Waterford has received less than 0.01% of capital expenditure allocated to Gaeltacht areas across Ireland in the last six years.
€38.9 million has been allocated since 2018, with Waterford's Gaeltacht na nDéise receiving just under €7,000, according to local Independent TD Matt Shanahan.
He highlighted the issue in the Dail recently, where he also noted the closure of the local doctors surgery, post office and Garda Station in recent years.
"I gContae Phort Láirge, the population of Gaeltacht na nDéise is rising, yet there are frustrations", said Deputy Shanahan. "You can barely get a phone signal down there and the lack of broadband access is a serious disservice to local business. Additionally, in recent times the Garda barracks closed, the community doctor closed and in the last few months, An Post closed the last and only post office in the community. This means that local residents, including elderly people collecting pensions and doing their day-to-day business in the friendly local post office they have known all their lives, now must travel 12 km to Dungarvan to do their essential business", he outlined.
Deputy Shanahan believes that intervention from Údarás na Gaeltachta could have saved the area's post office.
"I, along with others in the community, pleaded with An Post to save this vital local resource and we pleaded with the Government to intervene. Sadly, neither listened. This is a prime example of where Údarás na Gaeltachta could and should intervene. I would like to see a change in the governance structure of the organisation to allow it to give the kind of support that could have saved the post office there and other community services."
Deputy Shanahan highlighted funding disparity when comparing Gaeltacht na nDéise to other Gaeltacht areas nationwide - laying the blame at the feet of the Government.
"Recently, I sought information from the Department on the level of expenditure provided to Gaeltacht areas since 2018. The answers I received were deeply disappointing and shocking in relation to the Waterford Gaeltacht but they go some way towards explaining why Gaeltacht na nDéise is seeing the loss of so many of its vital services. The responses I received to the parliamentary questions told me that Gaeltacht Dhún na nGall has received a total capital expenditure of €1.13 million in that time."
"Port Láirge received a total capital expenditure of just €6,955. However, in two other funding programme responses which allocated capital and current expenditure between 2020 and 2024, of €38.9 million spent across the Gaeltachts, the Waterford Gaeltacht’s share was just €6,955 and of a maintenance fund running from 2018 to 2024, which expended €15.76 million, just €60,000 was advanced to the Waterford Gaeltacht."
He took aim at Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, Thomas Byrne TD.
"This morning, during Questions on Promised Legislation with the Tánaiste, I heard the Minister of State tell me to stop talking down my county. I can tell him I have no need to talk down my county. The supporting evidence is here. The Government does it quite happily."
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