Flann O’Brien famously asked if a man spent half his life cycling, is he half-man, half-bicycle? But the absurdly post-modern question in Salthill last week was: is a diving tower blocked off for diving still a diving tower?
This philosophical question formed part of heated debate last weekend after new railings were erected on the iconic Blackrock diving tower late last week.
Galway City Council had contractors at the landmark tower to insert custom-made railings across two jumping-off points on the middle platform of the tower. These jumping points are almost directly underneath similar, higher diving platforms which face the Clare hills.
“There were issues with people jumping from these locations at the same time, putting themselves at risk of landing on top of each other,” said a spokeswoman for the local authority. The International Life Saving Federation of Europe (ILSE ), which accredits beach safety for the local authority, recommended in 2019 that the jump point on the middle platform directly below the top-level jump points should be closed permanently because of the potential collisions.
It is unclear whether council staff did not give a clear brief, or perhaps the contractor was a wee bit overzealous, but when swimmers arrived at Blackrock on Saturday morning, nearly all the middle-platform jumping-off points were closed with custom-built steel railings bolted in to the concrete platform.
The Council claims its contractor mistakenly closed off all points on the middle platform. “Once we were made aware of this, GCC organised the removal of two of the barriers that were put in incorrectly,” says the spokeswoman
However this is not the only change made to the 1950s structure that is so entwined with the modern image of Galway city that a giant image of it looms over the table where city councillors meet in City Hall.
“This is part of our built heritage, but it looks a bit of a mess these days,” says local councillor Alan Curran (SD ) who counted 11 warning signs when he visited Blackrock this week. “There needs to be consultation with the end user if [the local authority] wants to make changes. They have closed some openings that people have been happily jumping off for ever, and I think if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Blackrock, with a 17 foot tidal depth range, has been a swimming spot since the mid nineteenth century, although from 1885 to 1910 its owner, Colonel O’Hara, tried to exclude bathers until he struck up an agreement with Galway’s Urban Council to lease the area and grant a right of way for £1 per year.
Last year, Galway City Council closed Blackrock for several weeks just before the bathing season for “essential” works, including repainting.
A stairs on the western side of Blackrock has been removed over recent years, and an internal staircase closed, while a summer swim raft moored a few yards away from the tower was removed around seven years ago.
