Daily Routine
Four Pike Dives
Four pike dives from the 10-metre diving platform, Blackrock Baths, Co. Dublin. Divers are Billy Morrison, Danno O’Brien, Val Demery and Gerry Daly.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.Four Pike Dives
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.
Four Pike Dives
Four pike dives from the 10-metre diving platform, Blackrock Baths, Co. Dublin. Divers are Billy Morrison, Danno O’Brien, Val Demery and Gerry Daly.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.'For us locals, the general routine was as follows. Training in the morning, afternoons in Dun Laoghaire baths or White Rock Beach in Killiney for socialising, and for serious races, water-polo matches, and diving competitions in the evenings, or 'after tea' as it was known in those days.
'For our added pleasure, for a few years before objections allegedly from residents of Idrone Terrace, there were morning recitals over the loudspeaker system of popular 78's (records) and those that still linger in my memory are 'The Darktown Strutter's Ball', 'C'est si bon', and 'Wilhelmena', amongst others.'
Weather
Three Swallow Dives
Irish national diving champions perform breath-taking swallow dives from the 10-metre platform at Blackrock Baths, Co. Dublin. From left to right are Billy Morrison, Val Demery and Eddie Heron. 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.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.Three Swallow Dives
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.
Three Swallow Dives
Irish national diving champions perform breath-taking swallow dives from the 10-metre platform at Blackrock Baths, Co. Dublin. From left to right are Billy Morrison, Val Demery and Eddie Heron. 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.
By kind permission of Billy Morrison and thanks to Manolo Demery.'On wet afternoons - and yes we did have the occasional wet afternoon - it might be the Regent, Adelphi, or Pavilion cinemas as an alternative to the beach.
'Other features of the life in the baths were the two 'sun parlours' at either end of the spectator stand, where on glorious sunny days of happy memory, bodies were bronzed, or burnt lobster red, without the benefits of Factor 15 plus, since such sophisticated cosmetic protective lotions were unknown to us in those days.
'The social centre of the baths - again on wet days - was the so-called 'café' where no food was ever served, and which was in reality a large storage space for the water-polo goal nets, and swimming rope lanes. The origin of its 'café' name remains a mystery still.'
The Construction Itself
'The overall complex was a credit to those who had the foresight to have it built, early in the last century, a facility surely well before its time, and upgraded sometime in the '20s and '30s.
'It consisted of a full-scale international eight-lane fifty-metre main pool, with two smaller pools at either end, catering for all levels of customers, from basic beginners to the highest standard of championship competitor.'