Editorial: The men and women who backed Waterford Airport
The Waterford Airport shareholders' listing runs to hundreds, ordinary men and women whose names are so recognisable, from all parts of Waterford city and county.
Alex Cunningham has a fascinating report in this edition of Waterford News & Star that shines a spotlight on the immense role played by Waterford men and women in literally getting flights off the ground in Waterford.
Their actions, back in the 1980s, were hugely influential. The powerhouse airline that is today's Ryanair owes them no small debt.
The Government of the day committed to provide funding - if it was matched punt for punt. The total needed, £1,000,000. A million pounds almost 45 years ago was a huge sum of money. One imagines that the politicians of the day in Cabinet probably never thought they would have to make good on this commitment. But don't underestimate the Déise.
The drive to raise this money was nothing short of phenomenal. A caravan was parked in John Roberts Square, and a group of businesspeople rallied the Waterford masses. There are hundreds of people today, many of whom are the elderly backbone of our community, who reflect on the shares they bought. "I put in £100," one man says with pride.
There is also rarely hesitation or regret in the knowledge that this investment will now never bring them personal gain. That was never the motivation.
The ripple effect of that investment - the shareholders' listing runs to hundreds, ordinary men and women whose names are so recognisable, from all parts of Waterford city and county - was the opening up of the semi-state dominated airline industry in Ireland. Think about the affordable flights we can now take across Europe for a holiday in the sun.
Ryanair may have long since abandoned its connection with Waterford, and boss Michael O'Leary will flippantly disparage the Déise's current ambitions, but the foundations of Ryanair's success are there in our Waterford story.
Last week, at an Extraordinary General Meeting, those shareholders again made their stand. Almost 99% of the Waterford Regional Airport Plc shareholding in attendance voted to dispose of their shares in the company.
Again, this was not about personal gain. In many cases, today's men and women were standing by the decision of their parents and grandparents, honouring that ambition pursued so doggedly back in 1981.
This time, there is no government support. Again, they are taking a stand. There is an element of a leap of faith, on a private investor who remains in the shadows. National newspapers poke criticism at Waterford people for, without argument, putting such stór in a business deal that is ultimately private.
But the same drive is there. A Waterford Airport that sees jet aircraft have lift-off again over the Déise is worth taking a punt on. It will be an investment that won't pay out dividends, but could very well be the most impactful decision made by Waterford people for their own future, and that of future generations.
The story is not yet written, and it may not play out as we like. Or it just might.
Waterford has always had to plough its own course, and that takes bravery, and, sometimes, a leap into the unknown. Either way, Urbs Intacta Manet.
