Date of Birth: 25th January 1939

Place of Birth: Byrne’s Lane (now Fisher’s Row), Wexford

Date Interviewed: 26th August 2011

Summary: Peter Roche lives in the south end of Wexford town, not far from where he was born. His first job was on Wexford’s pilot boat which brought ships safely in and out of the harbour. This was 1955 and the port of Wexford was very busy then. He then travelled all over the world as a seaman. Peter spent a couple of years working as a postman in London before he eventually settled back in Wexford. He first stood for election in 1967 and was elected as an independent councillor for Wexford. He was elected again in 1974 and in 1978, supported by the Labour Party, became Mayor of Wexford. This was the first of his three terms as Mayor and also led to him joining the Labour Party. Peter talks of the issues that occupied the local authority during his time as an elected representative. He feels that people were far more interested in local politics when he first became involved because of the impact of domestic rates. He is unhappy that the powers of local councillors have been eroded over the years.