Garda swimming pool at Templemore to reopen following protests

Cut to the designers of the new Garda uniforms scrambling to whip up designs for swimming hats and speedos.

Earlier this week, several hundred people protested in the town of Templemore, calling for the community to be allowed access to the swimming pool at the Garda College. The pool has been used for decades by the community for swimming lessons and water safety, but closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic and has not opened since, RTÉ News reports. Since then, the energy crisis and Garda training needs have been cited as reasons for the pool remaining closed to the public. Speaking to RTÉ during the protest, local woman Deirdre Ryan said:

We're just asking for one night a week for the pool to be available to children and families to have their swimming lessons. The nearest pools are in Roscrea and Thurles both of which are completely oversubscribed and where classes are full, so those resources are not available to us.

Following the protests, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has announced that the Garda Training College has been instructed to re-open the pool to both Garda Recruits and local schools by the end of November, according to Tipp FM. Speaking to the radio station, Tipperary TD Michael Lowry said he welcomed the fact that “this unnecessary impasse” has now been resolved and that the long-established good relationship between the College and the community can be restored. Fair play to the people of Templemore - if only every other protest in Ireland wielded results this speedily. Header image via Facebook/Garda College Templemore READ NEXT: Popular rooftop bar Fika forced to close early in Bray for winter