Waterford is in the last five in the Irish Times Best Place to Live in Ireland 2021 competition. Ireland's oldest city is now a serious contender for the overall title following the publication of the shortlist today.
The other four locations in the final are Galway City, Killarney, Clonakilty and village of Glaslough in County Monaghan.
Stiff competition to get to shortlist
Waterford was one of the 470 locations nominated by more than 2,400 people from across the 32 counties for the competition.
The campaign began in June when members of the public were invited to nominate their favourite place to live. We then found out on September 4th that Waterford was one of three cities that had made the top 20. Derry and Galway were the other two.
Criteria for judges
Each nominated location was considered by a panel of judges on specific criteria. These included community spirit, local services, diversity, transport links, vibrancy of the local economy, cost of living, safety and the unique "X factor". The judges have visited each location in the past few weeks.
What the pitch says: “Waterford city hits the sweet spot for size: not too small, not too big. Most amenities, from shopping to cliff walks, are within 15 minutes of the city. Tramore and Dunmore East are hubs for surfing, sailing and all things in between, and the Waterford Greenway has opened up the region. There’s a booming IT and pharma sector, and the local housing market provides many reasonable options for all types of housing.”
What The Irish Times says: “Nobody here was surprised to hear Waterford was being considered as one of the best places to live in Ireland. It isn’t perfect, and suffers from the same problems as other cities, though perhaps on a smaller scale. But what it lacks in those attributes, it makes up for with its rich history, walkability, liveability and the ease of access to outdoor amenities.”
The winner will be revealed next Saturday, September 25th.
This is the second time the Irish Time has run Best Place to Live in Ireland 2021. The first winner was Westport County Mayo.
