About Us
David Flynn, Martin Walsh, Laly Calderon, Mark Pearson, Garrett Mullan.
The Journey Towards a Public Swimming Pool in North Fingal
A Long-Standing Need
There has been a long-standing call for a public swimming pool in the North Fingal area. Many promises have come and gone, along with many campaigns, yet still no swimming pool has been delivered for the community.
Until recently, the idea of a public swimming pool was very much a fantasy, as the country was gripped by the banking crisis and unprecedented austerity. Thankfully, we are now seeing unprecedented growth, positive employment trends, and, most importantly, the availability of funds for large-scale sports developments through the Sports Capital Grant/Fund. We believe this is a golden opportunity to make a public swimming pool a reality rather than another broken promise.
Until recently, the idea of a public swimming pool was very much a fantasy, as the country was gripped by the banking crisis and unprecedented austerity. Thankfully, we are now seeing unprecedented growth, positive employment trends, and, most importantly, the availability of funds for large-scale sports developments through the Sports Capital Grant/Fund. We believe this is a golden opportunity to make a public swimming pool a reality rather than another broken promise.
How Our Campaign Began
In January 2018, Balbriggan decided to create a Facebook group to campaign for a public swimming pool. Within a few days, the group grew to over 2,000 members from across North Fingal, including The Naul, Stamullen, and other areas.
An informal steering group was formed, and the decision was made to build a campaign to lobby for a public swimming pool. In March 2018, a public meeting was held, attended by residents and local political representatives. Following this, the first committee meeting was called on March 16th, 2018, where the officer board and committee members were elected. The next three meetings focused on formalising the campaign’s structure, creating a constitution, a code of conduct, and defining the direction of the campaign.
An informal steering group was formed, and the decision was made to build a campaign to lobby for a public swimming pool. In March 2018, a public meeting was held, attended by residents and local political representatives. Following this, the first committee meeting was called on March 16th, 2018, where the officer board and committee members were elected. The next three meetings focused on formalising the campaign’s structure, creating a constitution, a code of conduct, and defining the direction of the campaign.
Campaign Activities
Reaching Out to the Community
One of the first actions of the committee was to raise public awareness of the campaign. Social media, which was instrumental in launching the campaign, continued to play a key role in spreading the message.
Recognising the need to reach those not on social media, the committee set up a stall outside SuperValu in Balbriggan on a snowy St. Patrick’s Day, distributing flyers along the parade route and collecting signatures for a petition. It was quite an experience handing out flyers in the snow!
Recognising the need to reach those not on social media, the committee set up a stall outside SuperValu in Balbriggan on a snowy St. Patrick’s Day, distributing flyers along the parade route and collecting signatures for a petition. It was quite an experience handing out flyers in the snow!
Engaging with Political Representatives
Immediately after the first official meeting, the committee reached out to North Fingal’s political representatives to introduce the campaign and seek support. This outreach was well-received, and the campaign has maintained a good working relationship with all representatives, regardless of party affiliation. We are grateful to all the representatives who engaged with us, contributed their time, lobbied on our behalf, and kept the campaign visible with relevant stakeholders. We look forward to meeting the newly elected representatives as part of our continued engagement.
Learning from Other Campaigns
As part of our strategy, we sought to learn from previous campaigns, both successful and unsuccessful, by reaching out to the Portmarnock and Skerries swimming pool campaigns. Committee members met with representatives from both campaigns on several occasions to gain insights and guidance.
Fingal Public Participation Network (PPN)
The campaign is an active participant in the Fingal Public Participation Network (PPN), a network of voluntary groups across Fingal. This involvement provides insight, knowledge, and networking opportunities, and committee members have attended meetings and training sessions to enhance the campaign’s effectiveness.
Mobilising Community Support
Public Submissions for Castlelands
In August 2018, during the first Castlelands public submission period, we rallied the public to submit requests for a swimming pool. Through social media and local press, we encouraged residents to take action, resulting in an unprecedented number of submissions to Fingal County Council calling for a public swimming pool. We believe this strong public response was a key factor in Fingal County Council’s commitment to building a pool, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to the community for stepping up when needed.
Our Balbriggan World Café Events
The need for a swimming pool was also highlighted during the Our Balbriggan world café events, with the topic being raised organically by various groups without prompting from the campaign. We believe this further influenced Fingal County Council’s decision to prioritise a public swimming pool.
Looking Ahead
While we welcome Fingal County Council’s commitment to building a public swimming pool within the Castlelands Masterplan, we remain open and receptive to any suitable site within North Fingal. We do not wish to ‘put all our eggs in one basket’ should the Castlelands Masterplan change significantly or become unviable for a swimming pool location.