Mayo town ready to make a splash with pop-up pool

Plans are in place to install a 'pop-up' swimming pool in Ballinrobe for the start of the summer with the hope of developing a permanent pool for the south Mayo town.

A presentation on the pop-up swimming pool was given to members of the Claremorris/Swinford Municipal District where they gave their commitment to provide financial support to have the pool installed for the summer.

Mark Smith the Ballinrobe Sports Hub Co-ordinator explained that the site between Ballinrobe Community School and St Joseph's National School has been identified as the location for the 13.5 metre long pool which will be supplied and managed by Swim Ireland.

“Once the side is ready to go, the pop up pool comes in and will be set up and ready to swim in within two weeks,” he told the monthly meeting.

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“It is a partnership between the council and the community and is community led which is so important. This has to work for the community because the long term goal would be for a permanent pool. It is up to the community to lead this and make it work and attractive so the figures all stake up. This is the beginning of a project which will bring a lasting legacy to the area.”

The meeting was told that the need for a swimming pool was identified in the Ballinrobe Community Futures plan and a working group was set up in 2024 to deliver a pool.

Mr Smith explained that Swim Ireland own the pop-up pool and once it is up and running they will be responsible for the management of the pool and all the running costs.

St Joseph's NS is the largest national school in Mayo with 450 pupils and Mr Smith said that at present the pupils have to go use pools in Claremorris, Castlebar or Westport to learn to swim.

“Every day the local school has buses going to Claremorris and Castlebar for lessons and that is if they can get them. There is a shortage of lessons at these pools and we know of local schools who do not take their children to swimming lessons because of costs and they cannot get the lessons at the right time,” Mr Smith explained, adding that they expect 700 people to use it every week.

The total cost of the pop-up pool is estimated at €90,000 with Mayo County Council asked to contribute €70,000 with the rest coming from local contributions.

Frank Keane, Chairman of the Ballinrobe Community Council explained that they visited a pop-up pool in Cootehill in Co Cavan and saw how successful it was there. He promised councillors that the long-term project for a pool was not 'pie in the sky' and there was local support behind the project.

Local councillors gave their backing to the project with Cllr Michael Burke saying he will contribute some of his GMA fund towards it.

“It is a very worthy project with hugely popular support. If you asked anyone for their wish list for Ballinrobe, it would be a hotel and a pool. We can't build a hotel but we can do a pool,” he said.

Cllr Damien Ryan added that most towns of Ballinrobe's size have a swimming pool in 'some shape or form'. He said that in recent years Ballinrobe has 'taken its fair share of the heavy lifting' and urged the local authority to recognise that and deliver for the town.