Waterford Gives a Shirt campaigners take their protest to the Dáil gates

Activist group Waterford Gives a Shirt brought its campaign to the Dáil yesterday to highlight how Waterford was suffering over and beyond other Irish cities.

They met with a number of TDs and an official from the Department of the Taoiseach, where they outlined how a proposed Waterford city and county council merger will downgrade the city’s status, make it harder for the city to grow, and make the area less attractive to foreign direct investment.

CSO figures for 2011 show that unemployment in Waterford City is the highest in the country.

There have also been threats to Waterford Regional Hospital’s future, while the upgrading of Waterford Institute of Technology to a university looks less and less likely.

The Waterford Gives a Shirt campaign began in October when a number of locals using social media asked the public to “give the shirts off their back” to the Government, as it “had taken everything else”.

Thousands of shirts were collected and a photo album showing campaign supporters taking their shirts off their backs was handed over to the Taoiseach’s department.

Fine Gael TD Paudie Coffey, Labour’s Ciara Coffey, and Independent John Halligan were some of the TDs who came out to the Dáil gates to meet the delegation.

Sinn Féin senator David Cullinane also brought out a number of members of his party to meet the group.

A number of Waterford city councillors also travelled to Dublin for the protest. No Fine Gael councillors travelled.

Senator Cullinane said the campaign was unique as it was “community based, organic, and very positive about what Waterford has to offer”.

“The government representatives are under pressure because of this and other community-based campaigns. Will they work? It depends on what the Government does, whether they act on the people’s demands.

“I think however their political survival in the region is on the line.”

On the return journey, the group stopped off at environment minister Phil Hogan’s office to try and deliver a copy of their letter.

However, they were unable to gain entry to the premises.

The shirts are to be re-cycled and monies earned donated to the Waterford Hospice Foundation.