Gardaí and HSE urge public not to visit the Forty Foot on Christmas Day

The Gardaí, the HSE and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council have issued a joint statement asking people not to visit the Forty Foot on Christmas Day or St. Stephen’s Day.

The long-held Christmas tradition of swimming at the Forty Foot may not be going ahead this year after a joint statement was issued by An Garda Síochána, the HSE and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

In the statement, the public are told that ‘winter swimming, and especially the long-standing tradition of the Christmas Day swim, have become increasingly popular in recent years in our area, with very large numbers of people of all ages gathering at bathing locations along our coastline on Christmas Day.’

In an appeal to the public, the statement goes on to say: “However, this coming Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, An Garda Síochána and the HSE are appealing to everybody to please refrain from visiting bathing areas and specifically the Forty Foot, Sandycove and Seapoint. It is only for this year and is being advised in the spirit of ensuring safety for all our families and friends.

Some Covid-19 restrictions are being eased from today, however they are expected to be tightened once again before the New Year instead of January 6 as planned. You can read more about the potential new measures here.

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