Cootehill pop-up pool going swimmingly

POPULAR Over 400 people using facility weekly

Katie O'Brien

People in Cootehill and surrounding areas are being urged to make the most of the pop-up swimming pool in the town before it’s due to move to another location next month.

Since its introduction last September, the pool has made a real splash with locals, popular with people of all ages and abilities.

“There’s a huge need,” says Jessica Eynaud, Get Cavan Swimming Officer, of the temporary swimming facility, which will remain in the east county town until it moves to another location in mid May.

Jessica is one of three ‘Swim Ireland’ officers in the country, having previously been a lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science in Derry. She has seen the positive impact of the swimming pool on the community in Cootehill, especially in terms of providing lessons for adults and children, including persons with disabilities.

She says Cootehill “has really really seen the benefits” of having a temporary pool in the town, estimating that approximately 425 people use the facility weekly.

“We have swimming lessons on every evening. We have community groups in, in the morning and schools,” she says, explaining that the pool has played a role in providing therapy for those attending Holy Family School, Cootehill YouthReach, and Drumlin House.

“We have one hour for a particular student who uses the time as a sensory hour... he loves coming here,” Jessica tells the Celt, who also discusses the importance of pool access for teenagers in terms of improving their swimming skills.

“The hope is, when they’re out in the summer, when they’re having fun with their friends, that they’ll feel more confident in the water, and they’ll know how to swim.”

The aim of the pop-up pool is to reduce the barrier to swimming in local communities, which might not have had access to such facilities in the past.

The two biggest barriers, says Jessica, are access and transport, which is why the pop-up pool, which is essentially a converted shipping container, has proven so popular nationwide.

What will make or break the success of the initiative, however, is if it can prove financially viable.

“We get a lot of funding from Sport Ireland for this project,” says Jessica of the Cootehill pool project, which is also supported by Cavan County Council and Cavan Local Sports Partnership.

“The pop-up pool is here to spark an interest, a demand for another facility in the area,” adds Jessica, who claims there is “huge potential” for it to be continued locally.

“The vision is to have a pop-up pool in every county and rotate it... potentially you could see a permanent setting of a pop-up pool in an area, which has happened” says Jessica.

“We are doing a lot of research and evaluation on the project and all that information will determine the next step in terms of a pool.”

Although it’s undecided where the swimming pool will move next, the plan is for it to be dismantled come mid-May, so the pop-up pool team are eager to promote its use among the wider community between now and then.

With a sinking feeling Jessica says: “The pool will be gone before you know it.”