“Waterford needs a university so that the city, the county and the region can have adequate numbers of graduates as the Ireland moves more and more to becoming a knowledge economy. In the absence of a university, Waterford and the region have undoubtedly suffered from a significant level of brain drain, with an estimated 7,000 people leaving the region to study at university, annually. Any school-leaver who wants to enjoy the benefits of a university education has no other choice but to leave the region, and the experience in Waterford is that once people leave it is very difficult to get them back …” (more)
[Brian O’Shea TD, Labour Party Press Release, 11 December]