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Displaying items by tag: Kinvara Pier

Emergency services were tasked to Kinvara, Co Galway this evening (Thurs 18, August) when a car left the pier and tumbled into the sea.

No one was in the vehicle at the time, and it is believed the Volkswagen may have rolled off the pier accidentally.

Members of the local fire brigade unit and Gardaí were at the scene shortly after the incident, which occurred after 6 pm, and they established that the car was empty. Arrangements were made to lift it out.

The south Galway village has been busy all week after the annual Cruinniú na mBád festival of traditional craft last weekend.

Mr Michael Burke, owner of the Pier Head bar and restaurant in Kinvara, said it was fortunate that no one was hurt in the incident.

A retired priest, Fr Tony Minniter, died in late October 2019 after his car went into the water off Kinvara pier. The alarm was raised by locals who were out for Hallowe'en at the time, but efforts to save the priest, who was in his late seventies, were unsuccessful.

Published in News Update
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#GALWAY BAY NEWS - Galway County Council has prohibited the parking of camper vans and yachts on Kinvara Pier "for the purpose of habitation".

The new by-law came into effect last month came following a number of complaints that camper vans and boats were remaining for extended periods in the vicinity of the pier.

However the move does not affect vessels used for "bona file navigation", after the ISA lobbied to protect the interests of visiting boaters wishing to use the pier for overnight stays.

Published in Galway Harbour

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!