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| Edinburgh Castle & our Hogmanay party. |
Our modern
version allows for a rather delightful custom of “first-footing” where, just
after midnight, we would visit our neighbours, bringing them a lump of coal for
their fire, whisky to warm them up and, depending on where you live, some food
in the form of a type of rich fruit cake (or black bun) or even the gift of the
odd pickled herring!
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| Auld Lang Syne lip syncing begins. |
It is at
this time of year, when the bells are struck at mid-night that we all stand on
wobbly, booze soaked legs, we link our arms together in one big circle and sing
one of Scotland’s most famous poems “Auld Lang Syne”, penned by none other than
Robert Burns. This is one of those songs that we all know the chorus to but as
for the other words and verses they are lost in a hail strum of slurred humming
and pretend voice syncing that would do our modern day pop stars proud.
Like that
other tradition, we Scots do however make the odd New Year resolution, mostly
around having a healthier life style for the year ahead. We do go out of our
way to make such commitments but the lure of one of our culinary contributions
to world food, the deep fried mars bar, comes a calling after the Hogmanay hangover
and usually within 24 hours the healthier resolution has been kicked into
touch.
So what
should we look for when we are considering Waterford’s New Year resolutions?
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| Culinary heart attack in a box! |
I do hope
that those with both power and influence for Waterford will have tangible 2016 New
Year resolutions that will essentially deliver. For so many years we have
missed out on investment whilst other neighbouring counties have benefited from
so many New Year promises.
As the
Government is currently awash with lots of extra tax revenue, and influencers are
stuffing their own constituency ballot boxes with this extra cash, I would ask
for €15 million to invest in UHW’s cardiology unit. This will allow the speedy completion
of the unit and sufficient funding to run the service for the next 3, 4 or 5 years.
Another €20
million to finally deliver and create a University for Waterford and the South
East with all the bells and whistles needed to attract significant research
funding. Not a fudged pressure delivered hotchpotch multi-campus minestrone
soup of an organisation, as is being proposed, but a REAL University based and
administered in Waterford City that will clearly benefit the economic future of
the entire South East.
A further €25
million to develop our North Quay, the railway station and the port to drive a
whole new tourism market for Waterford and the South East. If we could develop
these three vital pieces of the City’s infrastructure we could place Waterford
City at the very heart of the Ireland’s Ancient East tourism project and make
Waterford City the 3 or 4 night destination stop that would be the anchor for every
tourist wishing to explore this Ancient East region.
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| Happy Hogmanay! |
Only circa €60
million, and not a long term loan, would go a long way to redressing the lack
of focused investment in Waterford and the South East. We are at the moment
seeing our hospital, our docks/port and our third level education establishment
being ever so slowly dismantled and systematically taken away from us. If we
are not careful these essential pieces of infrastructure will soon disappear
for good.
If we do
not have strong political and public representation fighting for every Euro of
the Government investment pie we will remain the City that always had concrete
New Year resolutions that were never actually delivered.
We do not
want to be eating deep fried Mars Bars early next year.
Happy
Hogmanay!
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