Displaying items by tag: JKF Kennedy Eternal Flame

20th June 2013

Naval Service to Carry President Kennedy’s Eternal Flame to New Ross

#JFKennedy50th- The Eternal Flame taken from the grave of former US President John F. Kennedy in Washington has arrived to Dublin Airport this morning and is to be transferred to the Naval Service in Dublin Port and carried by sea to New Ross, writes Jehan Ashmore.

This is the first time that the flame has been given permission to be taken from the Kennedy grave at Arlington National Cemetery, since the assassination of President Kennedy in June 1963.

A ceremony will be held later today when the flame is passed over from the Defence Forces to the Naval Service CPV coastal patrol vessel L.E. Orla (P41) which is berthed along Sir John Rogerson's Quay.

L.E. Orla is scheduled to depart Dublin Port mid-afternoon with the flame on board the CPV and taken to New Ross where the Wexford town is marking his 50th anniversary visit.

On Saturday, John F. Kennedy's daughters Caroline Kennedy and Jean Kennedy Smith will be guests of honour along the Quayside in New Ross accompanied by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and where they are to use the Eternal Flame to light the Emigrant Memorial beside the replica Dunbrody famine tallship.

The flame will also be brought to the Kennedy Monument in his ancestral homeland as a final act to mark the half-century anniversary.

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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.