Finding yourself in a cocky mood? Or more appropriately, an Irish mood? Well, there’s a place filled with grins and room for highly entertaining shocked faces to watch. Whether from the bitter cold water for the first few minutes, or on the potential chance that you caught the sight of a man going swimming like the good ol’ days when it was merely a men’s bathing area. (If it’s the latter and you’re not too keen on human mooning, averted eyes would be a good route to take.)
Historically, the location was a gentlemen's bathing location, where they could be free from prying eyes. Nowadays though women and children come join in the sweet swimming location.
Down one side are old looking handrails. Feeling unsure one can steady themselves down some to the water; easing in for a slow acclimation to the coolness, until it begins to not feel unbearably cold and instead turns considerably tolerable.
For the people who prefer to bear risks and take an off chance, or slippery slope approach, an outcropping of rocks at high tide beckons. A worn sign warns of the danger of diving into the pool-like area, but plenty of people give a careless shrug or shift and take it head on, making the dive regardless.
The Forty Foot seems to be a place of smug faces ready to enjoy the view and brave the frigid water. Its charm does not fade during the winter, though logic would seem to suggest otherwise. In a self-satisfied defiance however, the Forty Foot has managed to convince hundreds of swimmers to join it for a Christmas morning swim.
Though many people call those who dare the deep winter water such things as crazy, or insane, scoffing at the tradition; there seems to be an underlying sense of pride for Dubliners. It’s like most people can’t stop grinning when their friend says they’re going to do something rather stupid but relatively harmless. It’s a duty to berate, after all “I wouldn’t do that.” Still, you’ll probably cave later and ask with a twinkle in your eyes how it went.
The view stretches across the water pleasantly, and feet are not hemmed in by brushing a surface underneath. Instead coolness yawns deeper and deeper down, and feet paddle to stay afloat for the most part.
So if this Christmas you happen to find yourself in the area, you might want to take a moment to wonder if you’re the type of person ready to join a mad rush of people stepping and diving into a December sea, just because of tradition and spunk. Who knows? Perhaps it’s the next plunge for your life…
References:
"Outdoor Swimming Ireland." Outdoor Swimming Ireland. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://www.outdoorswimming.ie/Co/Dublin/40_foot.html>.
I used these other sites to read some comments here and there from people who’ve actually been there. The mood and tone of my paper borrows some of the general feeling I gathered from these snippets:
"The 40 Foot - South Inner City - Dublin, Republic of Ireland." Yelp. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-40-foot-dublin>.
"The Forty Foot - Glenageary - Dublin, Republic of Ireland." Yelp. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-forty-foot-dublin>.
"The Forty Foot (Dublin, Ireland): Address, Phone Number, Body of Water Reviews - TripAdvisor." The Forty Foot (Dublin, Ireland): Address, Phone Number, Body of Water Reviews - TripAdvisor. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g186605-d216538-Reviews-The_Forty_Foot-Dublin_County_Dublin.html>.
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