Billy Morrison with the Leinster Schools Water Polo Cup
Billy Morrison pictured with the Leinster Schools Water Polo Cup, 1954. Billy grew up in Blackrock and first learned to swim in Blackrock Baths. He went on to win many medals for swimming, including the Senior Leinster and Irish Highboard Diving Championships. He was a member of the Sandycove water polo team. He wrote an article on swimming in the Blackrock Baths during the mid-1900s for the Blackrock Society Proceedings (volume 9, 2001), which was later included in an exhibition on the history of the baths for the Blackrock Library Centenary celebrations in 2005.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison & thanks to Manolo DemeryBilly Morrison with the Leinster Schools Water Polo Cup
By kind permission of Billy Morrison & thanks to Manolo Demery
By kind permission of Billy Morrison & thanks to Manolo Demery
Billy Morrison with the Leinster Schools Water Polo Cup
Billy Morrison pictured with the Leinster Schools Water Polo Cup, 1954. Billy grew up in Blackrock and first learned to swim in Blackrock Baths. He went on to win many medals for swimming, including the Senior Leinster and Irish Highboard Diving Championships. He was a member of the Sandycove water polo team. He wrote an article on swimming in the Blackrock Baths during the mid-1900s for the Blackrock Society Proceedings (volume 9, 2001), which was later included in an exhibition on the history of the baths for the Blackrock Library Centenary celebrations in 2005.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison & thanks to Manolo DemeryBilly Morrison grew up in Blackrock, the family consisting of his parents, Tom and Margaret, and his sisters Mary and Jane.
He was educated at Carysfort Convent National School from the age of four and a half until he was eight years old, and after that at Willow Park and Blackrock College.
He won many medals for swimming, including the Senior Leinster and Irish high board diving championships, and he was a member of the Sandycove water-polo team. He was in charge of overseas publicity for Bord Fáilte, in later years.
On this page and the following pages, Billy Morrison shares his memories of Blackrock Baths.
Handstand Dive by Billy Morrison
Billy Morrison performs a handstand dive on the 10-metre diving board at Blackrock Baths in 1967. The spectator stand can be seen in the background. The Annual Gala of the Sandycove Club was generally a two-night affair with swimming, water polo and diving. Diving featured international spring and high-board diving, as well as the ever-popular comedy and fancy dress diving performances by home and visiting divers. The local divers were led, inspired and mentored by the legendary Eddie Heron.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.Handstand Dive by Billy Morrison
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.
Handstand Dive by Billy Morrison
Billy Morrison performs a handstand dive on the 10-metre diving board at Blackrock Baths in 1967. The spectator stand can be seen in the background. The Annual Gala of the Sandycove Club was generally a two-night affair with swimming, water polo and diving. Diving featured international spring and high-board diving, as well as the ever-popular comedy and fancy dress diving performances by home and visiting divers. The local divers were led, inspired and mentored by the legendary Eddie Heron.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.'Blackrock Baths meant many things to residents of the village throughout most of the last century.
'My memories begin in the early '40s - which doesn't seem like sixty years ago - with the first tentative efforts at the dog's paddle, in the babies 3 foot pool, when I was about five or six years of age.
'This was followed by promotion to the 4 foot 6 inch pool, at the city end, having mastered a few strokes of the more advanced breaststroke.
'Finally, graduation to the big 6-foot pool came with the achievement of my first few overarm, or crawl strokes.'
Billy Morrison Doing an Inward Somersault
Billy Morrison performing an inward somersault from the 10-metre high board at Blackrock Baths during the Annual Gala of 1967.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.Billy Morrison Doing an Inward Somersault
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.
Billy Morrison Doing an Inward Somersault
Billy Morrison performing an inward somersault from the 10-metre high board at Blackrock Baths during the Annual Gala of 1967.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.'In those days - before the advent of television, videos, CD-ROMs, DVDs and emails, life was very simple and the baths provided a safe and innocent social and sporting setting for the children and families of the area.
'Casual swimmers, spectators and bathers were also catered for, as well as the more competitive swimmers, water-polo players, divers and locals who were joined by Dubliners from the surrounding areas of Dun Laoghaire, Sandycove, Stillorgan, Mount Merrion, Dundrum as well as the city, and outer suburbs of Crumlin, Drimnagh, and even from as far afield as Clontarf on the northside.
'It was a facility which provided great social and community benefits in its time, for locals and visitors alike.
'For the serious and not so serious, swimmers and divers, there was a number of clubs, which organised classes and training: races, water-polo and diving competitions and galas.
'The principal ones were - Young Leinster, Blackrock College, Pembroke, Dublin and Sandycove. They catered for beginners of both sexes - up to adult national and international representatives and champions.'