The H.S.E. has decided to close the public urinal at the Forty Foot bathing facility in Sandycove. I believe that the Sandycove bathers were informed about this decision in the not-too-distant past.

The H.S.E. says that the toilet was unhygienic and unsafe. In my opinion, the urinal was always well-maintained, with plenty of Jeyes fluid being used every day to keep it ship-shape.

Now the only public convenience available is a single modern-style self-flushing toilet a long walk away from the bathing area, which regularly breaks down, might I add.

Fair to say then, that when they decided to close the old bathroom, they did not provide a replacement facility suitable for the bathers who regularly visit the Forty Foot.

The toilet at Sandycove costs fifty cents to use when it is working and on a busy day it is impossible to use it. Not much thought was given to the bathers of Sandycove when the urinal was decommissioned.

While speaking with my old friend Tony ‘Monty’ Montgomery, he remembered when his children were small, he used to bring them to the old baths in Sandycove which had toilets provided, since blocked up.

Now, on a busy day, there can be up to a thousand people out there with only one lavatory to serve them all. The result? People urinate all over the place, now that is what I call unhygienic!

There are no public toilets in the Borough of Dun Laoghaire. The one on the East Pier has been closed for many years and over the years all the others were closed, as has been the case in many parts of the city.

It does not have to be like this, I was away in Sligo recently at the waterfall in Glencar and the facilities there are excellent, as they are in many other places around the country such as the beach at Rosses Point, where all the toilets are well-maintained, with plenty of running hot water and spotlessly clean.

As an avid swimmer and a regular out at the Forty Foot, I would like to appeal on behalf of myself and all the other swimmers to Dun Laoghaire and Rathdown Council, please take another look at this problem. It is a basic human right to have access to a public convenience when the need arises.
In days gone by the forty foot was predominately a gentlemen’s bathing place, but not these days. With equality laws now in full force, it is time to address this problem and put proper facilities in place for all to use .