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By Waterford City & County Council

Local artist to hold first solo exhibition in Central Library

 

 

Almost 40 years after he first discovered his talent for painting, local artist Don Walker will hold his first solo exhibition in Waterford Central Library next month.

Born in Waterford in 1940, Don, at the age of 15 joined Waterford Crystal as an apprentice glass cutter and graduated to Work Study Officer within the organisation.

In 1975, he enrolled in art classes in the then Waterford Technical Institute (now WCFE) on Parnell Street and it was there that his love of and flair for painting with oil was realised.  That year he sold his first landscape painting and it featured at the Municipal Gallery Exhibition.  Having sold over 80 oil paintings to collectors in Waterford and the Southeast, Don will undertake his first solo exhibition on September 4th.

The exhibition will feature a selection of local scenes that are sure to invoke a real sense of connection and familiarity.  Many of Don’s paintings feature local landmarks, such as Geoff’s, Meagher’s Quay, John Robert’s Square, hotels, hostelries, and popular local meeting points.

Cllr. Joe Kelly was delighted to assist his long-time friend with putting together the exhibition.  “Don has a wonderful talent, and he so accurately captures the everyday of Waterford.  Whether it’s popping into Penneys for a few bits or enjoying a large bottle in Walsh’s on George’s Street, these are the places that all of us in Waterford know and love.

“I’m delighted that the public will have the opportunity to view Don’s work and I’d like to thank the staff of Waterford Libraries for facilitating and supporting this event.”

Members of the public are invited to come along to the opening of Don’s exhibition at Waterford Central Library, Lady Lane on Monday, September 4th at 4pm. Refreshments will be served.

The exhibition will run from September 4th to September 16th.

By Waterford City & County Council

Severe Weather Warning (Status Orange) for Waterford

 

A Status Orange Weather Warning has been issued for Waterford, with wind and heavy rain on Friday evening into Saturday morning.  The public is advised that Storm Betty will bring south to southwest gales with severe gusts of up to 130km/hr.  The warning is valid from 9pm (Friday, August 18th) until 3am (Saturday, August 19th).

The OPW has advised that there will be a period of storm surge and Highest Astronomical Tide (HAT) are expected to be exceeded.

The Prom in Tramore will be closed from 2pm this afternoon until further notice.  Davitt’s Quay Carpark, The Look Out, Castle Street Carpark and The Pond in Dungarvan will all be closed from 5pm this evening and Waterford City and County Council is advising the public to ensure no cars are left in these car parks overnight as they are at risk of coastal flooding.

Waterford City and County Council is in the process of erecting all appropriate flood defence barriers in Waterford City and Passage East and the situation is being actively monitored.

Fergus Galvin, Director of Services with Waterford City and County Council has urged the public to exercise caution.  “With the possibility of severe winds and localised and coastal flooding, driving conditions will be difficult.  We would urge the public to heed all public safety advice and avoid unnecessary journeys until the storm has receded. Keep away from coastal areas and stay back, stay high and stay dry.”

Members of the public can continue to contact Waterford City and County Council’s Customer Services Desks on 0818 10 20 20 during normal office hours after which calls will be transferred to the Council’s emergency services number.

Please note the following emergency contact numbers below:
Emergency 999/112
Uisce Éireann 1800 278 278
ESB Networks 1800 372 999
Gas Networks Ireland 1800 205 050

With severe winds predicted Waterford City and County Council advises the public to:

  • Stay away from all coastal areas for the duration of the Met Éireann warnings
  • All road users should be aware of the hazardous travelling conditions, and only necessary journeys should be undertaken
  • The public are warned electricity wires are always live, never approach. If you see fallen or damaged wires, keep clear and phone ESB Networks immediately on 1800 372 999

By Waterford City & County Council

Waterford City and County Council’s approach to Urban Vacancy recognised

 

 

Waterford City has featured prominently in the recently published report Urban Vacancy in Ireland: Assessing Recent Responses and Opportunities.

This is the second and final policy output of the Irish Research Council-funded project Rethinking Urban Vacancy, led by Dr Cian O’Callaghan in partnership with Dublin City Council’s Housing Observatory. The report is co-authored by Dr Kathleen Stokes (University of Galway), Dr Cian O’Callaghan (Trinity College Dublin), and Dr Maedhbh Nic Lochlainn (University of Luxembourg).

The report outlines recent responses to urban vacancy in Ireland and the challenges and lessons drawn from the experience in the cities of Waterford, Cork and Dublin.

It was noted that Waterford City has recently undergone considerable transformations through area-based regeneration, which include the city’s Cultural Quarter and Viking Triangle.

The report highlighted that in policy and local governance circles, Waterford has been recognised as a national leader for its proactive efforts to bring urban vacant residential properties back into use.

In some instances, the Local Authority has directly purchased and converted properties, while many other properties have been brought back into use by encouraging property owners to avail of RLS support. Waterford City and County Council has also promoted the ongoing planning exemption for units over shops to be converted into residential dwellings, with funding from the Living City Initiative.

With over 140 units completed, Waterford’s promotion of Repair and Lease has had a significant impact on the city and suggests that it is possible to encourage and incentivise property owners to bring properties back into use, particularly with the promise of a guaranteed rental income and interest-free loans for repairs.

Officials and developers alike framed Waterford City and County Council’s active approach towards vacant housing as a necessity for the city, which they suggest will encourage complementary efforts by the private sector and property owners in the city.

The report also stated that, amongst interviewees, Waterford was repeatedly upheld as a relative success story in terms of Local Authority responses to vacancy and suggested that ease of access to different Local Authority departments and close relations between key actors within and outside of local government have made for a relatively smooth process when bringing properties back into use.

For further information and advice on help and supports available, please contact vacanthomes@waterfordcouncil.ie or derelictsites@waterfordcouncil.ie

 

By Waterford City & County Council

Bathing Prohibition – Dunmore East Main Strand

 

Due to poor quality water results, a temporary bathing prohibition notice has been put in place for the Main Strand in DunmoreEast.

The prohibition will remain in place until compliant water quality results are returned.
Waterford City and County Council apologises for any inconvenience caused.

By Waterford City & County Council

Tomorrow: Free Public Electrical Recycling Events – Gaultier & Portlaw

                                 

 

Calling all Waterford recyclers!

Recycle your batteries, fridge freezers, TVs, CD players, hair straighteners, farm fence batteries, electric strimmers – anything from your household with a plug or battery accepted!

  • Gaultier GAA Club, Ballymabin, Thursday 17th August – 10am-1pm
  • Portlaw GAA Club, Mayfield, Portlaw, Thursday 17th August – 4pm-7pm

When you recycle e-waste, you’re not just preventing it going to landfill stopping harmful substances damaging our environment. You’re also giving these redundant items new life because anything with a plug, battery or circuit board contains valuable components which can be used again in manufacturing.  Contributing to more sustainable, circular economy.

By Waterford City & County Council

Reminder: Prestigious Writers to Speak at Waterford Libraries

 

It’s going to be an exciting autumn at the Waterford Libraries as five highly esteemed writers, Megan Nolan, Kevin Barry, Claire Keegan, Russ Parsons and Ethel Crowley, joining Senior Executive Librarian Mary Conway to discuss their work and writing lives at Waterford County Libraries between August and November 2023. All events are free, but bookings must be made by calling the library directly.

Megan Nolan, Irish journalist and author from County Waterford, debut novel Acts of Desperation, was long-listed for the Dylan Thomas Prize and shortlisted for the Betty Trask Award for debut novels. Meghan will be speaking on 17 August at 7:00PM at the Carrickphierish Library about her work and latest novel Ordinary Human Failings. Free of charge but booking required. Call at 051 849696.

Irish writer Claire Keegan is best known for her short stories which have been published in “The New Yorker”, “Best American Short Stories”, “Granta”, and “The Paris Review” and have been translated into 30 languages. “Antarctica” won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. “Walk the Blue Fields” won the Edge Hill Prize, awarded to the best collection of stories published in the British Isles. “Foster” won the Davy Byrnes Award, one of the richest literary prizes in the world, and was last year chosen by The Times as one of the top 50 works of fiction to be published in the 21st century.

The award-winning film The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin) is based on the same story. Keegan’s novel, Small Things Like These, was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, and has been adapted for an upcoming film starring Cillian Murphy and Emily Watson. Claire will be speaking on 28 September 7:00PM, Dungarvan Library and discuss her work and latest short story So Late in the Day. Free of charge but booking required. Call at 058 21141.

Kevin Barry is the author of three collections of short stories and three novels. His debut novel City of Bohan was the winner of the 2013 International Dublin Literary Award. Beatlebone won the 2015 Goldsmiths Prize and was one of seven books by Irish authors nominated for the 2017 International Dublin Literary Award, the world’s most valuable annual literary fiction prize. His 2019 novel Night Boat to Tangier was longlisted for the Booker Prize. Kevin will be speaking on 14 September 7:00PM at Tramore Library. Free of charge but booking required. Call at 051 849594.

Waterford resident and The Irish Times food columnist Russ Parsons served as the food editor and columnist of the Los Angeles Times for more than 25 years. Among other honors, in 2008 Parsons was inducted into the James Beard Foundation‘s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage, the hall of fame of American cooking. His first book, How to Read A French Fry was a finalist for two Julia Child cookbook awards. How to Pick a Peach, published in 2007, was named one of the best 100 books of the year by both Publisher’s Weekly and Amazon. Russ will be speaking on 12 October, 7:00PM at Ardkeen Library. Free of charge but booking required. Call at 051 849755.

Ethel Crowley, PhD and an Irish sociologist, is the author of Land Matters: Power Struggles in Rural Ireland, Daring to Dream and Your Place or Mine? Community and Belonging in 21st Century Ireland, as well as other journal articles, book chapters and newspaper articles. Over the years, she has combined university lecturing and academic writing with travels in Latin America, the Middle East and India. She is currently working on a book on Spain. Edith will be speaking about her friendship with Dervla Murphy and her forthcoming book Life At Full Tilt: The Selected Writings of Dervla Murphy on 28 November, 3:00PM at Lismore Library. Free of charge but booking required. Call at 051 849755.

By Waterford City & County Council

Gum Litter Taskforce Roadshow takes to Waterford to tackle gum disposal

The Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) took to the streets of Waterford today as a part of its Summer Roadshow. The interactive Roadshow works with local authorities and communities across the country to carry out fun and engaging education and awareness initiatives that demonstrate the proper means of gum disposal and raise awareness of the environmental and fiscal impacts of gum litter. Now in its sixteenth year, the campaign is a collaboration between Food Drink Ireland, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, the chewing gum industry, and local authorities.

Research published recently to coincide with the National Launch of the 2023 GLT Campaign revealed that 87% of people now report proper gum disposal, versus 49% when the campaign began in 2007– an increase of 77.5%, demonstrating the positive impact the campaign has had on attitudes towards gum litter. Peer pressure was found to be the key contributor to this shift in attitudes, followed by knowledge of the €150 fine.

However, work remains to be done to further reduce this figure, as still only 46% of people can claim to have never dropped gum on the ground, demonstrating the continued importance of the awareness and behavioural change campaign.

Welcoming the Roadshow to Waterford, Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr. Joe Conway said,  “We are delighted to welcome back the Gum Litter Taskforce to Waterford.  The Roadshow is a fantastic way to show people about the sustainable impacts of responsibly disposing of gum litter and changing their disposal behaviours. This GLT campaign has seen a visible reduction of gum litter on our streets since it first began, and the Roadshow is an important reminder to the whole community that we must continue to reduce our litter and protect our local environment.  The results are already paying dividends as Waterford City continually ranks as Ireland’s Cleanest City and that is testament to the importance of action, education and cooperation.”

Speaking at the launch of this year’s Roadshow, Minister Ossian Smyth welcomed the latest research and the return of the GLT campaign for the second year of its fifth cycle: “The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is proud to play a part in this important initiative. Each cycle of the campaign has delivered demonstrable progress in reducing gum litter on our streets, showing the impact that cross-collaborative initiatives such as this one can have. I look forward to continuing with our good work with industry and local authorities to build on the continued success of the GLT campaign to ultimately eradicate gum litter.”

Gum Litter Taskforce Project Manager, Jonathan McDade of Food Drink Ireland, also welcomed the return of the campaign, and praised its success to date: “We are delighted to have launched the 2023 Gum Litter Taskforce campaign with the support of the Minister Ossian Smyth and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. Each year of the campaign has delivered significant improvements, and we look forward to continuing our education and local authority engagements nationwide over the coming months. We remain committed to making gum litter on the streets of Ireland a problem of the past.”

Corporate Affairs Specialist at Mars Ireland, Anne Sheeran, also welcomed the announcement: “Mars Ireland has been a proud partner of the Gum Litter Taskforce for the past 16 years. We are delighted to have kicked off the 2023 campaign with the support of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. We look forward to engaging with local authorities and students across the country to highlight positive environmental messages around proper gum disposal.”

By Waterford City & County Council

Tomorrow: Free Public Electrical Recycling Events – Kilmacthomas & Lismore

                

 

Calling all Waterford recyclers!

Recycle your batteries, fridge freezers, TVs, CD players, hair straighteners, farm fence batteries, electric strimmers – anything from your household with a plug or battery accepted!

  • Rainbow Community Centre, Kilmacthomas, Tuesday 15th August – 10am-1pm
  • Old Lismore Recycling Centre, Townspark East, Lismore, Tuesday 15th August – 4pm-7pm

When you recycle e-waste, you’re not just preventing it going to landfill stopping harmful substances damaging our environment. You’re also giving these redundant items new life because anything with a plug, battery or circuit board contains valuable components which can be used again in manufacturing.  Contributing to more sustainable, circular economy.

By Waterford City & County Council

125 households to benefit from water saving backyard services

Protecting the water supply in Dungarvan is a vital focus for Uisce Éireann with further works planned as part of its programme to drive down leakage and reduce the number of bursts and unplanned outages impacting the community.

Uisce Éireann, in partnership with Waterford City and County Council is replacing over 1km of ageing and problematic backyard service connections with modern water mains, which will allow for 125 households to be connected to the new system.

The works, which are due to begin next week, are a critical step in conserving this precious resource and reducing high levels of leakage which have been a significant source of disruption and outages for customers. This vital project will bring benefits to homes in St Thomas Street, Fitzgerald’s Terrace, St Brigid Terrace, St Martin’s Terrace (cul-de-sac), Keating Street and Mitchell Street by providing a more resilient and robust water supply.

Backyard services are typically found in older areas, often installed to the rear of a customer’s property and usually made of cast iron or lead. Due to the age and deteriorating condition of the pipework, they are often a significant source of leakage and supply disruption for customers. Backyard services are usually shared, running through a number of neighbouring properties making it difficult to detect and repair leaks. Where properties share a connection, leaks and bursts affect all connected properties, resulting in low pressure and/or outages.

Uisce Éireann would like to thank all customers in Dungarvan who have engaged and assisted us in the provision of our back yard services programme which will not only result in significant water savings but will also reduce the number of bursts and outages impacting customers. These projects are only successful if all customers on a shared water connection support and facilitate these vital works so that the old and leaking mains can be decommissioned.

Speaking about the benefits of the project, Joe Carroll, Infrastructure Delivery Programme Manager at Uisce Éireann said: “Old backyard service connections are a huge source of leakage and continue to impact communities right across Ireland, causing low pressure and supply disruption. Replacing these old water mains and service connections in poor condition will eliminate existing leaks and significantly reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground.”

Joe added: We would like to sincerely thank the community in Dungarvan for facilitating these works and working with us to provide a more secure and reliable water supply for generations to come.”

These works will be carried out by Shareridge Civil Engineering Ltd in partnership with Waterford City and County Council on behalf of Uisce Éireann.

Uisce Éireann is responsible for delivering public drinking water and wastewater services for the people of Ireland. We are committed to enabling communities to thrive by continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support sustainable growth and development, providing safe drinking water, and enhancing the environment. To find out more visit www.water.ie

By Waterford City & County Council

Reminder: Free Public Electrical Recycling Events – Gaultier & Portlaw

 

           

Calling all Waterford recyclers!

Recycle your batteries, fridge freezers, TVs, CD players, hair straighteners, farm fence batteries, electric strimmers – anything from your household with a plug or battery accepted!

  • Gaultier GAA Club, Ballymabin, Thursday 17th August – 10am-1pm
  • Portlaw GAA Club, Mayfield, Portlaw, Thursday 17th August – 4pm-7pm

When you recycle e-waste, you’re not just preventing it going to landfill stopping harmful substances damaging our environment. You’re also giving these redundant items new life because anything with a plug, battery or circuit board contains valuable components which can be used again in manufacturing.  Contributing to more sustainable, circular economy.

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