Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tower until the regiment was disbanded in 1904. At the close of the first chapter of
Ulysses
, Buck Mulligan heads off to the Forty Foot Pool for a morning swim. A morning
wake-up here is still a local tradition, whether it's winter or summer. In fact, a winter dip
isn't much braver than a summer one since the water temperature varies by only about
5°C between the two seasons. Basically, it's always bloody cold.
Pressure from female bathers eventually opened this public stretch of water, originally
nudist and for men only, to both sexes despite strong opposition from the 'forty-foot gen-
tlemen'. The men eventually compromised with the ruling that a 'Togs Must Be Worn'
sign would now apply after 9am. Prior to that time nudity prevails and swimmers are still
predominantly male.
