Forty Foot: Difference between revisions
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==Use== |
==Use== |
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In former times it was kept solely as a gentlemen's bathing place and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.<ref name=".org"/> Owing to its isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for [[nudists]],<ref name=".org"/> but in the 1970s during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters,<ref name=".org"/> now it is open to women and children as well. The gentlemen's swimming club still exists and is open to both genders, it expects voluntary contributions to the upkeep of the area.<ref name=".org"/> |
In former times it was kept solely as a gentlemen's bathing place and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.<ref name=".org"/> Owing to its isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for [[nudists]],<ref name=".org"/> but in the 1970s during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters,<ref name=".org"/> now it is open to women and children as well. The gentlemen's swimming club still exists and is open to both genders, it expects voluntary contributions to the upkeep of the area.<ref name=".org"/> Many people believe that swimming in the extremely cold water is healthful. |
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==Name== |
==Name== |
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==In literature== |
==In literature== |
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[[James Joyce]] and [[Oliver St. John Gogarty]] once resided at the [[Martello tower]] together. It is now the [[James Joyce Tower and Museum]]. The opening section of Joyce's ''[[Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses]]'' is set here, with the characters [[Stephen Dedalus]] and [[Buck Mulligan]] being partly based on Joyce himself and Gogarty, respectively. |
[[James Joyce]] and [[Oliver St. John Gogarty]] once resided at the [[Martello tower]] together. It is now the [[James Joyce Tower and Museum]]. The opening section of Joyce's ''[[Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses]]'' is set here, with the characters [[Stephen Dedalus]] and [[Buck Mulligan]] being partly based on Joyce himself and Gogarty, respectively. Buck Mulligan described the sea as "The snotgreen sea. The scrotumtightening sea." |
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The Forty Foot also featured in the novels ''[[At Swim-Two-Birds]]'' by [[Flann O'Brien]] (1939) and ''[[At Swim, Two Boys]]'' by [[Jamie O'Neill]] (2001). |
The Forty Foot also featured in the novels ''[[At Swim-Two-Birds]]'' by [[Flann O'Brien]] (1939) and ''[[At Swim, Two Boys]]'' by [[Jamie O'Neill]] (2001). |
Revision as of 02:51, 17 September 2013
The Forty Foot is a promontory on the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin, Ireland, from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for some 250 years.[1][2][dead link]
Use
In former times it was kept solely as a gentlemen's bathing place and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.[2] Owing to its isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists,[2] but in the 1970s during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters,[2] now it is open to women and children as well. The gentlemen's swimming club still exists and is open to both genders, it expects voluntary contributions to the upkeep of the area.[2] Many people believe that swimming in the extremely cold water is healthful.
Name
There is no definite explanation for the origin of the name. It has been speculated that it may have been called the Forty Foot after the 42nd Highland Regiment of Foot (now known as the Black Watch), a regiment of the British Army, which is said to have been stationed here. Other suggestions forwarded include the depth of the water (actually less than 40 feet) and the width of the road leading to the bathing place.
In literature
James Joyce and Oliver St. John Gogarty once resided at the Martello tower together. It is now the James Joyce Tower and Museum. The opening section of Joyce's Ulysses is set here, with the characters Stephen Dedalus and Buck Mulligan being partly based on Joyce himself and Gogarty, respectively. Buck Mulligan described the sea as "The snotgreen sea. The scrotumtightening sea."
The Forty Foot also featured in the novels At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien (1939) and At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O'Neill (2001).