It may have lacked the drama of a World Cup or a Munster hurling final, but the appointment of Mr Martin Cullen to the Cabinet yesterday was greeted by Waterford as a triumph of all-Ireland final proportions.
"It's a great day. This is Waterford's political all-Ireland," declared Fianna Fáil's director of elections in the constituency, Mr Pat Daly. Few, whether inside or outside the party, disagreed.
Mr Cullen's appointment as Minister for the Environment and Local Government was seen as particularly significant given the infrastructural needs of the south-east, which had no senior Minister during the past five years.
Mr Nicholas Fewer, chairman of the Strategy South East lobby group, said lack of political representation at the highest level had helped stymie the region's growth in recent years.
"It is generally accepted that having a Minister in your constituency or your region gives you far greater political clout than if you are left without such representation," he said.
Mr Frank O'Donoghue, chief executive of Waterford Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber had lobbied the Taoiseach to have Waterford represented in the Cabinet and he "couldn't be more delighted" at the outcome.
He knew Mr Cullen could not deliver everything overnight but it could now be expected that a range of investment issues affecting the region would get the attention they deserved.
These included the upgrading of the South East Regional Airport, university status for Waterford Institute of Technology and the need for major improvements in road and rail access.
It is several decades since Waterford city provided a senior Government Minister.
The last Cabinet member from the constituency was Mr Austin Deasy.
