Matt Shanahan (Independent)

Elected, like two other TDs, on the final count for the Waterford constituency, Independent Matt Shanahan (55) entered politics when he was co-opted to Waterford City and County Council in January 2019, later topping the poll in the City East ward last May.

With a quiet mien belying a steely focus on Suirside investment, the 55-year-old father of three’s strong advocacy of 24/7 cardiac care at University Hospital Waterford, and a new Waterford University has struck a chord.

Waterford has haemorrhaged jobs, students and shoppers to Dublin in recent years, and looks askance at the Cabinet focus on regional rivals Cork and Limerick.

A business and marketing consultant with a background in digital and social media marketing (and trilingual, with French and Irish), he specialises among other things in helping small businesses access Government and European Union grants.