Cork swim club’s plea to public to help seal deal on 50m pool

A northside swimming club which has already purchased an Olympic-sized modular 50m pool is close to securing a premises for it, with members asking the public to call on local TDs to help them seal the deal.

It is more than two years since Dolphin Swimming Club bought the modular pool, which was used in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

The pool, complete with all the necessary filtration, heating, lighting, and other equipment, has been in storage in a facility in Cork since a benefactor donated the use of four lorries to transport it here.

A subsequent GoFundMe, organised by the club to help with planning permission costs relating to the proposed swimming pool, raised more than €10,000.

Now Dolphin Swimming Club representative Mick McCormack has told The Echo that the club is close to securing a permanent home in what he said is a “very central” location in Cork city.

Mr McCormack said the club has spoken with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and sports minister Patrick O’Donovan, and Dolphin now needs the support of the Cork public to get the deal over the line.

Things are moving

“Things are moving. The Taoiseach and Patrick O’Donovan have been very helpful in terms of identifying avenues for sports capital funding, and very positive in giving us the go-ahead to look at funding for miscellaneous items for the pool as well,” Mr McCormack said.

“It is very positive and we have made a lot of progress but we just need the people of Cork to get on board with giving their local politicians a ring and putting a bit of pressure on them to get this over the line.”

He added that a condition Dolphin had for the establishment of the pool is that it would have to be accessible to everyone.

“It won’t be for one entity, or one club or school, or one university. It will be open access for everyone. Obviously, it will be Dolphin Swimming Club’s pool, our high-end training centre, and we hope to hold on to Mayfield sports complex pool as well, which is a very good facility,” he said.

There are currently only four 50m pools in Ireland — three in Dublin and one in Limerick.

Mr O’Donovan recently said: “I think there should be a 50m pool in Cork.

“I’ve asked my officials to start looking with the Cork local authorities and the Cork third-level education system to see how we could possibly partner up to see if it’s feasible or whatever.”

Mr Martin and Mr O’Donovan were both asked for comment.