TWCB made a comment there about the amount of Irish who can’t swim. Indeed I’m met a lot of people who can’t and it’s always shocked me. Like being not able to ride a bike.
So, can you swim? And where and when did you learn?
I was brought for lessons somewhere near Killester I think around the age of 4. Was always back to catch Hi-De-Hi with Su Pollard. In primary school you had 8 weeks of lessons every year you were in the school. After that I was sorted and the new year means counting down the months to the first dip of the year.
[quote=“Thrawneen, post: 890423, member: 129”]TWCB made a comment there about the amount of Irish who can’t swim. Indeed I’m met a lot of people who can’t and it’s always shocked me. Like being not able to ride a bike.
So, can you swim? And where and when did you learn?
I was brought for lessons somewhere near Killester I think around the age of 4. Was always back to catch Hi-De-Hi with Su Pollard. In primary school you had 8 weeks of lessons every year you were in the school. After that I was sorted and the new year means counting down the months to the first dip of the year.
Works for Damien Dempsey and it works for me.[/quote]
living beside the sea it was strange that I learnt to swim in the JFK Memorial Swimming Pool in New Ross. Ger Doyle, now a convicted sexual deviant was in charge at the time, but luckily i managed not to have any contact with him…
Went for about 2 years in, like @Thrawneen, blocks of 8 weeks.
Havent been swimming in quite some time and would really like to get back into, a great workout.
[quote=“Thrawneen, post: 890423, member: 129”]TWCB made a comment there about the amount of Irish who can’t swim. Indeed I’m met a lot of people who can’t and it’s always shocked me. Like being not able to ride a bike.
So, can you swim? And where and when did you learn?
I was brought for lessons somewhere near Killester I think around the age of 4. Was always back to catch Hi-De-Hi with Su Pollard. In primary school you had 8 weeks of lessons every year you were in the school. After that I was sorted and the new year means counting down the months to the first dip of the year.
Works for Damien Dempsey and it works for me.[/quote]
Swimming pool in St Paul’s in Raheny, I’d assume. Closed now, sold for redevelopment in 06.
I can swim but never got a lesson. One of the things in my bucket list is to learn to swim properly.
I would have thought a higher proportion of Irish people can swim than other countries. I did a good bit of swimming as a kid and went to a few galas or competitions. Had a swim in the Atlantic on the 3rd of January this year.
I used to be a capable swimmer, my technique is gone to fuck now though. The last few times I’ve tried it do I felt like I’m dragging myself through the water rather than swimming on top of it.
Swim every Saturday morning as a proper training session with a club. It is exquisitely unpleasant at the back of the top lane where I am usually put, but it is a fantastic workout. Do usually 4-5k set of all sorts in 90 mins. Fully coached session by ex GB international, who is hard a a nail but has a heart of gold. I love swimming in the sea in salthill though and try and do a mile or two a day whenever I’m home, though I’ve no wetsuit and I get so cold that the lady in the coffee shop asked my mate should she call an ambulance after it one day when I was having a coffee. It is a great way of relaxing. The kids both get swimming lessons as swimming has given me great pleasure, and I want them to have that opportunity.
According to a whitewater rafting instructor I met in Cairns the 3 worst swimmers in the world were Indian, Japanese and Irish. These 3 nationalities account for the highest proportion of accidents in the Tully River.
I went to College with a couple of lads from West Cork who lived on the sea and couldn’t swim. They were from a fishing background and apparently fishermen don’t learn to swim as it would only prolong the agony if they ever ended up in the drink. I think there may be a piseog around it as well that it was bad luck for a fisherman to learn to swim or something retarded like that.
Kids over here have one hours swimming lesson as part of the school curriculum until third class. They get bussed out to a pool on a Tuesday. My gang learnt from the age of 4 and we kept up the classes after 3rd year as well. So they can all swim fairly well unlike me who cannot swim at all.
[quote=“Thrawneen, post: 890549, member: 129”]That’s one of the worst piseogs I’ve ever heard.
Cork :rolleyes:[/quote]
From the INTERNET:
Through my travels in Ireland I learned that it is bad luck for an Irish fisherman to learn to swim. They believe that once you learn you’ll be forced into a situation to use it. Every year there are nearly 200 commercial fisherman drownings. I couldn’t believe that not learning to swim wasn’t a staple for the industry. i confronted an old salty Irish fisherman over a pint of Guiness and asked him why there was no yearn to learn. He told me, “If heaven forbid you fall overboard, take a long drink of that black water and swim for the bottom and save yer’self the misery of false hope.” The waters are so unforgiving that even the strongest swimmers find their doom.
Used to get lessons in blocks of 8 weeks, every year throughout Primary school, but couldn’t hack it at all. In secondary we went at it from Halloween right through to Easter in First Year, but I was still struggling. It took a bad knee injury at the age of 17 before I really got the hang of it and I can now say I am a reasonable swimmer. Wouldn’t back myself though in an emergency…
