We remember Councillor Anthony Waldron with heartfelt tributes from friends and colleagues. Here are some reflections on the impact he made in our community and the legacy he leaves behind.
“Despite having done this job for a long number of years now I have always found the toughest thing to do is to write about a friend who has passed away especially when they have passed away suddenly. Writing about Tony Waldron is no different.
“In fact it feels weird talking about Tony in the past tense. I met him only last week. He was as chirpy as ever looking forward to a number of events coming up over the next few months.
“Last Sunday morning I have to say I was utterly shell shocked when I heard the news that Tony had died suddenly.
“Like us all, Tony had his faults, but his many qualities easily outshone anything else. I got to know Tony really well when he asked me to join the Roscommon Rose Committee many years ago. From that point on we were firm friends.
“Tony Waldron loved Roscommon. He loved the football team, he loved the music, he loved the history and the culture and he loved the people. He spent his entire life trying to improve things here in Roscommon. When it came to county Roscommon the glass was always half full with Tony.
“He had so many ideas in his head as to how he could bring prosperity to the county. Often times I told him that whatever his latest idea was hadn’t chance of succeeding. His answer was always the same. “Why can’t Roscommon people think big?” he would say.
“He was a huge believer that County Roscommon had so much to offer as a tourism destination. He set up the Suck Valley Way Conference in recent years and invited people from all over the country to come. He was really proud of that. He was involved in so many tourism initiatives over the years and was a tireless worker when it came to promoting the county and his native Ballintubber.
“He was also very outspoken on rural crime and he organised a number of public meetings in recent years to highlight problems in that regard. He started up a return to the old Rambling Houses and he held a number of functions in rural pubs designed to get people out of their homes and to interact with others.
“He had a heart of gold, and I will tell just one story personal to me. When covid came I lost all my work, journalism, radio and other work. He called me about two weeks later and asked me to do a bit of PR work for him preparing and sending out statements to the local media. I was so grateful to him at the time but I knew all along that he was doing it just to help me out. That was typical the kind of man he was.
“No more than the rest of us, Tony had his good times and his bad times over the years, and one remarkable thing about Tony was that the bad times never got him down. He always fought back.
“He was great company, he loved the craic and most of all he loved Roscommon and his native Ballintubber. He was one great Rossie. We shall all miss him.
“May his kind, compassionate, and gentle soul rest in peace.”
– Seamus Duke
“The passing of Tony Waldron (a dear friend for many years) has robbed the County of one of its finest citizens.
“My sincere condolences to the family, friends, many supporters and colleagues of Cllr Anthony Waldron. Anthony was always friendly, courteous and we had worked together on the rural crime issue more recently which he cared about hugely. He loved County Roscommon.
“Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam – may his gentle soul rest in peace.”
– Claire Kerrane TD
Statement on behalf of Roscommon County Council following passing of the late Cllr. Anthony Waldron
It was with shock and great sadness that the executive and elected members of Roscommon County Council learned of the untimely passing of Cllr Anthony Waldron Sunday morning.
In a statement Cathaoirleach Cllr. Paschal Fitzmaurice said the late Cllr. Anthony Waldron commanded respect across the political divide and said his loss would be deeply felt by the communities he served with dedication and integrity.
“As Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council I share the deep shock and sadness on learning of Cllr. Anthony Waldron’s passing. As a colleague on Roscommon County Council, Anthony Waldron was respected across the political divide as a hardworking, sincere and dedicated public representative.
“To Cllr. Waldron’s family and friends, I would like on behalf of all my colleagues on Roscommon County Council to extend my sincere and heartfelt sympathies to the late Cllr. Anthony Waldron – may he rest in peace.”
On behalf of the management and staff of Roscommon County Council, Chief Executive Shane Tiernan said it was also with deep shock and sadness that he learned of the untimely death of Cllr. Anthony Waldron.
“At the outset, I would like to extend my sympathies to Cllr. Waldron’s family and friends on his sad and untimely passing. News of Anthony’s death has been received with great shock, not only among the members and staff of Roscommon County but also in the wider community of Ballintubber and in the Roscommon Municipal District which he served so diligently as a public representative.
“To his fingertips, the late Cllr. Anthony Waldron was an absolute gentleman. He was a genuine, unassuming and kind and reflected all that was good in humour nature.
“Cllr. Waldron cared deeply for people and for communities. He was a passionate advocate for the people he served and was universally regarded by all sections of the wider Ballintubber community as well as his colleagues on Roscommon County Council. He believed passionately in Roscommon and the people he served as an elected member of the Roscommon Municipal District.”
“Cllr. Waldron also believed passionately in what county Roscommon had to offer through its history, heritage and natural amenities. Perhaps the late Cllr. Waldron’s biggest achievement as an elected representative was being instrumental in the development of The Suck Valley Way as a key tourism and recreational attraction in the county.
Cllr. Waldron established an annual Suck Vally Way Conference which highlighted what the wider area had to offer driven by his steadfast belief on the potential of this pivotal natural amenity. Once again, I would like to extend my sincere sympathies to Cllr. Waldron’s family and friends on his sad and untimely passing”, the Chief Executive concluded.
The late Cllr. Waldron was first elected as a member of Roscommon County Council from 2004 to 2009. He was successfully returned as an Independent member of the local authority in the local elections of 2019 and was re-elected in last June’s local elections. He also served as a former Chairman of the Roscommon Municipal District.
At the time of his passing, the late Cllr. Waldron was Chairman of Roscommon County Council’s Roads, Transportation and Emergency Services Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) and also served as a member of Housing, ICT and Rural Water SPC.
