Have I Got Your Attention Now?

I normally try to steer away from medical issues - local Councillors after all were taken out of the governance of hospitals and I feel I ought to concentrate my efforts on areas over which I have (or try to have) some role or influence. But I'm about to break that rule. Why? Because people seem to be dangerously unaware of what is going on out in Waterford Regional Hospital (WRH). And what is happening out in WRH is, quite frankly, dangerous.

Dangerous is a much abused word these days. But for the purposes of this article I mean 'dangerous' in a pretty conventional sense: dangerous to health and indeed life. The health and lives of our loved ones and ourselves. Dangerous enough to cause death. Have I got your attention now?

Like other politicians I have gained access to some data about WRH which I have read with increasing concern. When you read quotes from senior, respected medical personnel which state that 'Patients in the Southeast have a real and appreciable risk of being blinded...' - it pretty much makes you sit up and take notice! People will go blind in the Southeast? And then I read about the withdrawal of vital drug therapy for serious asthma patients and then onto the really startling quote that 'mortality and morbidity in our catchment population will increase....' Now they have got my attention. And despite the fact that I have no formal role in the health system I find I have to raise my voice.

People will be blinded and die in the Southeast as a result of the cuts now being forced on WRH. That's the stark, simple message. (And yes folks, it's 2012 - in the first world in case you are asking yourself the same question I asked myself!)

Here are some interesting figures.

Waterford Regional Hospital has a budget of €145 million.
Cork University Hospital has a budget of €277 million.
St. Vincent's University Hospital has a budget of €215 million.
Midwestern Regional Hospital has a budget of €145m and
University College Hospital Galway has a budget of €259m.

No big issues there? No? Well perhaps if you look at the next set of figures you might think a little differently:

Between Inpatient Discharges, Outpatient attendances and Emergency Department Presentations the hospitals treated the following numbers of patients in 2009:

Waterford Regional Hospital treated 212,521 people. (Budget €145m)
Cork University Hospital treated 220,346 people. (Budget 277m)
St. Vincent's University Hospital treated 184,520 people. (Budget 215m)
Midwestern Regional Hospital treated 210,946 people. (Budget €145m) and
University College Hospital Galway treated 291,089 people. (Budget €259m)

Pretty startling stuff. And there's more:

Waterford has 1,761 WTE (Whole Time Equivalent) Staff, while CUH has 3,329, St. Vincent's has 2,462, the Midwestern has 1,906 and Galway has 3,188!!!

The discrepancies are stark. And there's even more with
+ huge differences in Intensive Care/High Dependency Beds numbers;
+ ridiculous comparisons in Cardiology provision versus procedures;
+ numbers of Cardiologists - two in WRH performing 2,452 procedures versus 6 in St. Vincent's performing 1,740 procedures (I mean, hello???);
+ no 24/7 Interventional Cardiology (don't have a heart attack or stroke out of hours if you don't mind), and many other unfavourable comparisons.

I don't want to go into figures ad infinitum as it becomes confusing. But suffice to say that WRH is funded very poorly in comparison with most other hospitals - on almost any measure you care to take.

This situation has now become critical. I would like to pose a number of questions which I would like to see the HSE (and the Minister for Health) answer.

These include:

1. Why is WRH so chronically underfunded - and how can this be justified?
2. Why can the obvious efficiencies which have been effected at WRH not be rolled out across other hospitals?
3. Why are WRH being punished for performing so spectacularly well?
4. Can continued patient care across all specialities to International Best practice standards be guaranteed?
5. What specialities have been or will be reduced and/or eliminated as a result of further budget cuts?
6. What happens patients who have a heart attack or stroke out of hours?
7. What happens to patients who need Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators?
8. What drug treatments are to be or already have been discontinued or withdrawn?

And there are millions more questions culminating I guess in the bigger questions of how many people will suffer more, will wait longer for treatment? But I digress. We are suffering from nothing short of medical apartheid in this Region!

While the budget cuts are not the fault of the HSE, their implementation and management is. And asking WRH to implement more cuts this year is equivalent to asking an anorexic to go on a diet!

And here's a few more questions that lead directly to the door of the HSE South management in Cork....

Why has the Southeast Region been split into two ISA's (Integrated Service Areas) of WATERFORD/WEXFORD and KILKENNY/TIPPERARY, thereby duplicating governance and clinical structures aswell as doubling administration? Do they realise that a billion euro motorway has been constructed which now means that Kilkenny is 30 minutes from Waterford? Thirty minutes!

What politics is afoot amongst the medical community that means that resources and medical provision is downgraded across the entire region at the expense of having multi-hospital provision. So, for example, instead of having one unit in the Regional Hospital, accessible from across the region, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for victims of heart attacks - we have 9 to 5, Monday to Friday provision in several locations? Surely this is an example of a lack of clinical leadership at best - and downright idiocy at worst? It means that the entire region suffers! What's the old question 'cui bono'? Who benefits? I'd sure like to know - because it certainly isn't the patients in Wexford or Kilkenny or Tipperary or Waterford.

With the upcoming appointment of a new Clinical Director, will the new person be appointed for the Region or will the artificial split be maintained?

Why has no-one in the HSE South the 'kahunas' to Manage the Southeast as a coherent region with proper provision in the Regional Hospital to service the medical needs of the region 24/7? And I'm not even getting in to the whole Capital investment debacle.

So, if I could just have those questions answered, that'd be great.

Oh and the big question too of course: HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL DIE?

Having had a little experience of the HSE during my year as Mayor I don't have high hopes that these questions will be answered, or God forbid, addressed. But somebody, somewhere higher up the food chain might, just might, start asking them too.

Isn't this a great little country all the same, where we have pledged to pay €3 billion a year, every year for God knows how long, to save...wait for it...no not peoples lives - to save the banks?????

I'm sorry but there is something almost biblically wrong with that. Something rotten at the core of a system that prioritises banks and money over people and life itself.

And I'm saying now: not in my name. That is all.

Out with 2011. In with 2012

As we head out of an old year and into a new one many people (me inlcuded) have a little more time on their hands and I suppose time inevitably leads to reflection - particularly at this time of year.

And I suppose its fair to say that 2011 has been a seminal year for me - and indeed for the country.

Personally, the first six months saw the second half of my Mayoralty of Waterford City; my home City and a City which I love and am immensely proud of. It was a great privilege to serve in that role for a year and an experience which I will treasure and be grateful for, for the entire length of my life. Forever!

On the home front, we welcomed our first grandchild, little Mia - an angel and treasure; daughter to our eldest Ailish - who has done and continues to do a smashing job as a young mother. She is dedicated, loving and capable and I hope that I can give her as much help and support in that role as she generously and uncomplainingly gave to me when I was working as Mayor.

Our own youngest, Carein started school in September and is happily settled in with her big brother in Newtown Junior School where they both have a happy, open, multi-cultural experience in the Quaker run school.

My parents continue thankfully to be well - although we still miss greatly Liams' parents Michael and Irene, both taken suddenly from us in the last five years.

I have lost some of my love-affair with Facebook - although that has largely been replaced by my new obsession with Twitter! (You can follow me @maryroche lol).

Through friends I have learned that people are there for you when you need them - and if you let them and that you cannot take life for granted. It is fleeting and precious and you ought not sit around waiting for it to happen to you but go out and shape it into your own signature life. It is all any of us have so try to live in the now. Try to appreciate what you have and not to worry about the future if you can help it. Things have a way of working out - and if they don't, sadly, worrying about it changes nothing.

I am grateful for all the good things in my life and although I'm not too good at the silence (lol) I try to keep the lovely Desiderata in mind:

Go placidly amidst the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love; f
or in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy

If we can do that, we can survive whatever 2012 has to throw at us. I wish you
all a healthy and a peaceful 2012. Be happy :)

Mary x

Submission to Local Government Committee concerning the Amalgamation of Waterford City Council & Waterford County Council

For the attention of the Waterford Local Government Committee

From: Councillor Mary Roche, Waterford City Council

(Representing the Independent Grouping, including Cllrs. David Daniels & Laurence Cha O’Neill.)

Date: 1st December 2011

To whom it may concern:

I refer to the call for submissions from interested parties concerning your commissions role of making a recommendation to Minister Phil Hogan on whether Waterford City Council and Waterford County Council should be unified and set out my objections to said unification. I have tried insofar as possible to stick to the questions raised for your examination under the Terms of Reference.

My submission, while stand-alone, can be read as part of a larger submission which is being made in separate parts by several members of the City Council. The larger submission covers the areas of History & Heritage; Drain on Resources, Finance, Organisation and the Status of the City as a Regional Driver – the latter being my focus.

We have looked at the areas including

• The potential outcomes to be achieved, including likely benefits and costs.
• The actions and arrangements that should be implemented in order to maximise savings, efficiency and effectiveness and achieve desired outcomes generally with regard to key elements of local government.
• Key issues that are considered likely to arise in the implementation of revised arrangements and how these should be addressed.

And we have come to the conclusion that the merger would not deliver substantial savings to the exchequer but could indeed do great damage to the City and its ability to deliver on our focus of renewal and economic development for our citizens.

Context

If this is merely – as is alleged – a cost saving exercise (we ‘being where we are’ etc.) then by all means save costs. Offer a voluntary redundancy package for staff and cull the number of Councillors if need be. Eliminating Town Councils might tick that box. But please do not break what isn’t broken by ending Waterford as a City, or hindering the City’s ability to deliver to our ‘customers’ through a diversion of focus and resources. (The irony is that towns with a far smaller population than Waterford City may be left with Town Councils while the City would be left without a dedicated administration.)

In the recent amalgamation of Limerick City & County Councils the issues were different – as were the sentiments. And indeed I would question where the suggested savings of €15m will come from, without substantial costs also being factored in. It certainly has not been detailed in any documentation I have seen and seems rather to have been a fanciful figure which no-one is quite sure if or how it can be attained. However time will tell.

Waterford City is the oldest and most historic City in Ireland – and has a proud heritage which should not be sacrificed for short term and spurious financial gain. Is the year 2014 in which Waterford City celebrates its 1100 year anniversary to be the year of its demise?

I do believe that the City needs to expand. It needs to expand not just into its natural environs in the East of County Waterford, but it should also logically extend for administrative purposes into South County Kilkenny.

The future administration of Waterford City and County - and indeed the entire local government system in Ireland which badly needs an overhaul - should be looked at as part of a strategic, national framework rather than Waterford being singled out in some form of ‘pin the tail on the donkey’ exercise. There is simply no gain - but much energy to be wasted - on merely replacing on an ad hoc basis, old irrelevant boundaries with new irrelevant boundaries.

We need to look nationally at where we ought to be and how we can get there in a way that will instill confidence and encourage ‘buy in’ from all the citizens and stakeholders. There is simply no public ‘buy in’ for the demise of Waterford as a City.

Saving that, I believe that there are effective efficiencies to be gained in some sharing of back office functions on a National, Regional and joint basis between the two Councils. These could include, at National level, some Human Resource Functions, Payroll, Third Level Grant Applications, Motor Tax and some Information Systems. At a Regional level Waste Management and Major Emergency Planning. And on a joint basis, Procurement, Veterinary Inspections etc., some of which is already in place.

It makes no sense that citizens in the environs of the City, for example, should have to travel to Dungarvan or Kilkenny to tax their cars. However it is not clear if even these efficiencies could be merged or delivered without significant costs being incurred.

After that, saving office closures – with consequent redundancies and service diminution, it is hard to see where further significant savings might be delivered. Roads will still have to be swept and housing stock maintained.

The last point I wish to make before I get onto the topic of the status of the City is the drain on the resources of the City that this unification would give rise to – with one small example. I am certain that had the Councils been unified already, Waterford Crystal would not have been saved for the City.

Firstly, the financial resources simply would not have been available – taking into account the financial situation in the County (€6m deficit) and its statutory obligations. Secondly, I wonder would there have been much sympathy or understanding from amongst the majority of the unified Council – who would come from a County perspective – on the importance of such an investment in the City?

There would also, beyond doubt, be diminished resources available - from an already ever diminishing pot – to deliver for the day to day needs of the City from housing, to road repair etc. This could in time become a source of resentment from the citizens of the City.


Status of Waterford City as a Regional Economic Driver


The Status of Waterford City and the City’s ability to act as a driver of regional growth are paramount – even gaining special mention in the terms of reference for your consideration:

• The need to maximise the capacity of Waterford City , in particular, to act as a strong and dynamic focus and generator of growth for the wider hinterland under the National Spatial Strategy, and that of other urban and rural areas to contribute in that regard in the context of balanced development.

• The need to enhance the capacity of local government to promote the economic and social development of Waterford City and County as a whole.

• The need to ensure that that the particular status, identity, character and heritage of Waterford City are maintained and where possible, enhanced, within a balanced overall system of local government for Waterford City and County.

Waterford is a City in transition. It is moving from an old, strong portal and manufacturing base to a new economy based on the knowledge industry and tourism as our two strong economic drivers. Historically the City has suffered from the lack of a number of strategic game-changers which are now either in place or on the way. These include the Motorway to Dublin, the new Suir Bridge and Outer Ring Road, the waste water treatment plant, water supply, flood defenses and last but by no means least, a University. Indeed, everything that the IDA’s of this world have historically pointed to as impediments.

With this investment, the City is well positioned to take advantage of any upturn once it arrives. The City is a focus for the region with the majority of citizens from as far away as 30 kilometers relying on it for jobs primarily as well as shopping and other services. In the 2006 census - the most recent document for which these figures are available - there were 25,389 people working in Waterford City, with 11,685 of those jobs being filled by people not from the City. That amounts to over 40%. It is fair to say that anything that risks the City’s capacity to be able to provide and maintain jobs for that kind of workforce is not to be welcomed.

Waterford City Council only recently won the Council of the Year Award for 2010/11 from the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland – along with 3 other wins and several placings in other categories. The City was also voted a few short years ago as the best micro-City in Europe. These serve as independently verified reminders of the dynamic leadership role the City Council has played in recent years driving Waterford through this transition period.

Waterford has all the ingredients of a successful micro City. This is possible because of a number of things – but crucially because of clarity of purpose. Any analysis of successful cities which have regenerated themselves, from Barcelona to Bristol, reveals that they have certain things in common:

 clarity of purpose
 clarity of leadership
 clarity of governance and
 clarity of investment.

If you take away that clarity you will fatally damage Waterford City s’ ability to deliver - not just for our own citizens - but for the citizens of the region who depend on us to be able to attract and provide employment.

It is a simple equation: the majority of the population is in the County, meaning the majority of representation would come from County, meaning a majority of resources would go to the County, therefore reducing spend in the City. It is a truism that ‘all politics is local’ – and that is even more true of local politics. Is it fair or reasonable that Genzymes rates would be spent in Kinsalebeg? How would future potential investors view this?

Another element affecting our status as a City is Mission. Both the City & County Councils have completely different Missions – ours being as a Gateway City, expected to lead and drive economic growth in the Region but also to deliver relevant services and supports to an Urban population.

The County Council has a Rural Mission which is completely different in character and culture. Will there be any capacity or democratic will to maintain the investment in communities, in the Arts or, for example in social supports such as our refuse waiver scheme? Individual County Councillors have already cited publically the availability of the resources of the City, for the County, as a positive argument in favour of the unification. This would inevitably mean the City would be left with fewer resources for social, cultural, historical, economic, and day to day requirements.

The South East Region is unlike any other region in Ireland insofar as there are four other urban centres of considerable size all within 60 kms – Kilkenny, Wexford, Dungarvan and Clonmel. Any diminution of the City’s status and resources will hamper our ability to lead and drive the region and could damage Waterford City and the region to a serious extent.

As one of the five cities in Ireland Waterford City has a clear role and is competing not just nationally but internationally with other micro-cities. If we lose that status we make it that much more difficult to compete and indeed to deliver. Investors comparing a future down-graded Waterford with the dynamism of Galway, Cork or Dublin cities could not fail to make an unfavourable comparison. It would be much more difficult to compete.

Is the South East to be left as the only Region without a City? Regardless of what it would say on paper, an amalgamated Waterford City & County would NOT have the same status as the stand-alone City of Galway or Cork, for example.

Any unification would also mean the City having to deal with the Counties €6m deficit. This would inevitably lead to a severe leakage of resources – in an already stretched fiscal environment – from the City to the county and a consequent reduction in both focus and delivery. It is equivalent to putting an anorexic on a diet. The City would suffer enormously from lack of investment – which in an urban environment would become apparent quickly, and in a concentrated manner - as soon as the first pot-holes went unfilled due to lack of finance.

Waterford City has reduced our budget by €7m in the last four years and is - and has always been – at the lower end of the numbers of employees scale. We have no deficit to speak of. Huge efficiencies have been delivered. Why now should we be lumbered with a massive debt which would impoverish our City for who knows how many years to come?

If the object is to save money (as we can categorically say that it not part of any strategic plan) then that realistically and simply means diminished resources to a diminished body and inevitably, a diminished City. We will be left with a City with no leadership or focus, no administrative body with sole responsibility or capacity to drive the City in these difficult times. A City with massive debts and no finance for investment or delivery of our many projects from the Viking Triangle to the economic growth we are trying to nurture here and to attract. A City dominated by a governing authority with a majority who would have no understanding of or affinity with it.

Conclusion

I am begging the commission to consider the true cost of the proposed unification for the City. Not just fiscal, but also the perception it would give rise to, that Waterford City would not be on a par with other cities in Ireland; that our 1100 year history as a City would come to an end in 2014.

I would also consider that the timescale allowed simply does not give sufficient time to examine all of the issues in enough detail.

I ask you to protect Waterford City and its future. To protects its ability to deliver for the region and the country and not to throw away the proud heritage of our ancient and beautiful City for the 30 pieces of silver which it is sought to save.

It would be a short term and small saving, with, in my opinion, long term, negative consequences for the City, for our citizens and for our children and their children.

Please consider this issue with the utmost diligence. A truly weighty responsibility lies on your shoulders – one which future generations will reference for good or ill with the benefit of hindsight.

I am asking you to recommend against the unification of Waterford City and Waterford County Councils.

Thank you.

Prepared by: Councillor Mary Roche and submitted on December 1st 2011

Actions Not Words For Waterford

You will have heard the unprecedented coverage from Waterford since yesterday, when the horrible news about TalkTalk and the 575 jobs which are to be gone in just 30 days, broke. There have been a lot of words but I still have heard nothing concrete that, in my opinion will actually create one single job. And while there are very many aspects of this story that one might rightfully rant about (the speed of TalkTalk's exit; how the employee's found out; the lack of govt investment during the good times, etc. etc); really the only show in town in jobs. Jobs. Where will they come from; how can they be attacted to the city/region; how can they be kept here?

Lets start with a little background. Yes unemployment in Waterford is high. Higher than other parts of Ireland. Yes the uptake of third level education in the region is low. Yes the level of companies locating here is miniscule. Yes locally created jobs growth is low. So how do we change that? What specific measures are companies looking for? We score well, from my discussions last year as Mayor with businesses on a number of fronts: we have a young, available, educated work-force. We now have far superior motorway infrastructure and an airport linking to major International hubs. We have an array of fantastic companies with International reputations already located here. It is a fantastic place to live, work and play. We are on the Eastern seaboard with good portal access to the UK and Europe. There is superior IDA grant levels available to companies who locate here. But despite all this, they have not come. Why?

Well firstly let me take Barry O'Leary of the IDA to task. Barry said on Morning Ireland this morning that he didn't think that the lack of a University was a corse issue in the lack of jobs coming to the region. I disagree. But if that is his opinion, Barry did not elaborate (and was not asked) what is the core issue then? He also said that he accepted that the bulk of investment goes to Dublin, Cork and Galway. There are only three things as far as I can see that distinguish us from all of those locations. One is size, scale. They are simply bigger than us. The second is an International Airport in Cork and Dublin although less so for Galway but with Shannon within a short distance you could argue (and I'm sure they do) that they tick that box also. And thirdly, a University. And while I'm not suggesting that a University is the cure for all our ills, it is definitely, unarguably a key component. And anybody who tries to tell you otherwise is being political, underestimating your ability to figure it out for yourself and quite simply, denying the obvious. Look at Galway, which a short few decades ago had a smaller population and far less industry than Waterford. That has changed - thanks to the University. In fact you could even make a plausible case that Galway has far fewer other advantages than Waterford being located as it is on the Western seaboard, away from ports and quick access to markets (and with worse weather!). But they have passed Waterford out. If it's not a University, Barry - then please tell us Barry, what exactly is it???? Tell us. We're willing to do it.

So that's the first thing. University designation for WIT. Simple. Clean. Do-able. Promised to us by the current Government parties in the run up to the election only a short 8 months ago. And absolutely crucial for our future development - and not just future development, but also to try and mitigate against further decline - a scary thought but a real possibility.

So. Stop waffling Government and don't bother coming down to visit us ulness you're bringing something worthwhile. I am amazed at how quickly those parties are now accepting the line that there will be no more Universities in Ireland - and selling it. While I will welcome a Technological University if it delivers equality to us with the Unversities, I sadly suspect that that will not be the case - as there is currently no such thing as a Technological University in Ireland - we can but speculate. But on past performance - of this exact same governmental coalition make-up - I wouldn't hold out that much optimism. (All politics is local.)

So. What else. Well firstly scale. We are very proud of our city status - rightly so. But in International terms, Waterford City at under 50,000 population is small - and while there are some great companies here, there are not enough to represent a so-called cluster. What's a cluster? Well, you know that 'birds of a feather flock together'? Well companies like to locate in an area where there are like industries. Now where we can win on this score in my opinion is to have a more REGION based approach. You zoom out a little from Waterford City, onto the South East Region, and suddenly you have a population of 470,000 people and an even better and more impressive industrial 'cluster' to sell, incorporating a whole plethora of International companies.

But the region is not marketed and does not operate as a recognisable unit. This, I believe, has to change. It is one of the things that has shifted in my view since my trip to the States on the Trade Mission for Waterford. The South East needs to get together, sell together and attract together. And yes, Waterford is the regional capital and gateway but we cannot operate on the basis of ancient, administrative, tribal boundaries. We need to stop working and pulling against each other and start fighting alongside each other. This, to my mind is crucial - because if there is one thing that is more important in my book than anything else - it is selling. Selling the City, selling the region. The Trade Mission proved it to me but it needs to be worked, nurtured, relationships built, information passed. If we had far superior attributes (and we do have many) what does it matter if no-one knows? And whatever Barry O'Leary says about the IDA office in Waterford having 5 people in it - it has not delivered and those people from my information - are more administrative positions. There used to be an IDA representative on the City Development Board and there is not now - because there is no IDA rep in Waterford. Simple. In fact my information is that Waterford is now 'looked after' from Athlone and not Cork - but that's neither here nor there. There use to be an Enterprise Ireland representative on the Board of the City Enterprise Board and there is now not one - because they too have no EI rep in the city. So both the IDA and EI have restructured to downgrade Waterford and they want us to believe it has no effect? Bullshit.

My idea is that the South East Local Authorities should adopt our Doing It For Ourselves motto and get together to fund (along with local private sector funding) and do the job themselves. This has beome something of a clarion call for me in recent years but it is the only way at this stage. Do it ourselves. Cut out the middle man. Develop our own contacts and leads. Sell directly to the market. We did it for tourism (and the City Council continue to do fantatsic work in this area - and I apologise to no one for saying it - that is and will create real opportunites and real jobs). But how much more important is it to do in the area of job creation?

It should concentrate on three areas; attracting jobs into the region; seeking expansion and diversification opportunities for locally based companies and it should cover the Services Industry - for which no state agency exists and seek to work with and develop new markets for their services. There is also the area of grant allocation etc. but I am trying to focus on what we can achieve ourselves. Who in the Far East knows about the new billion euro motorway? Who in Silicon Valley knows about our International industries located here? The IDA are selling Ireland Inc. We need to sell the South East Inc.

Incidentally there are local projects that could be fast-tracked which would create direct employment. The Coursthouse needs serious upgrading and has been on the waiting list for years. For this to happen the new Fire Station needs to be provided - and it's been on the waiting list also. Perhaps local companies could compete for these contracts if they were brought to the top of the list. If the Government is serious about helping us - and not just filling our ears with words - there's something concrete they could deliver. Same with the multi-education campus in Gracedieu. All would create jobs. Now.

I'm sure there is more and I will come back to it again but - the baby needs changing - so that must be seen to. My sincerest sympathies to those in TalkTalk and their families. I think they have been treated abominably by TalkTalk and it should not be allowed. But there you go. That's just words and we need actions. I hope that some of what I have suggested sparks some more thoughts and ultimately, actions. Waterford IS a great place to live, work and play. We love it. We will survive but we need to move and move quickly. And we need help. Is that too much to ask for? Actions. I have started a hashtag on Twitter #actionsnotwordsforwaterford and I intend to keep 'tweeting' it until I hear something concrete. I wonder how long that will take. But for now that's my warning...listen critically....where are the deeds that will help us? Words mean nothing. Keep safe.

Waterford City & County Merger?

Firstly, let me say a few things to contextualise my thoughts: (i) I love County Waterford. I think it is a most beautiful place with much to offer for people living there and tourists alike. (ii) I think change can be a good thing when it is done as part of a well thought out strategy that has a purpose and delivers improvements and (iii) I believe local government (and indeed all governement!) in Ireland is badly in need of drastic change - change that would deliver more responsibility and accountability closer to the people who avail of those services.

All that said, I am NOT in favour of change for change sake. Change that is part of a cut & paste 'pin the tail on the donkey' non-strategy or change that is merely moving the deck chairs, as it were. Change that doesn't deliver improved decentralisation and decision-making closer to the people - and that, I fear, is what is proposed in the mooted Waterford City & County merger for which a commission is about to be set up by Phil Hogan (who of course, has our best interests at heart) and which is due to report as soon as October this year.

Hands up, anyone who thinks that this is not a foregone conclusion? Hands up anyone who thinks the commission will recommend against merger? Hands up anyone who thinks this will be better for Waterford City? Hands up anyone who thinks this isn't an effort to give the EU/IMF what they want in a minimum way without looking at the bigger picture and sacrificing or downgrading Waterford City (& County) into the bargain? Hands up anyone who thinks this is part of a well thought out strategy to deliver better local government to the people of Ireland? And finally, hands up anyone who thinks that this isn't merely replacing old irrelevant boundaries, with new irrelevant boundaries???

I'm sorry to say but I think all of the above. I know that this is not part of a greater strategy. If it were, why isn't a merger of Galway City & County being looked at - despite the fact that the City Managers position in Galway has been vacant for a long time now - yet Galway City & County have been told they are not being looked at with regards to merger. Surely Monagahan - where the County Managers post is also vacant would merit a look at merging with, say Cavan. Surely the entire 26 counties would be being looked at in a complete way - rather than this 'commission' on Waterford City & County before the ink is even dry on Ray O'Dwyers retirement card - and he isn't even officially gone until September.

Sadly, I am long enough in politics to know that 'all politics is local' and I have a horrible suspicion that Minister Hogan from our neighbouring constituency, is using the merger mallet to crack a local nut. In order, not to cede part of South County Kilkenny to Waterford City (which makes sense and needs to be done), he merged Limerick City & County - without ceding the small part of County Clare that the City actually only needed and he is now proceding with Waterford. So, we will have control of what happens in Touraneena - but still no control over what happens 200 metres across the bridge! Call me a cynic if you like. You'd probably be right.

In practice, all a merger will mean is less focus on the city - think 2 1/2 days in the city and 2 1/2 days in the County for the City Manager and other senior officials! Is this better for Waterford? Think of our status as a City with a separate City Council - will this be downgraded from full city status leaving us in a weakened position in relation to the other cities in the State?

Think of our history and culture - we have had Mayors of Waterford CITY since the 1100's - and indeed we can even name them. Is that about to be ended - will the 2015 Mayor of Waterford hail from, for example, Tallow, or Stradbally? (No personal inference intended but politicians in those areas would have no affinity at all to the city in my opinion.)

Does any of this deliver a better service for anyone, City or County? Not in my opinion. Will it in fact, even deliver any significant savings? Are we being used as pawns in a 'don't mind the forest fire - look here at the pretty fairy lights' kind of excercise to fool people into thinking we are delivering 'efficiency' and 'savings' in local government for our economic masters? Will it mean Waterford Cities position will be strengthened or enhanced, or will it be diluted and weakened?

I am not convinced it is a good thing. I know it is not being done as part of a well thought out strategy to deliver better local government. I worry that we are being sacrificed in an experiment in obfuscation - and I have a great fear that what is about to be delivered up for the people of Waterford is a red-herring, dressed up as delivering 'efficiency' but really only delivering us back to the level of non-city status.

Normally I try to steer away from being a conspiracy theorist, but in this instance I can't help having a horrible sense of foreboding. And moreover, I think that no matter what we say, or think, or do - there is probably nothing we can do about it. Does anybody care?

The Monday After the Tallships

What a great day today is. Today, the people of Waterford - from the event organisers to those of us who put up someone on their sofa - can take a huge pat on the back. As long as I have lived in Waterford, I have never witnessed anything the likes of the weekend that we have just delivered! I have never seen a team - a huge team - work so hard and so well; never seen the city look better; never seen the people as happy and relaxed; in short Waterford was heaving, buzzing, welcoming - and all the while bathed in glorious sunshine. Take a bow, one and all.

I'm sure there were issues. I know people had to adjust but not one thing stopped the incredible Tallships event which we had dreamed about for so long and prepared for for so long and waited for, for so long. It was incredible, amazing, spectacular. Waterford sparkled.

I felt so proud as I walked the Quays, right up to early on the last morning as I went into the city to watch the beautiful tallships leave go their mooring lines and head silently and majestically down the mighty Suir. The streets - even at that hour (6.45am) were clean! After a day on Saturday which had seen up to 200,000 people make their way comfortably and safely around our city. It was perfect!

I hope you enjoyed the Tallships Festival. After all, it was for you. I hope the 200 young people currently sailing up the East Coast of Ireland have the experience of their lives. I hope that the Tallships will be back before too long again. But mostly I hope that the people of Waterford are as proud and happy as I feel today. I suppose because of the position I was in, I had the privilege of seeing at close hand just some of the preparation and planning and sheer hard work that went in to making the whole event run so smoothly. I know how much stress people were under. And the potential for it all to go horribly wrong. But, thanks to the planning and the work and the attention to detail it has all paid off handsomely.

I am quite sure that people will be back. I am quite sure that visitors had a unique experience. I am very confident that visitors saw us at our very best.

But for now, it's probably just enough to say well done. Thank you to every one who worked, volunteered, planned, visited, hosted, walked, enjoyed and took part in what was a signal event for our city. We suspected and hoped and prayed that we could do it - and by God we did it. We surely did it. This week - kick back, relax, reflect and rest. You did good people....really really good: thank you.

Mayor of Waterford, Cllr Mary Roche, speaking at a presentation to Richard M. Daley, Mayor of Chicago of his family tree, Chicago, Mon April 4th 2011

Mayor Daley agus a cairde go leir: distinguished guests and friends – it is now almost a cliché for a Mayor to begin a formal speech such as this with the words ‘it gives me great pleasure’ but on this occasion, it really is a deep and heart-felt pleasure for me to come as Mayor of Ireland’s oldest city to be here today to meet you, Mayor Daley, Mayor of this great city of Chicago on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. We are here to mark you out: mark you out as ‘one of our own’. A Waterford man – almost through and through – who has made and continues to make an extra-ordinary contribution in the world – and more specifically here in your home city of Chicago.

It is almost a cliché of equal measure for Irish and American politicians to talk about the strong bonds of culture, history and heritage which connect the United States of America and Ireland – the old country. Again, today’s event here in Chicago could not be more powerful in demonstrating that a cliché has its foundations in the greatest truth. Little did your great-great Grandfather, Richard Dunne envisage a day like this when he bade farewell to his home country in 1865 and headed for a new life and whatever that held for him in the bleak years that followed the great famine.

We have with us the Daley family tree and when I was discussing its details with Waterford genealogist, Tony Hennessy, who researched and created it, I was astounded by the strength of bonds which Mayor Daley’s family has with Waterford City. We joked that we could fill City Hall with the Mayor’s cousins – particularly those descending from your grandmother’s father, Richard Dunne – who are still living in Waterford.

This is not an Irish exaggeration – we could indeed fill a large room with Daley cousins for we were delighted to discover that Mayor Daley can trace not just some but ALL of his ancestors in America right back to Ireland.

It is not unusual for American politicians to say they are Irish if they have a grandmother or great grandfather of Irish origin but Mayor Daley is totally Irish in ancestry – on his fathers side John Daly hailed from Old Parish in the west of County Waterford while on the Dunne side, Richard Dunne hailed from Waterford City. While on your mothers side of the family Sis Daleys grandparents Patrick Guilfoyle and Kitty Conroy emigrated from County Offaly! By co-incidence the descendant of another County Offaly emigrant is also a prominent US politician – of course I mean President Barrack Obama. I know that the Daley-Obama connections are also very strong. We wonder might he slip Waterford onto the Presidents itinerary for a couple of hours when he visits Ireland in May?

Some of the most interesting and ‘live’ links we discovered while working on the Daley family tree date back to the visit to Waterford of your father, Richard J.Daley, in 1964. During that visit, he met his cousin Thomas Dunne, who had been Mayor of Waterford in the forties. The Dunnes and Daleys were obviously dedicated to public service and politics – one Lillian Dunne, your Grandmother was also active politically in her own right in the Suffragette movement, working for the democratic right of women to vote.

In fact a cousin of yours, Michael Dunne who is still alive and well and living in Waterford city was present at that great family reunion almost 50 years ago. He’s just one of a clan of Dunne cousins who continue to live in Waterford.
We would like to take this opportunity to formally invite you Mayor Daley and your family to visit us in Waterford City.

And in this respect, I would like to say a few words about Waterford today. Many residents of the USA may get the impression from media reports that Ireland and Waterford are deeply depressed. We have had our economic difficulties, there’s no denying that, but Waterford is resurgent and is successfully fighting back. We got a wonderful morale-boost from the resurrection – yet again – of the historic Waterford Crystal industry which, with the support of the New York based KPS Capital Partners and Waterford City Council, has begun a new chapter of its history close to my office at City Hall. It has always been a magnet for visitors, particularly for American tourists, and continues to be.

It will soon be boosted by a new museum in one of our gems of Georgian architecture, The Bishop’s Palace, and we have exciting and ambitious plans for building on our Viking heritage by developing our ‘Viking Triangle’ the oldest part of the city linking us directly to our foundation by Norse invaders who became settlers and traders when they founded Vadrefjiord - now Waterford - in 914 almost 1,100 years ago. Just as you have focussed on making Chicago a Destination City, so we too in Waterford are working towards that goal. This year alone we expect to welcome around 1,000,000 visitors to our small city – beginning what we hope will be a resurgence in tourism and by default creating many more jobs in the tourism sector for our citizens.

We are told that an amazing 35 per cent of US citizens claim Irish ancestry and we have a message for all of them: “Ireland is not closed either for business or visitors”. Come and visit us, we are proud to show you modern Ireland and we believe that every visit should of course, encompass Ireland’s oldest city – Waterford.

Ta cead mile failte roimh – a hundred thousand welcomes to you all.
I will close with a quotation which we felt was appropriate to include on the Daley Family Tree. It was written by the late John O’Donoghue and is in the form of a ‘beannacht’ or traditional Irish blessing:
“May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.”

Go raibh mile maith agaibh go leir - thank you very much.

From Shopping Centre to Conference Centre?

Having looked at Failte Ireland's www.meetinireland.com conference and events website for the Island of Ireland I have to say that yes, I am indeed disappointed at Waterford Citys' omission from it. Having said that and having read Gary Breens response to the issue in today's Munster Express it does seem a little more than obvious, that, rather than jumping up and down about our omission, we would be FAR better employed looking at our hotel and conference offering and asking ourselves: how can we come up to the Faitle Ireland standard of 4 and 5 star hotel rooms, large scale conference facilities and a trade association/conference bureau which would engage in selling Waterford (with the assistance of Failte Ireland) to the lucrative International Conference market?

I have a suggestion: it seems to me that the Ferrybank Shopping Centre (artists impression above) is an ideal venue to be converted into an International Standard Conference and Events venue, with conference facilities, hotels, dining facilities and services all on one site, conveniently located adjacent to Waterford City (albeit within the County Kilkenny boundary). It seems to me that this would bring back to life an otherwise dead duck project which, in my opinion, has little to no possibility of ever opening up as a shopping centre in its own right as the population simply does not exist in Ferrbank to sustain it.

Ideally, I would moot for these type of facilities to be placed on the North Wharf, however that too is highly unlikely to happen and as the famous phrase goes; we are where we are. It seems to me that it is an obvious solution which would deliver a world class conference and events centre on one site the likes of which a city which considers itself to be a Gateway should have, as well as a solution which matches a need (for such facilities) with their possible supply. Could it be that two plus two really would add up to four in this instance?

It would appear to me to be a win-win situation. The building, if left in its current state will, sooner or later deteriorate a la the Ardree Hotel and Waterford badly needs to rise to the challenge laid down by Gary Breen (a Waterford man who does Trojan work for this City and the South East in his tourism role) in his letter.

Perhaps, the Waterford City Chamber of Commerce might consider setting up a group to explore this and/or other ways of ensuring that Waterford meets the criteria and will be able to compete for conference business and perhaps then they might facilitate the setting up of a conference bureau or undertake themselves - as a Trade Association - to do that work?

That way we would be moving forward in a positive and constructive way. The rates would go to Kilkenny County Council for sure, but the business spin-off would certainly benefit Waterford City. And isn't it time that we started having a few wins as a team here in the South East? Because, whether we like it or not we are going to have to work more closely together if we want to compete not just in Ireland, but globally.

This would, of course, involve a change in direction for the project and for both Councils but we either change and evolve - or we die, and we certainly are not competing (or even featuring at the moment in the citys case) on the world conference map. So do we want to stay off the map and hold onto that white elephant shopping centre....or could we make something of it and open up another market for ourselves?

Thomas Francis Meagher to be Remembered on St Patricks Day

Waterfords' Agnes Aylward will be remembering Thomas Francis Meagher and the historic year of 1848 when the Tricolour was first flown here in Waterford City on RTE Radio 1 between 9 and 10am on the morning of Saint Patricks Day. For those who are interested, please tune in!