Man killed in Waterford was ‘respected' Waterford Crystal worker and trade unionist

Irish Independent

4 hours ago

Gardaí in Waterford are investigating all of the circumstances surrounding the death of the victim, named locally as Pat Fitzgerald, following the incident at a residential property in Waterford city on Friday, August 1.
Mr Fitzgerald had been a respected glass blower at Waterford Crystal in the city, and involved in trade unionism, having negotiated on behalf of 3,500 workers as a member of Unite in 2009.
Independent Cllr Donal Barry paid his respects to his former colleague, describing him as highly respected among his peers. He recalled an astute and hard working man who put his colleagues first.
'I worked in part of the factory, and Pat was the full-time union convenor there in Waterford Crystal,' said Cllr Barry. At the peak of its employment the factory employed about 3,500 people forming an important part of the city's economic life.
At the time, Mr Fitzgerald was a member of the ITGWU, which later became Unite trade union. 'Pat was a very, very clever gentleman,' said Cllr Barry.
'He was a brilliant trade union official and he did an awful lot of good work for the workers in Waterford Crystal. He secured an awful lot of good terms and conditions for them. He was also a trustee of the pension fund there.'
Mr Fitzgerald's wife died some years ago. There was a palpable sense of shock in the city following the well-known activist's violent death.
'For any person, especially an elderly gentleman, to die in such circumstances - it left an awful lot of shock over the bank holiday weekend when the news broke first that he was seriously injured, and then he unfortunately passed away on Sunday afternoon. People were very shocked,' added Cllr Barry.
Gardaí and emergency services responded to reports of the incident at a residential property in St Catherine's Grange shortly after 2pm on Friday.
Mr Fitzgerald, aged in his 70s, was discovered at the scene with injuries and in an unresponsive condition. He was transported to University Hospital Waterford for treatment and was pronounced dead on Sunday, August 3.
A man in his 30s was arrested at the scene during the incident and subsequently detained at a garda station within the Waterford-Kilkenny Division under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. He was later charged in relation to the investigation and appeared before Waterford District Court on Sunday, August 3.
The local coroner and the Office of the State Pathologist have been notified and a post-mortem examination will be carried out. A technical and forensic examination at the scene has been completed.
A senior investigating officer (SIO) is leading the investigation and a family liaison officer (FLO) is providing support to the deceased's family. An incident room has been established at Waterford Garda Station.
Investigating gardaí are appealing for witnesses. Anyone with information is asked to contact Waterford Garda Station 051 305 300 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.
Investigations are ongoing and further updates will follow, added a Garda spokesperson.
The widower was predeceased by his wife Kathleen, his father Jack, brother Mark and nephew Luke.
He is survived by his adult children Wayne, Joanne and Karl, his mother Maura, eight siblings, his four grandchildren, extended family, neighbours and friends.
Mr Fitzgerald will lie in repose at Tom Hennessy's Funeral Home in Johnstown, Waterford on Thursday from 5.30pm to 7pm.
His funeral will take place at the Sacred Heart Church, The Folly in Waterford at noon on Friday with burial following in St Mary's Cemetery, Ballygunner, Waterford.