Edenderry pool could be shut for months after fire

In the same week as members of Offaly County Council gave their seal of approval for a new library in Edenderry, a devastating fire at the local swimming pool has resulted in the closure of the much-used facility for the foreseeable future.

Two units of the Offaly Fire and Rescue Services – from Edenderry and Portarlington - attended the scene of a fire which originated in the plant room of Edenderry Swimming Pool, on the Carrick Road on Tuesday afternoon and spent several hours bringing the huge blaze under control.

In the wake of a meeting of the Board of Directors of the swimming pool, which took place last night (Thursday) Chair of the Board and local Fine Gael Cllr, Noel Cribbin, said it is “too early to say yet” when the pool is likely to re-open, but he added that it could take up to 12 months to reinstate the facility, which had just undergone major refurbishments before the outbreak of this week's fire.

He said it was “the luck of God” that nobody was injured in the fire, and Cllr Cribbin praised the staff who acted quickly to safely evacuate up to a dozen adults who were swimming in the pool. “I wouldn't like to think what could have happened if the pool was being used by children from the local schools” he said, adding that “the outcome could have been a lot different”.

The 17 schools in the Edenderry catchment area all use the pool facilities, along with a large number of local sports clubs and teams, so Cllr Cribbin said it was “very fortunate” that none of them were using the pool when the fire broke out.

“It is one of the busiest pools in the country,” he said. “And it will be a immeasurable loss to Edenderry in the short term, so our aim is to have it up and running again as soon as is practically possible.”

Teams of insurance assessors have already visited the gutted building and their reports into the incident will determine the next steps for the Board of Directors, but the much-used facility is likely to remain closed for some months. Extensive damage was caused to the plant room at the pool, where the fire broke out, and the sauna area was also completely destroyed in the blaze. The remainder of the building also suffered extensive smoke damage.

Edenderry Swimming Pool currently employs four full-time and 16 part-time staff, all of whom have been temporarily laid off. There was widespread praise this week for the quick actions of the staff who were on duty at the time of the fire in ensuring that everyone on the premises was brought to safety.

A post on the Edenderry Swimming Pool Facebook page praised the “due diligence, awareness and first class response” of staff in managing to safely evacuate all those using the pool. The post also paid tribute to the fire service personnel who battled to bring the fire under control on Tuesday afternoon.

The post confirmed that all classes and lessons have been cancelled at the pool “until further notice” and advised members that there are “no phones” at the moment, but that everyone will be kept updated “as we progress through these testing times”.

Edenderry Swimming Pool has been in operation since 1972 and operates as a limited company which is governed by a Board of Directors drawn from the local community. The pool closed in 2007 due to a lack of funding, but re-opened the following year and has been operating a year-round schedule ever since.

Among the many local sporting organisations to express their sadness at the closure of Edenderry Swimming Pool was Liam Morley Brereton who owns and operates St Brigid's Boxing Club in the town, and described the fire as “a shocking blow to the area.” He recalled how many of the members of the St. Brigid's Club, and visiting boxers from “far and wide” had used the pool, sauna, steam room and ice bath after training and sparring sessions. “The staff did an amazing job to make our members welcome – heads up everyone, you will come back bigger and stronger,” he said.