‘Open your eyes’ - Former Waterford TD slams Government in New Year’s message

A former Waterford TD has slammed the Government’s apparent lack of investment in Waterford in a New Year's message.

Independent Matt Shanahan took to social media on New Year’s Day to outline his grievances.

He expressed frustration at the lack of progress on infrastructure projects across a number of sectors.

He stated: “I wish you all a Happy New Year but I did want to provide just an outline of the political delivery to Waterford in the past 12 months of the new Government.

“If you recall all of our healthcare struggles, well it won’t surprise you to learn that the Department of Psychiatry Building in Waterford has been shelved and the Touching Hearts Disability Centre remains just a design on paper.

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“Beyond that, the promise to elective beds. A 96-bed unit has been shelved, as has the overheard vertical laboratory that was to provide beds for cardiac care.

“The Government will not provide funding for the 24/7 posts needed to provide emergency cardiac access on a 7-day 24 rota. This despite up to 150 patients being excluded from the Waterford centre out of hours.”

On transport, Mr Shanahan outlined his grievances regarding the Government’s failure to provide funding for Waterford Airport’s runway extension.

“If we look at what’s happening in the transport section, we can see the Government has no problem giving €11 million for lands to access Castletown House in Kildare.

“[They have] no problem giving €93 million to the Crawford Gallery in Cork for art development but cannot give €12 million to Waterford Airport to extend the runway.

“In a record infrastructural spend of over €9 billion, not a penny for connectivity to the N24 and N25. Nothing for Waterford Port, the largest bulk port in the country.”

The former TD also expressed his dismay at an apparent lack of funding for the South East Technological University (SETU).

He continued: “When we look at our university sector, not an ounce of public development on SETU lands in Waterford.

“What is happening at present is the final enactment of a 2009 commitment to an engineering building but beyond that, nothing else.

“The Government has recently announced 25 professorial posts for the TU sector, five approximately for SETU.

“Compare this to 70 professorial posts in Limerick or 300 in Dublin, all leading academic research, and then continue to tell yourself that SETU can compete on a favourable or on-par level with third level academia nationwide.”

Mr Shanahan concluded by appealing to the people of Waterford to examine the Government’s record on investment in Waterford.

He stated: “In terms of the political representation to Waterford, I would say to Waterford people it is time you opened your eyes.

“We are getting nothing from this Government nor from this Opposition, only rhetoric to entitlement.

“Nothing to try and move the needle beyond the party politics that has been rife and riven in this constituency for decades now.

“We need to do better and I would encourage everyone in Waterford, stop listening to our Dublin-owned media and the bylines that they parrot.

“Look at the data yourself and make your decisions accordingly for 2026.”

Mr Shanahan was heavily involved in the campaign for 24/7 cardiac care at University Hospital Waterford that began in 2016.

He was co-opted onto Waterford City and County Council following the resignation of Cllr Mary Roche in 2019.

Mr Shanahan was subsequently elected to the Dáil on his first attempt in 2020. He sought re-election last year but narrowly missed out to Sinn Féin’s Conor D McGuinness.

He also unsuccessfully contested this year’s Seanad election.