'Adding to the Food Supply': The Provision of Allotments in Early Twenthieth-Century Waterford

In January 1917 a motivating address in Waterford by the secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction attracted lengthy reports in national and local newspapers. T.P. Gill’s address on food production and town allotments was reported in the Irish Times, Munster Express, Skibbereen Eagle and Derry Journal – from four corners of Ireland. He concluded his address by remarking, ‘I believe you will make this work here in 1 Waterford a success’. Drawing on newspaper and other reports, this article examines the development of allotments and the achievements of the Food Production Committee and plotholders in Waterford in 1917 and their continuation in subsequent years.