Junior Minister for Transport, Tourism and SportNorth Fingal Pool Campaign
The people of Balbriggan, Lusk, Rush and Skerries and surrounding areas have been campaigning for 30 years to have a swimming pool and leisure centre built, and have had numerous promises by politicians pre-election for a swimming pool, only to have these promises turn to dust post election. There is a general feeling of anger that North Fingal has not got its own swimming pool. Having seen numerous attempts for a pool to be built in a number of towns, only to see these plans collapse at the final stages of consultation.
North Fingal warrants a swimming pool,it has the population size to sustain one, especially when you throw in the surrounding towns and villages in Meath namely Gormanston, Stamullen, Julianstown ect., who would also reap the benefits of this venture. We just lack the capital investment from Fingal Council, the EU and the Government to get this project off the ground.
Balbriggan is one of these towns, which has the highest rates of unemployment in the Fingal Region, which is set to worsen with its ever growing population, currently set at approximately 26,000, is projected to grow to 36,000 in just 8 years. Other towns smaller than Balbriggan namely Tralee, Sandyford, Kilkenny, Naas, Sligo, Wexford, New Ross and Enniscorthy have succeeded in building swimming pools. There is also a discrepancy that other Dublin Councils have succeeded in developing these amenities, but Fingal today have not.
Given that Balbriggan and Skerries are coastal towns, it is imperative that our youth get to learn to swim, most towns in Fingal already have a swimming pool, Blanchardstown has the National Aquatic Center, Gyn Plus in Swords, Roganstown Hotel and Country Club in Swords, ALSAA in the airport near Swords, the Grand Hotel in Malahide, the Sportslink off Swords Road, and Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Club. Many schools in Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk, are faced with additional costs with having to bus school children to Swords or Drogheda, which is an addition financial pressure on parents, and a drain on teaching resource hours, which could be spent covering other subjects in the school curriculum. Some schools just find it too much, and have dropped swimming from their school curriculum, which is a disgrace.