Mary Roche

Meet Mary

I’m Mary Roche, the Social Democrats General Election candidate for Waterford and Councillor for Waterford City East on Waterford City and County Council.

I am a Waterford woman, born and bred, and I am incredibly proud of that. I live with my husband, Liam, and our two youngest children in Waterford city.

I have worked my whole life for the betterment of Waterford. I’ve run my own business here, was a founding member of Red Kettle and served as a Director of Waterford Chamber of Commerce while working for WLRfm. I have been a local representative since 1999 and served as Mayor of our historic city. I know what Waterford has to give – not just to the city and county, but to Ireland.

Waterford’s progress has been stymied. Our airport is neglected, SETU is being stunted, UHW is drastically under-resourced and any funding we have received was squeezed out of government. We need to restructure how we achieve balanced regional development in Ireland. Waterford can only start to compete, grow and develop when investment is spread more evenly to our region.

If you want to fight for a better Waterford and a fairer Ireland, and if you believe in a party that stands against injustice, please give me your number 1 vote in the upcoming general election.

Mary’s Priorities

• Fix our health service – Fully implement Sláintecare to achieve universal healthcare and address the underfunding of University Hospital Waterford.
• Equal access to education – Correct funding imbalances for SETU to provide more educational opportunities and retain young people in Waterford.
• Make housing affordable – Transform the housing system to provide affordable homes, ban bulk-buying by vulture funds, and protect renters.
• Developing our region – Ensure fair distribution of public investment to develop Waterford and balance regional growth.
• Take climate action now – Enhance climate-positive infrastructure, create more green spaces, and commit to transformative climate action for a better quality of life.