Name: Deirdre Wadding.
Category: Politician.
Bio
Deirdre Wadding is a politician, socialist activist, shaman, and former primary school teacher based in Wexford Town, County Wexford. She has also worked as a professional storyteller.
After Wadding became pregnant at the age of 18, her parents sent her to live at a convent, where they forced her to give up her child for adoption. By the age of 21, she had decided that there was no place for her in the Catholic Church. She became attracted to Wicca and joined a witches’ coven, but later left and adopted a shamanic practice that incorporated some of the old Irish gods.
In May 2014, Wadding entered politics when she contested the local elections as a candidate for the People Before Profit Alliance, a left-wing party that the Socialist Workers Party established in October 2005. She received 599 first preference votes, or 3.76 per cent of the vote, in the Wexford borough area and secured the final seat ahead of Labour councillor Joe Ryan in the 16th count.
During her time as a councillor on Wexford County Council, Wadding took an active role in the Right2Water campaign, which protested against the introduction of water charges. In January 2015, she risked jail time by removing her water meter and returning it to Irish Water.
In 2016, Wadding contested the general election under the banner of Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit. She received 1,472 first preference votes, or 2.1 per cent of the vote, and did not advance past the sixth count. Afterwards, she vowed to continue her role as an activist despite her disappointment at the result.
Wadding resigned her seat on Wexford County Council in October 2017, citing mental health stress from her casework. Her final day as a councillor was 27 October 2017, and the council co-opted Tony Walsh to replace her.
She contested the 2020 general election as a Solidarity–People Before Profit candidate in the Wexford constituency, receiving 1,116 first preference votes, or 1.5 per cent of the vote, and did not secure a seat after the sixth count.
Throughout her political career, Wadding has voiced her opposition to water charges, austerity policies, corruption, and inequality.
This article is a part of our section on Biographies of Wexford people.