Minister Joe O’Brien welcomes the allocation of €25,000 in funding for shelter facilities at Balbriggan Beach

Joe O’Brien TD welcomes the announcement that Balbriggan beach has been allocated €25,000 to develop shelter facilities under the funding scheme for outdoor swimming facilities.

This initiative, developed in line with the Healthy Ireland objective of enabling more people to be more active, more often, builds on the recent growth in popularity of outdoor swimming by improving the facilities and equipment at designated swimming locations across the country.

The funds, which will be administered by Sport Ireland on behalf of the Department of Health, will be used to improve access, enhance changing facilities and to purchase equipment to assist people with disabilities.

Welcoming the funding, Joe O’Brien TD said:

“Balbriggan beach is used by many people for outdoor swimming which is a fantastic way to keep active and improve your physical and mental health. This funding to develop shelter facilities will allow people to enjoy the beach and the sea safely and conveniently.

I am delighted to see the beach receive this funding as it will encourage and allow more people access the beach for swimming, which will benefit the community greatly.

CEO of Sport Ireland Una May said:

"Today marks a valuable opportunity to take what is becoming a very popular avenue for physical activity and make it more accessible to more people. Sport Ireland has been proud to work with our network of Local Sports Partnerships, with contacts in the local authority sector, and with representatives of swimming groups across the country, taking the principles behind this funding and turning them into practical actionable projects.

"Open Water swimming is one of the most equitable sporting opportunities in the country, and today marks the culmination of an intensive body of work to analyse the range of outdoor swimming locations across the country and identify infrastructure or equipment that can open them up to more people. Sport Ireland looks forward to engaging further on this range of proposals to get works under way as soon as possible."

Swim Ireland CEO, Sarah Keane said:

"Swim Ireland has been proud to shortlist the successful initiatives from the breadth of applications that were submitted. This funding is a welcome opportunity to help to further grow Open Water swimming participation across Ireland. We are fortunate to have a beautiful and diverse range of great locations in our seas, lakes and rivers across the length and breadth of our country. Opening them up to more people enables us to further grow participation levels in outdoor swimming and support the health and wellbeing of our people."