Cork swimming club has Olympic-sized pool in warehouse waiting to be assembled

Dolphin Swimming Club in Mayfield have started a GoFundMe to pay for the price of construction

Head Coach at Dolphin Swimming Club, Mick McCormack (left) and Club Chairman Giuseppe Whelan. Mr Whelan said: 'We went into negotiation with Birmingham City Council and ended up securing the pool. It is now sitting in a warehouse in Cork after coming in on the back of four 40-foot trucks.' Picture: Howard Crowdy

After the success of Daniel Wiffen and Mona McSharry, plans are underway for Cork's first Olympic swimming pool.

Chairperson of Dolphin Swimming Club in Mayfield, Giuseppe Whelan, explained that the structure, currently in a hidden location after being dismantled and shipped to Ireland, is worth €1.1m. He was able to purchase it at a reduced price thanks to club member donations.

Mr Whelan is now seeking the public's assistance to help the club secure the cost of planning permission. He is urging people to donate to their GoFundMe to bring them another step closer to their Olympian dream.

"This is bigger than Dolphin," he said. "We just want to spearhead it and make it a reality. I want to see this operational in the next two years."

It is hoped the facility will pave the way for more Olympian hopefuls eager to replicate the recent success of bronze medalist Mona McSharry and Daniel Wiffen who struck gold and bronze in Paris this year. 

A total of €100,000 will be required for the planning stages with millions more needed for the pool's construction. Giuseppe recalled how the dream began.

"Dolphin won Swim Ireland Club of the year in 2022. At the awards ceremony we were approached by Swim Ireland who told us there was potential for us to bring an Olympic-sized swimming pool to Ireland. The one we purchased was a six-lane swimming pool that was built as part of the Birmingham Commonwealth games held that year. 

"We kicked off the process. Initially, we tried to buy the pool with other clubs in Cork. Through nobody's fault, when you have a collective group of people trying to get an agreement on things it can be difficult. That's why we decided to get the pool ourselves. 

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"We went into negotiation with Birmingham City Council and ended up securing the pool. It is now sitting in a warehouse in Cork after coming in on the back of four 40-foot trucks.

"There is a reinforced slab of concrete which the pool is built around. Then you build up the floor and deck to it. As a person coming into it you don't notice any ground level changes or real difference from any other pool. 

"The price of building this will come in at about €1m but the real money will be the building itself.  Cork County Council has given us an agreement in principle to lease five acres of land from them. We are now going through the process of securing the lease."

People can donate on the GoFundMe page.