They're seasonal fun for most of us, but for serious skaters Dublin's winter rinks are only a brief respite, reports Breda Heffernan.
Dublin's two winter outdoor ice-skating rinks are about to open again, and they'll be more than enough for occasional skaters eager to recreate the magic of Christmas at Rockefeller Plaza, in New York. For serious skaters, however, it will be just a brief respite before they resume their weekly pilgrimage to Ireland's only permanent ice rink, in Belfast, in the New Year.
When Dublin's two ageing rinks, in Dolphins Barn and Phibsboro, defrosted permanently, in 1998 and 2000, the only winner appears to have been Iarnrod Éireann. For any aspiring skater or ice-hockey enthusiast the road to the rink now begins at Connolly Station and ends more than two hours later in Belfast.
But passion for the ice still lives on, especially for Dublin ice-dancing duo Amanda Scott (39) and John Doyle (37), who are also members of the Republic of Ireland Ice Skating Association.
They pulled on their first pairs of skates in their local ice rinks many years ago. "It's that feeling of freedom when the cold air hits your face and you're gliding across the ice," says Scott wistfully from her Dublin home.
The "freedom" has financial repercussions for the pensions administrator, however. "I had to arrange with my employers to take a day off work each week to travel to Belfast. That means I'm losing earnings for that day as well as paying the €32 train fare and paying for food, bus fares and coaching. It's a big investment," she sighs.
The lack of facilities where they live has also meant their once lengthy training sessions three or four times a week have been slashed. "I used to train for almost 25 hours a week in Dublin. Now I've had to dramatically cut down on my training, and this makes it difficult to make progress," says Doyle, who, perhaps unusually for an ice dancer, works in the construction business.
"When you're back in Belfast the following week it's like you're starting from scratch again. You're constantly playing catch-up."
The pair now train for just five hours a week with their coaches at Dundonald International Ice Bowl. "We have to make maximum use of the ice in that time," says Doyle, who adds that they can spend up to an hour just warming up and another hour practising the techniques they learned the previous week before working with their English coaches, Sue and Phil Walsh, on new material.
They don't take part in competitions and have given up performing complicated manoeuvres such as double axels and salchows. Instead they are focused on ice dancing - which Scott likens to ballroom dancing on ice - and are training to become qualified coaches. "You get a lot of falls. Your confidence for that discipline diminishes as you get older," she says, explaining her move from potentially dangerous jumps to more sedate waltzes, foxtrots and quicksteps.
Doyle and Scott are not the only dedicated skaters migrating northwards, according to Joe Passmore, the chairman of the Northern Ireland Ice Skating Association.
"We have quite a few Dublin skaters training in Belfast," he says. "Most of them take lodgings in and around Dundonald for a week or more of intensive training before returning home, mainly because of the distances involved."
Competitive skaters know they won't have it easy with 7 a.m. starts and up to 30 hours a week spent in training.
"The sad fact is that if a young person wants to progress in ice-skating they must train on a regular basis. Therefore an ambitious skater must be prepared to make a lot of sacrifices."
For many of the Republic's skaters the sacrifices have proved too much. Membership of the Republic of Ireland Ice Skating Association has dwindled since the Dublin rinks closed their doors. From a high of more than 70, there are now just 10 members. "It's difficult to generate membership when there's nothing on offer," says Doyle, the association's chairman.
"It's a shame," agrees Scott. "It's an amazing sport that's open to all ages. There are kids as young as four, teenagers and people of 70 and 80 years of age taking ice-dancing lessons in Belfast. And it's a fantastic way of keeping fit. I hate going to the gym but can spend five hours out on the ice. I could never spend that long working out in a gym."
She recommends that budding skaters use the seasonal skating rinks to get a taste for the sport and, with luck, pick up the basics.
The Irish ice-hockey team are in the same boat as the skaters, but their plight is more urgent. "We'll be training here every night after the public goes home," says Mark Bowes, vice-president of the Irish Ice Hockey Association, looking out over the Dublin City on Ice rink at Smithfield. Apart from acting as marshals at the Dublin City Council amenity, helping inexperienced and uncoordinated skaters back to their feet, the association will be representing Ireland for the first time at the ice-hockey world championships in Iceland next March.
"We hope that by doing this for the council they will give us a permanent rink," says Bowes. "There were 90,000 people through the door last year. That shows there is the demand for an ice rink.
Skate fun
Dublin City on Ice, at Smithfield, opens on Friday, running until January 11th. Tickets cost €12 for adults, €8 for children, €10.80 for students and €32 for families, excluding booking fees. You can book at Dublin Tourism on Suffolk Street, online at www.dublincityon ice.ie or by phoning 1890-868686.
7 Up's Christmas on Ice, at the RDS, opens on November 21st. It also runs until January 11th. Tickets cost 12.50 for adults, €8.50 for children and €34 for families, excluding booking fees. Book at Ticketmaster and Central Ticket Bureau outlets, online via www.7up christmasonice.ie or by phoning 0818-719300 or 01-8721122.
Both rinks have a limited number of tickets for sale on site, but they recommend buying in advance. Both rinks are also wheelchair accessible; sessions last an hour.
