More than €30,000 has been raised in order to help fund repairs to the Belmullet Tidal Pool,
The Belmullet Tidal Pool is a popular amenity in the town.
The local community has rowed in behind the popular amenity with close to €32,000 fundraised to repair cracks to the leaking pool.
The pool is perfectly safe and remains in use but the leaks mean it cannot operate to its full potential.
“This is probably going back a year and half to two years ago,” said Michelle Healy, local swimming teacher and member of the Tidal Pool committee. “We had a conversation with the engineer from the council and told them there were cracks in the pool. The pool is leaking. When it leaks badly and we don’t have a tide high enough to come over it makes the pool quite shallow. When that happens you can’t swim full length. It makes it quite difficult for lessons for beginners. The pool can’t be used to its full potential.”
The structure, which is owned by Mayo County Council, will be 40 years old next year and it is hoped that repairs can be carried out swiftly. A number of engineering reports are being undertaken to determine the best course of action.
“We are afraid that if the cracks get worse then the damage will be irreversible and the job would be a whole lot bigger,” said Michelle. “We are trying to get ahead of the problem before it worsens.”
The pool is an incredibly popular local amenity, with the number of swimmers soaring during the pandemic.
“We are so busy. We have 50 or 60 daily dippers even during the height of winter. The pool needs to be maintained more and we are noticing the leaks and the cracks more, because we are losing water more often.”
A series of fundraising events took place during February, with the committee’s ‘Freezebury’ dip challenge a success.
“We wouldn’t have raised the amount of money we have without the community and the numbers of people who came on board with us.”
