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Displaying items by tag: Titanic Tribute

#TITANIC – The Maritime Institute of Ireland is to host a musical tribute and illustrated talk to mark the centenary of the Titanic shipping disaster. The evening event (starting at 8pm) is to be held on Thursday 12th April in the Maritime Museum, Dun Laoghaire.

The musical tribute will be led by uillinn piper Eamon Galdubh – similar music to that played in the 2nd and 3rd class compartments on the Titanic. The illustrated talk will be presented by well-known deep sea diver Rory Golden, the first Irishman to see the wreck of the Titanic. He was also the first person to touch the ship's wheel since the ship's Captain did in 1912.

Tickets for the event are available at €10 each (concessions €5) from Costello Jewellers, 1 Northumberland Avenue, Dun Laoghaire. In addition tickets can be purchased from the museum which is to reopen to the public next week on Tuesday 3rd April. For more visit www.mariner.ie

Published in Titanic

Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of.   For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water.  The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.

The Forty-foot Christmas Day swim

A Dublin institution that brings people from across Dublin and beyond for a dip in the chilly winter sea. Bathers arrive in the dark from 6 am and by noon the entire forty foot is a sea of red Santa hats!