National Aquatic Centre opened

WHEN Bertie Ahern was introduced to the Master Blaster, he must have breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t an angry backbencher.

It was instead a giant tubular water-filled chute with terrifying drops, stomach jolting bumps and a velocity to turn your Speedos into a swim hat much easier to negotiate.

The Master Blaster, along with the Dark Hole Flume, Pirates Ship and tsunami style surfing machine were some of the more benevolent obstacles the Taoiseach had to overcome to get to yesterday's grand opening of the National Aquatic Centre at Abbotstown, Dublin.