Having read all the submissions, particularly the excellent and insightful one prepared by Maynooth’s geography department I make the following observation. 

Waterford constituency is too large to remain a four seater, yet too small to be a five seater. 

From a Waterford perspective, there is an opportunity to follow the RSES MASP organisation and 2017 Waterford Boundary commission recommendation that envisages the suburban area of the city, currently divided between the Carlow-Kilkenny and Waterford constituencies being brought together. In the context of the North Quays development, the provision of the North N25 ringroad around Waterford and for the better governance of a coherent and cohesive circular 15 minute city the unsympathetic river boundary that dissects the city should be ended. 

This boundary review falls at a good time to make this change, as I can see no incumbent TD particularly impacted by this change, and so it would not be overly disruptive.  

I direct you to the report of the boundary commission https://www.waterfordcouncil.ie/projects/boundary-commission/index.htm

Also I suggest reviewing the MASP

Whilst the addition of Pilltown, South Kilkenny to the Waterford constituency would accomplish the same population gathering, it is, in my opinion, culturally more of a break with local identities and patterns of life.

To give the historical context, the recommendation for a boundary extension really only approved the giving back to Waterford of the traditional northern liberties which had been controlled by the city for hundreds of years. These were only fully legally devolved to county Kilkenny in 1899. Waterford County Council pursued the return even into the 1920s.

This link explains it all and has the correct map which aligns almost exactly with the approved boundary extension committee recommendation of 2017

In short, the addition of the area as recommended by the Statutory Boundary Commission in 2017 would right-size both the city and constituency as a 5 seater.

Kind regards,

Mary Roche

Cllr. Mary Roche