Sir, Last month Dublin Corporation advertised a site for sale in Townsend Street without consulting the local communities or its city councillors about the site in question Markievicz Swimming Pool, the only Corporation run pool in the south inner city.
The Pearse Street Community Association feared a hidden agenda here to close their pool or turn it into a private members' club. They organised themselves, and with the support of other communities, including Oliver Bond and the Liberties, highlighted this issue and campaigned to save Markievicz Pool and to have it modernised for the benefit of the schools, clubs and communities of the inner city.
We presented a petition of over 2,000 signatures to the new Lord Mayor, Councillor Brendan Lynch, who raised the issue at the July City Council meeting. He got an assurance from the City Manager that a condition on the new owner and developer of the site would ensure that Markievicz Pool was modernised and kept under the control of the City Council.
I would like to thank all those who supported this campaign, and I hope that in future our elected councillors will be more vigilant in protecting our few sporting and children's play areas. I call on all those Government Ministers who will be waiting at Dublin Airport, to be pictured congratulating Michelle Smith on her great Olympic victory, to give support now to the many communities demanding sporting facilities, the boxing, cycling and swimming clubs struggling to develop our youth. Yours, etc., Chairperson, Pearse Street Community Association, IC Pearse House, Dublin 2.