PORTUMNA’S long-running charity Christmas Day swim is at risk of not proceeding this festive season.
Galway County Council in mid-August introduced a do not swim notice for Portumna Lake after it was notified of the visible evidence of aquatic weed.
This notice has remained in place for four months which has led organisers of the annual Christmas Day swim to question if the event can proceed.
Cllr Jimmy McClearn (FG) has raised the matter with the local authority and is looking for the notice to be removed temporarily to allow for the charity swim to proceed.
Speaking on Galway Bay FM, he stated, “There is an investigation going on in terms of what needs to be done to remove those reeds but they are spring time growth but at this time of the year they are in dieback, we have the situation now that for many many years the charity swim takes place in Portumna on Christmas morning, it is very well supported and local charities benefit greatly from that. The organisers at this point of time, many of them are qualified instructors themselves and qualified on all that goes on with the swim, they are very experienced but they are concerned that it cannot go head and organise a swim if there is a no swimming notice”.
According to Cllr McClearn, “Time is running out here because all those things have to be organised, I’ve asked the Council to get this sorted out this week so the swim can go ahead”.
There is a strong sense of tradition attached to the annual swim, he flagged. “It would be a great pity if something which is traditional on Christmas morning, it happens in many other areas but particularly this one in Portumna has a long-running tradition and for as long as I can remember it takes place every Christmas, it won’t take place this year unless the County Council are prepared to take down the swimming laws even if just for the day. There are qualified instructors involved, there isn’t a chance in the world of anything going wrong, people will only swim between the two piers, if you go out further there is reed growth but between the two piers nobody has told me there is an issue swimming in that particular area. This is a well supervised area, there is great enjoyment from the people who take part in it, I wouldn’t feel like going swimming on a Christmas morning but many people carefully do and are happy there’s funds for local charities”.
