Waterford in 2000 - The News Review with Caroline Spencer
Pictured are five of the six New Year's Millennium babies born at Waterford Regional Hospital, seated from left, Angela Madigan, with baby Alex, time 6.25pm, weight 8-12, Dawn Ruane, with baby Hugh, time 00.54 am, weight 8-6, Noelle Phelan, with baby Emily, time 9.30am, weight 8-5 and Veronica Power, with baby Danelle, time 15.10, weight 8-13. Back , Martina Walsh and baby, time 20.58, weight 6-12 and staff midwife Gail Clancy Shortle.
Nearly 40,000 people came out to celebrate the Millennium in Waterford City. The turnout was the biggest street party in Ireland.
Alex Ferguson had a star-studded visit as a guest of Waterford United FC and Waterford Crystal. 520 people packed out Jury’s Hotel for the £100 a plate gala. It was a rollicking good time for all (unless you were a born-and-raised Leeds supporter), with Ferguson being gifted with a custom-made piece of Waterford Crystal, gifted by then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (no word if it was wrapped in a brown envelope).
Fergie even had time to tour the Kilbarry plant and was met with workers proudly and cheekily donning Arsenal jerseys.
Thirty-one students from CBS and Stella Maris were grounded from attending their school trip to the Bulgarian ski slopes after a major safety snafu. Marion O’Mara reported that the students and their five teachers made the over 350km trek to Belfast Airport, only to be faced with an eight-hour delay. Somehow, it got worse.
Marion wrote: “The planned week-long holiday to Plovdir was called off in the early hours of Monday morning amid safety fears over the Armenian Airlines aircraft, which was to fly out the students and 120 other passengers on the Balkan Tours package holiday.”
Despite the assurances of Balkan Airlines of another flight, the situation devolved further into farce: “When the Tupolev TUI54B eventually arrived in Belfast, it emerged that its license to fly in UK airspace had expired on December 31 and, compounding the problems, no safety documentation could be produced for the aircraft.”
Hopefully the students found some solace swapping the ski-slopes of Bulgaria for windswept Tramore Beach… There was shock and utter revulsion over the life-threatening ordeal suffered by a Tramore petrol pump attendant abducted at gunpoint from his job and brutally beaten. The incident happened at the petrol station at Pickardstown on the main Waterford/Tramore road.
The first Waterford car of the new millennium was to be driven by the City’s First Citizen, Ald. Pat Hayes, thanks to a new sponsorship deal with a major car company. The black metallic Volkswagen Passat registered 00 W 1, was supplied to the Mayor through the Waterford dealership of Tom Murphy Car Sales, and ensured his Worship would travel in style for the duration of his term in office.
The Great Pedestrianization of Barronstrand Street left more than a few unhappy customers. The project was meant to end by Christmas 1999. Alas, works on the street were expected to go on until St Patrick’s Day (always a great time for major infrastructural projects). Local traders and punters were feeling a bit put out over it all, as reported by Gillian O’Neill: “While the majority of business people are supportive of the scheme, there is, however, a growing sense of impatience as the work, due to be completed by Christmas, is now set to continue into the New Year.”
Tensions were also mounting over the construction of the N9 Dublin-Waterford motorway and the dual carriageway. Garden experts waded in about the deleterious effects of construction on Mount Congreve Estate and Garden. It was reported: “With the campaign intensifying against the proposed development, the two internationally known garden experts wrote to the Minister of the Environment and Local Government, stating that some of the rare plants would not survive the felling of a shelterbelt of trees which surrounds the garden.”
Having abandoned original plans to locate a major landfill site in the eastern end of the county, the consultant engineers engaged to identify a suitable location for a new dump dramatically switched geography to the western end of the county. Members of Waterford Corporation and County Council were told that the sites with the greatest potential, at that stage, were at Reananagh outside Dungarvan, at Lickeybeg close to Ardmore and in the Lismore Electoral area between Knockanore and Youghal.
Less than a year after the Air Corps tragedy at Tramore and questions remained unanswered. Jennifer Long reported: “Tom Baker, father of late Captain Mick Baker spoke of finding an internal document dated January 25, 1999, among his son’s private possessions.
“The document revealed that a senior engineer in the service had warned his superiors that crucial flying equipment in the Dauphin helicopter were obsolete and out of production less the six months before the crash.”
In Dunmore East, President Mary McAleese unveiled a memorial to pay tribute to all the souls who died at sea. The plaque included the four Air Corps pilots, who died in Tramore the year before, as well as the many fishermen who lost their lives along the coast.
At Waterford Crystal, 120 new jobs popped up, after profits increased by 39% in 1999: “Chief executive Redmond O’Donoghue predicted that the company was on target for even greater success in 2000 with sales already up 20% in January and February.”
Controversy arose when plans were revealed for a ‘flotel’, accommodating 330 asylum seekers, for Waterford’s inner Port following a decision by the Cabinet to lease three of the controversial barge-type vessels from Liverpool Company, Bibbyline. Marion O’Mara wrote: “Despite grave concerns by Minister of State, Martin Cullen, who was in Amsterdam looking at a flotel, the Cabinet included the riverside accommodation idea as one of the options to solve the refugee problem.”
However, in the face of mounting opposition, the proposal fizzled out as the year progressed.
On St Patrick’s Day, around 30 young men and women went a bit overboard in their celebrations, picking up charges for breaching the peace and drunkenness: “Around 6.00pm, several youths went on a spree of criminal damage in the Convent Hill area. Those involved went along the road smashing the windows of any car they passed. When their activities came to public notice, they ran up Barrack Street and disappeared.” Weekend long celebrations were held in the Coughlan household in Corbally, Dunmore East, after a 13-year-old family banger was replaced for a gleaming, brand-new Toyota Yaris, courtesy of the /WLR FM “Who Am I” Car Giveaway. James Coughlan of Church View, Kilmacleague, and originally from Waterford’s Castle Street, appeared a cool customer when, also the last of the 100 qualifiers to register for the draw, he arrived just minutes before the noon deadline. However, his calm façade gave way to total shock just two hours later when he became the winner of the fabulous Toyota Yaris, which attracted over 6,000 entries from all over the city and county.
Water charges were the topic of the day when Eddie Walsh, an independent member of Tramore Town Commissioners, stated he would not contest his disqualification as a publicly elected representative and that, if necessary, he was prepared to go to jail for his failure to pay outstanding water charges. Commissioner Walsh was informed by the County Secretary that he was disqualified from holding his seat because a decree had been granted against him in the Civil Court for failing to pay water charges arrears, which amounted to £250. However, the matter was subsequently resolved when it emerged that a mysterious benefactor, who wished to remain anonymous, had paid Mr. Walsh’s charges.
Wheelie bins made their first appearance on the streetscape of the city as the Corporation introduced the first phase of its domestic refuse charge policy. The new wheelie bins were delivered to householders on all the Dunmore Road housing estates, from Newtown to Blenheim, as well as homes in John’s Hill, St. John’s Park and on the Williamstown Road.
One of Waterford’s major eyesores – the Government buildings at The Glen – were earmarked for a major transformation, both inside and outside, as part of an £8 million redevelopment by the Office of Public Works.
“Minister of State Martin Cullen announced that the primary structure and infrastructure of the building would be retained but its external appearance would be radically altered to address some fundamental issues and problems arising from the nature of the building and its relationship to the surrounding environment.
‘Marauding Dogs Slaughter Lambs’ was the eye-catching headline by Gillian O’Neill, as a Stradbally farmer discovered 12 of his lambs killed by local dogs. A Labrador bitch was captured by the farm owner and tearfully confessed to the killings (not really). The Dog Warden launched a scathing attack on the irresponsible dog owners: “If dog owners were behaving as they should, we would not have dreadful scenes like this.”
The findings of the Flood Tribunal – which unveiled corruption at Dublin County Council – caused reverberations in the Déise. Fianna Fáil Councillor Mary Butler called for the jailing of any person “found guilty of taking a bribe in return for political favours”.
Other councillors in Waterford spoke about receiving a great amount of ‘slagging’ from the public as new revelations came to light.
A welcome sense of normality returned to Dunmore East following a dramatic few days when the discovery of two Second World War Sea mines prompted a wave of activity in the normally quiet seaside village. Up to 100 residents in the immediate vicinity of the pier area were evacuated from their homes as Gardai, naval divers and members of the Army Bomb Disposal Unit descended on the village to examine the catch that had been hauled into the Harbour after becoming tangled in the nets of a fishing vessel. Both devices were made safe, and residents were allowed return to their homes.
Tramore was up in arms when it was announced that Atlantic House in Railway Square and the Ocean View Hotel in Riverstown were to be converted into centres to accommodate asylum seekers. Jonathan Moore, owner of one of the properties, cited purely commercial reasons as the motivation for his decision to enter into a one-year contract to house refugees. However, huge opposition to the move was expressed at a public meeting held in the town.
The first balance sheet from Waterford United plc was received by the club’s shareholders, covering an 18-month period to September 1999. It revealed a loss of £352,951, a staggering figure, even by Eircom League standards. The figure was mitigated by several accounting factors, such as prepayments, depreciation, goodwill etc. and when all was added up, the net loss would amount to £200,000, it was stated.
Goodwill, kindness, and community spirit flowed almost as freely as the champagne when virtually the entire population of Portlaw joined in celebrating the mid-week lotto success that saw 25 locals win a massive £1,479,635.
The one and only Anna Manahan returned to Waterford to perform her Tony Award-winning role of Mag in ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’. She received a standing ovation at the Theatre Royal for her role in the Martin McDonagh play. On stage, she gave a moving speech about being able to come home to Waterford for the last stop on the play’s tour: “It has been a dream come true. I wanted very much for a long time for Waterford to see this play.”
A Focus Ireland building is the target of a vicious arson attack. Photographer Joe Evans captured the heartbreaking image of project manager David Niblock sitting among the ruins of the burnt-out community centre. Gillian O’Neill reported: “The culprits gained entry through a window having removed the protective boards. Paint was strewn on the walls, ceilings, and floors, as well as the fixtures and fittings; beer bottles were smashed before the building was set alight.”
Junior doctors in Waterford waited anxiously as the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) called for strike action. IMO regional officer Dr Niall McNamara said that junior doctors in the Déise were strongly in favour of action. He said that the doctors were ‘extremely disillusioned by the status quo’: “There are no other workers, in any other sector in any other industry putting up with such slave labour.”
A historic visit to Waterford by the Cabinet had more the air of a relaxed holiday break than the intense atmosphere that surrounds deliberations of the nation’s affairs. The entourage of Ministers arrived at Faithlegg House Hotel in their black Mercedes State cars for the Cabinet’s first-ever meeting in the South East. During their visit, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern officially opened the new headquarters for the Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly at O’Connell Street.
Temperatures and tensions rose in Tramore after the seaside town was allegedly hijacked by “100 Traveller families”. Alderman Pat Hayes called it ‘Blackguardism of the highest order’. Locals were described as being “stunned” after seeing the “uninvited guests commandeered the Bus Eireann terminus in Railway Square”.
Elsewhere in Tramore, Waterford City and County Council and Tramore Racecourse Company Ltd. went to bat over quad-bike racing. Locals complained to Council over the noise levels. The company and Council got into a letter-writing war with the latter accusing the former that they had no planning permission for quad-bike racing. Derek Walsh of Corporate Promotions Ireland was in no form for it, telling the : “We’re not running around like hooligans out here. Some people have nothing better to do than complain.” In City Hall, the fighting continued, with accusations of betrayal and lies flying between Councillors. It was reported: “Accusations of “a lack of honour, greed, and avarice” were directed at certain members of Waterford Corporation after the low-key election of Independent Alderman Davy Daniels as the new Mayor.” For the second time Alderman Daniels — who had consistently increased his vote at every local election since 1974 – donned the ceremonial red cloak, having defeated Fianna Fáil’s Cllr. Michael Ivory and Ald. Martin O’Regan of the Workers’ Party.
The long-awaited construction of Abbey Community College in Ferrybank began – the new state-of-the-art facilities would go on to serve students from the merged Sacred Heart of Mary Secondary School and Slieverue Vocational College.
Deputy Martin Cullen confirmed to Marion O’Mara that a £5 million package for Waterford was under the examination of Minister for Finance Charlie McCreevy.
Meanwhile, F Walsh & Co. baked their last blaa on Friday, June 23, after 73 years in business. Mourners threw beautiful, floury crumbs in respect as the shutter closed for the last time (at least that’s what was alleged).
‘Minister Comes Bearing Gifts But Deprives the Elderly’ was the winning headline of July as Gillian O’Neill and Jenny Friel reported on the meagre allocation of funding for Waterford Regional Hospital. Minister for Health Micheál Martin visited Waterford and talked a big game about setting up a “specialist body” to oversee the shortfall in the Déise (maybe it got lost in the post).
Waterford Council of Trade Unions (WCTU) denounced the uptick in racist attacks after the UN criticised the Irish Government for not doing enough to combat discrimination. One article reported: “The housing crisis and the poor state of the health service are the responsibility of negligent politicians. They should not, say the Council, be blamed on the most vulnerable people fleeing persecution, oppression and war.”
It was a sickening feeling to read an article that could have easily been written today in 2025. But it is also a reminder of the long history of Déise people supporting those in need and facing down bigotry.
The city was struck by a series of grand theft autos, with children as young as 11 being caught up in dangerous joyrides. Councillor Seamus Ryan spoke of a teenage tearaway who almost drove into his own vehicle on Cleaboy Road: “At around 7pm a car came towards me… it must have been travelling at 100mph and I’d say the driver was no more than 15. I had to pull onto the side of the road and I can honestly say I was terrified.”
Gardaí confirmed that a body discovered in a quarry near Rathgormack had been deceased for six to eight months. It later emerged that the remains belonged to Martin Nolan, who had been missing since the previous November. Traces of his blood were earlier found at Ballygown Wood, near Waterford Regional Airport. A murder inquiry was launched.
Meanwhile, a multi-million-pound entertainment venue was set to open in Tramore. Vince Power, owner of the Mean Fiddler organization, acquired the former Celtworld premises, a 20,000sqft facility, and planned to transform it into a hub for the music industry.
August in Waterford City saw the joyous return of the Spraoi festival, the long-running performing arts weekend. Photographer Joe Evans captured a charming picture of two performers dolled up á la Marie Antoinette, hair as high as the heavens and fans aflutter.
The quadbike fiasco reared its ugly head again when Tramore residents launched court proceedings over the noise nuisance. Waterford Council were left considering whether to prosecute the quad company over the lack of planning permission. At Waterford District Court, Judge William Hartnett said: “The defendants’ failure to get planning permission for the quad biking at Tramore Racecourse showed a certain recklessness of attitude towards such an enterprise."
Concerns also arose about the return of a car show to Tramore Racecourse, following disturbances caused by “boy racers” at the previous year’s event. The South East Car Show drew significant crowds, but the disorder cast doubt on future gatherings after so-called “Boy Racers” arrived in up to 150 cars the night before the event.
In more heartwarming news, in late August, 15-month-old toddler Megan Burke returned home to Riverstown after a successful life-saving operation in London. The front page shows the beautiful child beaming alongside her mother Anna. The operation removed a blockage in her heart, a terrifying situation that was somehow deemed ‘not urgent’ by the South Eastern Health Board. Anna said: “When we heard how bad it could have got for Megan if she was left any longer, we were just shocked and horrified. How could they say she was not an urgent case?” Megan was born with a hole in her heart and was on a six-month waiting list for an operation at Our Lady’s Hospital, Crumlin.
Investigations were ongoing in August into a suspicious fire that destroyed a meeting room, shower areas, and changing rooms at the Waterford City Rugby Club on Lacken Road. Three units from Waterford Fire Brigade spent over an hour controlling the blaze, which caused an estimated £50,000 in damage to the two-storey building, along with an additional £10,000 worth of damage to team kits and training equipment.
Waterford hurling celebrated a legend as the late John Keane was honoured as centre back in the hurling team of the Millennium, sponsored by An Post in collaboration with the GAA. This recognition was the ultimate tribute to Keane, who dominated the hurling scene for over two decades and played a pivotal role in securing Waterford's first Munster Senior Title in 1938, followed by their initial All-Ireland victory 10 years later.
It is a terrible, terrible month on the roads – city-wide roadworks lead to traffic misery for road users. Water mains, drainage, surfacing works and more lead to an embarrassment of complaints from locals. Alderman Hilary Quinlan said at one Council meeting that the Corporation should be doing a “much better public relations job by using the radio and newspapers when roads are being closed”. To this day, the awful city traffic continues to wreck the nerves of motorists but alerts are more widespread (here’s to small victories).
Road hauliers sought a 20% reduction in excise duty on diesel from the Government. Marion O’Mara and Jennifer Long reported on how the crisis impacted Waterford: “The action could see a partial or total blockade of the Ferrybank dual carriageway, the Newrath Road and the Cork Road to prevent the movement of all freight in and out of the city.”
Local hauliers Alan Nugent and Harry Power shared strong words: “The last thing we want to do is inconvenience the public but, so far, we are being forced into a situation where even jail would be better than keep trading the way it is.”
A day of protest by members of the Irish Road Haulage Association went ahead, leaving main roads and streets in and around Waterford City almost deserted. Approximately 180 truckers converged on Waterford City to highlight the crisis within the industry because of spiralling fuel costs.
A city family were left homeless when an out-of-control tractor smashed into their house on Morrisson’s Road. The tractor was driven from South Kilkenny and carried five passengers and a dog. Marion O’Mara wrote: “The tractor […] was understood to be on the way to Waterford Regional Hospital to visit people involved in an accident earlier in the night.”
The Ford 660 tractor managed to collide with three parked cars before crashing headlong into the family’s home. Joe Evans photographed the shellshocked family in the carnage of their home. That same week, tragedy struck when a Ferrybank mother of five lost her life when the car she was travelling in crashed in Mooncoin.
A makeover was announced for the People’s Park, with a budget of £800,000. The project included for a water fountain… we’ll say no more.
President Mary McAleese officially opened Grange Cohan, a 57-unit housing development by Focus Ireland in the St. John’s Park area of the city. She later received a warm welcome from the Ballybeg community, who gathered in large numbers to witness the President open First Steps Creche.
Students at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) staged a one-day protest against plans to introduce a Smart Card in a bid to create a ‘cashless’ campus. It was a strikingly forward thinking idea for the time, especially before the advent of smartphones. Yet therein lay the rub; too smart for its own good. Marion O’Mara reported: “Students are also angry at the fact that more and more WIT card tills are being introduced at other outlets around the college leading to long queues for the remaining cash registers in places like the canteen and the campus shop.”
October saw the sad passing of Alderman Martin O’Regan. Within one week, he resigned from Waterford City and County Council for health reasons, and was later discovered dead in his Ballybricken home, aged only 49. His colleague Cllr John Halligan expressed his shock and sadness over the news: “We are all deeply upset because Martin made a big contribution to politics.”
The source of a fire, which destroyed the 126-year-old Coastguard Station at the Doneraile in Tramore, was identified but as the investigation continued Gardai were undecided as to whether the fire started accidentally or was an act of vandalism. The fire, which ripped through the building, was reported at 11.58pm but despite an almost instantaneous response from the Tramore Fire Brigade – backed up by a unit from Dunmore East, a hydraulic platform from Waterford City, a water carrier unit from Cappoquin and another unit from Kilmacthomas – the fire had already destroyed the entire roof.
A 29-year-old mother was charged with the murder of her seven-year-old son at Deerpark, Mullinavat. Jacqueline Costello was arrested after the body of her son, Robert, was found at the family home. They had recently moved there from Woodlawn Grove in the city. Jacqueline was later found ‘guilty but insane’ of his murder. Marion O’Mara reported on the close-knit communities of Woodlawn Grove and Deerpark, Mullinavat, “uniting in grief” with Robert’s family.
Local politicians would put the Waterford City Bypass in jeopardy if they continued their public campaign against the introduction of tolls on the route, Minister of State, Martin Cullen, warned. Minister Cullen said the major contractors who are being courted to invest in the multi-million-pound project, incorporating a second river crossing, may shy away from Waterford if they perceive it as a “political controversy”, a comment which evoked criticism from many quarters locally.
Following months of eager anticipation and speculation, Waterford’s new Superquinn opened its doors to the public, introducing a showcase water feature that stretched from the bakery to the meat and cheese counters.
Heavy floods devastated the west of Waterford, particularly Ballyduff, Lismore and Cappoquin. The fire services received 85 call outs to clear flooded homes, pump out water and to save stranded people.
This month saw industrial actions by schoolteachers and taxi drivers. Eighteen secondary schools across the county went on a one-day strike “over a 30% pay claim”, while, taxi drivers went on strike in protest over deregulation.
At Waterford Airport, Euroceltic Airlines was set to launch a route to Luton Airport, London, taking over from British Airways. Waterford Regional Airport Chairman Dr Cormac McNamara welcomed a statement from Minister Mary O’Rourke “reaffirming the Government’s commitment to ensuring the long-term viability of Waterford Regional Airport”.
In bad news on the jobs front, it was announced that Tech Industries, situated on Waterford’s Industrial Park, was to close on December 31 with the loss of all 118 jobs.
There was better news for Waterford’s long-awaited bypass with design teams appointed. It was reported that Waterford’s £428 million dual carriageway / motorway link to Dublin was on schedule to be opened to its first vehicular traffic by the year 2007.
Further testimony of Waterford’s property market boom was evidenced when a record £2.125 million was paid at auction for a prime 19,000sqft at the junction of High Street and Exchange Street just off the Quay. The property, which was sold on the instruction of Eircom plc, realised £825,000 above the guide price.
‘Ferrybank Unites in Wake of School Arson Attack’ was the main headline by Gillian O’Neill about an attack on Ferrybank Boys’ National School. It was carried next to a photo of Principal Ger Duggan surveying the awful damage left by the vandals. Despite the tragedy, a massive clean-up by the community was quickly underway: “Throngs of volunteers from all over the Parish flocked to the school yesterday to help salvage the remaining equipment from classrooms, which survive the blaze intact.”
The 121 pupils of the school were offered a place at Good Counsel Girls Primary School, with make-shift classes set up in the hall.
Plans were revealed for an ambitious £4 million extension to the City Library on Lady Lane. An architect involved in the development described the design process as “retaining the character of the existing Carnegie Library while also giving the new wing a modern feel”.
A third marina with 19 berths was on the way for Waterford City following the granting of a lease under the 1933 Foreshore Act to Noel Frisby Construction Ltd. The lease cleared the way for work to begin on the facility, which would be located alongside the aptly named Marina Hotel on Canada Street.
In a sign of things to come, it was reported that Bank of Ireland planned to close its Ballybricken branch the following July. The closure was part of a nationwide rationalisation of the Bank’s branch network.
The last major headline of the year read: “Ambitious Plans for Waterford Airport”. Chairman Dr McCormac hoped for two daily flights to London and one daily flight to Dublin to be made a reality for 2001.
Among the feel-good stories of Yuletide goodwill, there was a letter to the editor titled: “Utter contempt for City motorists.” The letter writer, who opted to stay anonymous, railed against the state of the city’s traffic, from the flaky road surfaces on Military Road (“the surface on the road at Kilbarry Dump is better!”) to the missing chunks on Lower Yellow Road. This Christmas 2025, I will raise a glass of mulled wine in solidarity with this passionate (and correct) local and hope that they have found some peace after all these intervening years of disaster, disappointment and potholes.
