Pop-up pool proposal for Mayo town

A pop-up swimming pool is in the pipeline for Ballinrobe.

It's phase one of a greater plan to construct a permanent pool in the town.

The pop-up will be 13 metres long, in a covered structure, and a site has been identified for it on the convent grounds between the local primary and secondary schools.

Local councillors were briefed on the project, which will cost €90,000, at their monthly municipal district meeting.

Mark Smith, coordinator of the Ballinrobe Sports Hub, explained how the South Mayo Swimming Centre idea came out of the Community Futures process, where the number one priority for the community was a pool.

A working group has broken it into a three-phase project, the first step being the pop-up pool with Swim Ireland, with phase two gathering data regarding use, etc., and phase three being a permanent pool.

The cost of the pop-up will have to be met by council and community contributions. The facility will be heated and fully accessible.

It would be a welcome boost for the schools, with 450 primary school pupils next door and a student population of 800 in the secondary school. And it would also serve a much wider catchment down into south Mayo and out towards Leenane and Tourmakeady, Partry and Ballintubber.

There was unanimous support for the project, with Councillor Michael Burke asking council management to come back with a proposal on how they can support it.

It is a project that has come from the community and what they make priorities, the councillors would support, said Councillor Patsy O'Brien.

There is a need and it should be supported, agreed Councillor Damien Ryan.