Dublin’s first public water sports centre has opened in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) as part of an ongoing regeneration effort for the Docklands area.
The €23 million Quayside Project also includes an office and rescue pontoon space in the Docklands for Dublin Fire Brigade’s Water Rescue Service and the Irish Underwater Search and Recovery Unit.
Located next to George’s Dock on Custom House Quay, the centre will provide more access to the Liffey for activities such as kayaking and paddle boarding. It is to be run by Swan Leisure, which operates swimming pools in Rathmines and Crumlin on behalf of the council.
Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Ray McAdam said the focus of the Quayside Project was to “animate the river Liffey”.
READ MORE
“We want to ensure that more Dubliners use it, and what’s good for Dubliners is good for tourists as well.”
A ‘soft opening’ of the water centre has begun, with local sports clubs and schools starting to use the space and equipment. From next spring, the centre will open to the public after trials to decide which sports will be offered.
The council previously proposed building a white water rafting centre in the vicinity on George’s Dock.
The future of the dry dock is still under discussion, with proposals to build a lido – or outdoor swimming area – among those being considered.
The Dublin City Lido Campaign, which emerged following a letter to The Irish Times, completed its latest design and conceptual images for a public outdoor swimming pool last November.
[ 10 things to make Dublin better, from public baths to scrapping gated communitiesOpens in new window ]
The designs were created in partnership with acclaimed outdoor swimming architect Chris Romer-Lee of Studio Octopi in London and funded by an ongoing GoFundMe campaign that has raised more than €16,000 of its €20,000 costs.
Mr McAdam said he had visited Helsinki with council officials before his election as lord mayor to see how the Finnish capital’s local authority operated its own lido and similar community facilities.
Dublin City Council’s Docklands manager Shelley O’Riordan said a conservation survey was completed in July and €500,000 had been allocated to carry out the works.
“The walls of George’s Dock are protected so we need to repair them and then we will look at the future of George’s Dock,” she said. “If that is a lido is yet to be decided.”
Following this assessment, the council hopes to “go out to the market to see if there is a particular interest”, Mr McAdam said.
“My objective would be to bring the elected members with us. I don’t want to start a process that doesn’t have the support of the elected members of DCC and we will do that across my term in office.”
