Call to extend lifeguard service at Fountainstown

A LABOUR Party candidate running for a seat on Cork County Council has called on the local authority to extend its beach lifeguard service at Fountainstown beach this summer.

John O’Regan, who is seeking election in the Carrigaline Municipal District, said the summertime service should be extended and run on a full- time basis until the end of September.

“Currently we have lifeguards on duty 10.30am to 7pm on the weekends in June, full time through July and August and then the first two weekends of September,” Mr O’Regan said.

“There is a logic to this [extending full time lifeguard provision into September] when you think about the combination of climate change and the fact that the sun is always shining when the schools reopen.

“As the kids go back to school the weather is invariably gorgeous and people continue to flock to the beach, and not just at the weekend”, Mr O’Regan said, and that, for safety reasons, he would like to see the lifeguard service extended.

“I will continue pursuing this issue with Cork County Council, whether I am elected or not in June,” he said.

“Fountainstown Beach is the most accessible in the county from the city due to an excellent bus service, but this means it is busy year round and extremely so in the summer months, very much including the typically sunny month of September.”

A spokesperson for Cork County Council confirmed that the local authority’s beach lifeguard service operates on weekends in June and full time in July, August and for the first two weekends in September.

“This is also the case for 2024. Extension of the service depends on the availability of staff, budget, etc.

“The service is run on a countywide basis.

“The staff are primarily college students and their availability is study-dependant,” the spokesperson said.

Any extension of hours, they said, “would be a matter for the relevant municipal district officer” but said that “the service is run on a consistent basis across the county to avoid confusion”.