Kilkenny’s been dubbed the “poor relation” of neighbouring counties in the Technological University for the South East.
Cllr David Fitzgerald raised the complaint at yesterday’s meeting of the County Council, following a presentation on the much-vaunted project.
The update, delivered by the presidents of Waterford IT and IT Carlow, offered no solid commitment of a campus or a HQ for Kilkenny.
And Cllr Fitzgerald says that position’s unlikely to change going forward telling KCLR News “Kilkenny’s going to be the poor relation, the reality is is that there isn’t going to be a significant capital investment in infrastructural buildings in Kilkenny, people will see that the campuses in both Carlow and Waterford have grown significantly over the last number of years, we haven’t seen the same investment into Kilkenny and I was hoping to hear that we were going to get that investment and that investment hasn’t come”.
The presentation, delivered by the Presidents of both institutions, heard them claim they don’t want to make “glib commitments” about a campus or HQ for Kilkenny and Cllr Fitzgerald says this isn’t a positive sign for the county, noting “Despite years of lobbying, numerous reports, including one I launched myself as Cathaoirleach, we find Kilkenny no better off than we were with two colleges in the South East so it’s good to see that things have moved on at a regional level but at a local level for Kilkenny it’s a disappointing day”.
Yesterday’s meeting heard Willie Donnelly, the President of Waterford IT, urge that patience is needed in committing to a TUSE presence in Kilkenny but Cllr Fitzgerald says “Kilkenny has been very patient over many years and many decades and, while I accept that there may well be something further up the road, the reality of it is is that we haven’t been included at this point in time and unless we fight our corner it looks like we’re going to be left out yet again and I appreciate that patience is a virtue but in this case it’s time to deliver”.
