By Charlotte Lavin
A petition to restore the Salthill tidal pools has gathered over 4,500 signatures.
The petition was created by Ronan and Morgan McGuire alongside their cousin Stephen Trummon via Uplift. The tidal pools were a very popular sea swimming sight in the 1970s and early 1980s, but they have since been filled with concrete.
As part of ‘Phase 1’ of the Galway Development Plan 2023 – 2029, known as the public consultation, the three Galwegians have launched a petition asking for the Salthill tidal pools to be put into use again.
Created last week, the petition has already attracted widespread support on social media. It is being submitted to the City Council in June. The open letter to the Council states that the reopening of the tidal pools would benefit the whole community.
Stephen Trummon said “We estimate that Salthill tidal pools have been closed since 1985. Galway has seen a revival of sea swimming activities and that shows great potential for the tidal pools to be beneficial to the city”.
“It’s a great way for children or disabled people to learn how to swim, especially in the Irish sea it can be dangerous. We’ve seen a resurgence of sea swimming this summer and we thought about asking for the tidal pools to be put into use again,” he said.
Tide pools are naturally occurring shallow pools of seawater. Many of these tide pools exist as separate bodies of water. This enables sea creatures to live safely and swimmers to enjoy the water without the dangers associated with sea swimming.
To support the Galway Tidal Pool petition, click here
For more Galway Pulse news stories check out Westside Public Library launch new initiative encouraging families to read together.
Published on Galway Pulse in March 2021.
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