Who is Matt Shanahan?
Matt Shanahan is a Waterford native born in Butlerstown, now resident in Ballindud Waterford. He is married with 3 children. Matt’s father John was a hospital doctor and his mother Flora a home economics teacher. Matt was educated at Waterpark College in Waterford and St. Augustine’s College Dungarvan.
Early in his career, Matt worked for the Queally Group, one of Ireland’s largest privately-owned agri-businesses for five years and then spent eleven years in the motor retail business in Dublin.
Matt returned to Waterford in 2001 and worked in an engineering company before setting up his own marketing company in 2004. Equipped with a Marketing degree, Matt then began offering himself as a business consultant with a special interest in new market development, planning and access. During this time Matt became involved in significant renewable energy projects and later various healthcare projects.
Activism for Health Equality
With close family ties to Waterford Regional Hospital where Matt’s father worked for many years and helped develop the first Intensive Care Unit Matt became very concerned about the issue of changing hospital group structures in 2011. In response he set up a pressure group to highlight key issues ( South east hospitals action alliance). The issues of emergency cardiac care became prominent in 2016 and he began campaigning for a 24/7 cardiac care service to be provided in the regional hospital in Waterford setting up the campaign group Health Equality for the South East.
As part of raising awareness of the need for South East cardiac care Matt developed the ‘Hand On Heart’ initiative where he approached the county senior hurling team managers and players in the South East and asked them to adopt Hand On Heart at major provincial hurling matches. This was also supported by protest marches he helped organise and on street demonstrations demanding health equality in the region.
From Activism to Politics
Through Action, Integrity and Innovation
As a result of this ongoing campaign activity in November 2018 Matt was offered co-option to Waterford City and County Council by Independent Cllr Mary Roche who was retiring due to family reasons. Matt accepted the nomination and was adopted a council member in December 2018. In May 2019 at the local elections he stood to defend that seat in Waterford City East electoral area and topped the poll. After continuing months of cardiac campaigning and local authority representation Matt announced a decision to contest at the next general election. In February 2020, Matt was elected a representative TD for Waterford City & County and a member of the 33rd Dáil.
Matt is very focused on the needs of Waterford and the wider South East and hopes to make a resounding representation of the needs of the people of the South East. Outside a busy work life his main interests revolve around underage hurling with Ballygunner hurling club, building up a network across the GAA and keeping in touch with a wide circle of friends and relations. Matt is a Déise advocate and is at his happiest once he has a view of the Comeragh mountains and a smell of the Waterford coastline sea air!