Sir, - Your correspondent Uinsionn Mac Dubhghaill in his column "Out Of The West", dated September 23rd, made a sweeping attack on the water quality of the sea in Galway, at Blackrock and at Silver Strand. His exact words were: "The black scum clearly visible at favourite swimming spots, at Blackrock and Silver Strand - despite its, blue flag - bears witness to the urgent need to resolve the problem.
I moved back to live in Galway in around 1991, and while there is little doubt that we should be building a new sewage treatment plant, now (not in three or four years time) the quality of the water at Blackrock and Silver Strand has been very good this year. I have been swimming regularly at both places throughout the summer and the water at Silver Strand was crystal clear, so much so that you could see tiny crabs scudding along the seabed underneath your feet in July.
As regards Blackrock, since I finished teaching Irish at Colaiste na bFhiann in mid August, I have been swimming every day at Blackrock diving platform. I have compared notes with the entire group of men and women who swim there every day, and none of us have seen any dirt to any kind while we were swimming.
I am not talking about short swims; most of us swim right down along the promenade some 500 yards or so, and if we came up against any dirt we would certainly report it. But we haven't; the quality of the water at Blackrock and at Silver Strand has been excellent, and there is no better way to judge it than by swimming in it. I even asked two young divers who swim regularly off the prom, and they also told me they had seen absolutely no dirt.
As regards the Mutton Island sewage scheme, those of us who love Galway Bay would like no further delay in building a sewage treatment plant. This controversy goes back as far as the 1960s, when I myself while studying for my science degree (one of my subjects was microbiology) used Galway Bay as an example of how not to treat your sewage.
It was clear even then that Galway should have a full sewage tertiary treatment plant. I hope that the authorities can resolve the controversy and ensure that Galway's reputation as a safe place to bathe will be restored. Meanwhile, I would advise your correspondent to go for a swim in Galway Bay, and that way he will learn the wonderful restorative quality of the sea as he plunges into it. - Yours, etc.,
Menlo,
Galway.