That Saturday afternoon of emotion will help lay the past to rest

IN order to prevent Napoleon landing in Dun Laoghaire, the Fortieth Regiment of Foot was sent by the British Army to build fortifications to the north and south of the town — and they built strong and lasting defences.

The Martello Tower in Sandycove stands proudly over the little inlet that now bears the name of the regiment that built it, and the Forty Foot remains a legendary and fabled part of the town.

For decades in the past century, men swam naked there, and there are still signs that describe it as a “gentleman’s bathing place”. Napoleon never invaded, but women did, in the name of liberation, and swimmers of both genders are welcome there now — or tolerated, at least.