Phoenix: Visibility

Spraoi director TV Honan spoke on local radio about the extraordinary 2026 event. When asked about the clash between Spraoi and All Together Now on the same weekend in Waterford, TV admitted to being originally cross with the ATN sortie into the “Spraoi weekend”, but he now believes that a synergy has developed between the two events to the benefit of both. Certainly, the numbers around the city were far larger than recent years and the Sunday night finale attracted an immense crowd. Anyone looking at the drone photographic record will see clear evidence of that. Waterford had a Spraoi and All Together Now weekend! Are people discovering us at last or are we becoming an overnight success after decades of trying?

One of the first columns ever written here was about being “sexy” or newsworthy. It was an attempt to highlight the problem we had in getting national news coverage on things that happened in this part of the world. 

That still persists with our national daily newspapers, while RTÉ and programmes like Nationwide have been much kinder to us. Being omitted from maps of all kind is a constant offense. People felt that we were ignored, despite being a recognised city. The consequences were that the Dublin literati and decision makers believed we ate our young. Not having a high profile third level institution and associated intellectual leadership was a massive disadvantage when compared with the then smaller town of Galway. The terrible damage done by the Fianna Fail closure of Waterford’s De La Salle teacher training college, our proto university, in 1939, crippled us. We were like those Carmelite nuns in New Ross, silenced. Even if we did speak, sure what would we have to say that might be important? A small nuclear explosion on Ballybricken would probably have gone unnoticed. We were sidelined. Now, for whatever reason, be it SETU or UHW or just plain better transport connectivity, something is changing. Are we making our own news and our presence felt?

The Viking Triangle and the massive work led by now retired Eamonn McEneaney in developing a museum quarter allied to Waterford Crystal gave our city a core attraction. Before that …? The fact that our council will develop a children’s hub in the lovely 18 Lady Lane house marks a continuation of the work driven through by McEneaney, often against official resistance. The question now for those in council who profess a belief that history doesn’t sell, (we have too many museums!) is where will their vision now lead? It is continually interesting to note that important visitors to City Hall are always taken through the Mayoral Gallery, Medieval Museum and Bishop’s Palace for photo ops. These locations place us in an historical context as no mean city. Where would we bring them without those? What is the vision for the city now, how will it be delivered?

Council is delivering the housing element of its job, streets are clean, litter is controlled, but the urban vision/delivery is still deficient. Except for the North Quays, no obvious work is being done to advance it. The continuing inability to execute the refurbishment of the terrace of buildings on Parade Quay, first mentioned in 2014, is both heartbreaking and a severe test of leadership and vision. Twelve years delay is unconscionable for such a pivotal location. The footpaths, public lighting and overhead utility wire-scape in places like Parnell Street are almost Dickensian. Council always had a rolling programme of improvement works as new paving and lighting was put in place. Now it’s all traffic calming (however necessary) in fringe or semi-suburban areas. The city centre has to present the image we need. Just like the area outside the Granville Hotel; constantly maintained, immaculate and well presented. More importantly though, we find it incredibly hard to attract investment into the city centre. New hotels, housing and apartments could positively contribute to an area which possesses all necessary public services but they are not being built. The stock answer from UK NGO Centre for Cities is that state investment is the essential seed for private urban investment. The North Quays will deliver on that and we will see action on the Ferrybank side when the developers get off the pot. But, the historic centre city still suffers from the decade long lack of focus by council management caused by the all-consuming North Quays project. Will that be the panacea for the issues affecting the historic city? That is the question. There are so many buildings on the quay, for example between Shaw’s and the Bridge Hotel that need TLC that its heart breaking. We must do better than that. Developmental inertia is intolerable.

How is it possible that the clock tower is not working? How was the Millennium Plaza allowed to get so neglected? How is surface car parking tolerated for nearly three decades on a prime site in Exchange Street? How is it possible in any civilised city that the extraordinary dereliction in New Street, Stephen Street, Back Lane etc is allowed persist? Buddleia on the old Maryland on the Mall is terrible. We can get away with painting buildings and walls as Waterford Walls do so wonderfully well, for only so long, before being accused of having Potemkin city streetscapes. Investment is vital, but largely absent from the city within a great arc centred on the clock tower, bounded by the river Suir and circling from Rice Bridge to Adelphi Quay. This area actually defines our city as a city. It is just not up to scratch. We work hard with Spraoi and other local festivals to place Waterford city positively in the national cultural consciousness. That effort is bearing fruit. We must build on that success and show people we are a city to be reckoned with. There can be no room for neglect or dereliction. There is too much competition out there.

Meanwhile, the news that Shaw’s Department store will reconstruct their quay frontage, shop elevation, which was destroyed in the 1970s, is very positive as is the proposed development of an arts facility with a small park on an ugly vacant site in Thomas Street. Progress on the latter and other projects will be watched with interest.