Hundreds take part in festive dips

Hardy souls braved the freezing seas around Ireland today for the traditional Christmas swims.

Hundreds of people took to the water for charitable dips with daily swimmers joining first timers to raise money for good causes.

One of the best known, the annual swim at the Forty Foot in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, saw scores of people line up on the rocks from early morning to take part.

And despite recent “no alcohol” warnings being displayed by the council, a few veterans defied the tightened rules and enjoyed a nip of brandy as they returned safely to shore.

But there was also a lack of Christmas spirit at the bathing place immortalised in James Joyce’s Ulysses, with several motorists fined for parking on double yellow lines.

Elsewhere, swimmers enjoyed the seas in counties along the west coast from Donegal to Kerry including one of the longest established swims at Rosses Point, Co Sligo, and a record-breaking attempt at Salthill, Galway.