Time to think outside the box

Bailieborough Leisure Centre struggling to keep up with running costs

Almost two years ago, Bailieborough Swimming and Leisure Centre celebrated a significant funding boost when it secured €93,774 under the Sports Capital Programme for the installation of a new 6m x 3m “pop-up pool”. The project was intended to ease pressure on an already stretched facility and create a dedicated space for beginner swimming lessons and one-to-one tuition for people with additional needs.

It has now transpired that the plug is being pulled on this project. What initially appeared to be a relatively modest €94,000 investment has evolved into a vastly more expensive undertaking.

“The ant grew legs,” Chairperson of the Board, Mairead Galligan, described how the project costs escalated.

What was originally was costed at just under €94,000 is now estimated to cost as much as much as half a million.

At the time the grant was announced, Mairead described the funding as a major step forward. Demand for the centre’s services was so high, she noted, that the facility could almost operate around the clock. “The gym and the pool are very much at 100% capacity and are under quite an amount of strain,” she told The Anglo-Celt in 2023.

The plan was straightforward. A largely underutilised studio area would be converted to house the modular pool, with a connecting wall opened into the existing pool area. Works were expected to begin in early 2024 with minimal disruption to members. Since then, detailed construction assessments revealed that installing the pool would require either removing part of the building’s roof to gain access or demolishing and rebuilding sections of the structure.

“We thought we were assembling a pool,” she explained. “But when the construction plans came back, it became obvious that access was the major issue.”

Alternative options, including constructing a separate building, were examined but proved equally unrealistic.

“The whole idea of the three by six metre pool was to take a little pressure off the lessons,” she said. “But we won’t ever get the return on this level of investment. The costs just became completely out of proportion.”

For centre manager Linda Ledwith, the reality of operating costs has also transformed the discussion. “Oil prices have gone through the roof,” she said.

The leisure centre is currently paying approximately €8,000 every three months for oil, double what it was paying only a few months ago.

“The cost of running the whole place is just so expensive,” she explained.

“If we added another pool, the running costs would increase dramatically. It’s absolutely not sustainable. It’s not feasible.”

Instead of expanding the facility, management now believe the priority should be upgrading the infrastructure that already exists. “It’s money down the drain at the minute,” Linda said of current energy costs.

The centre’s boilers date back to 1999 and are approaching the end of their operational lifespan. Should they fail, one of the region’s busiest leisure facilities would face major disruption. “We need to think outside the box now,” Linda said.

Among the options currently being explored are drilling a well, replacing the ageing oil-based heating system with gas boilers, investing in solar energy and modernising shower and plant room facilities.

After all the investigations and findings, Mairead hopes “to be in a position to change the use of the grant”.

Time is of the essence, as successful grant applicants have to “demonstrate a substantial amount of progress on the project to facilitate the drawdown of the grant by 27 September 2026”, the Department of Sport told the Celt.

While the Department did not comment on this particular case, they did confirm to the Celt that “when a request for change of purpose is requested by an organisation, the Department is flexible where such changes are in compliance with the guidelines.”

One of the criteria within the Sports Capital Programme are: “modification to sports facilities to reduce energy consumption.”

Together with Minister of State Niamh Smyth and her team, the Bailieborough Board is currently in the process of changing their initial grant proposal. “We’ve helped them to amend it. It is absolutely in the interest of the wider community that the swimming pool can run more cost effectively,” noted Deputy Smyth.

The significance of the facility extends far beyond its swimming pool. Bailieborough Leisure Centre employs 54 staff and serves a vast catchment area extending well beyond east Cavan. Approximately 1,200 children attend swimming lessons, travelling not only from Bailieborough but also from Kingscourt, Navan and surrounding areas. The weekly aqua gym sessions have 200 participants, adding a valuable sporting and social aspect to the community.

National participation figures underline why demand remains so strong.

According to the Irish Sports Monitor 2025, the most popular physical activities among adults are personal exercise, swimming and running, followed by cycling and weight training.

The monitor also highlights the importance of inclusive facilities for people with disabilities.

“The Leisure Centre has been gold in this regard. They are always offering inclusive and mindful opening hours for people with additional needs,” remarks Deputy Smyth.

“Their value for the wider region is something they should emphasise in any new grant applications,” suggested the Junior Minister, encouraging all sports group to keep an eye out for the next opening of grant applications coming up soon.

This is not the first time the Bailieborough Leisure Centre has hit the headlines in relation to funding issues.

In October 2020, the Celt reporting that the board was just weeks away closing the pool due to a funding crisis.

However, having read about the plight of the facility in this newspaper, a mystery benefactor came forward and, along with a further €100,000 in Government funding, the swimming pool and leisure centre remained afloat.

Today, for Bailieborough Leisure Centre, the objective of cutting energy costs now appears far more relevant than adding extra water space. “If the boilers give up tomorrow...” Linda’s unfinished sentence speaks volumes.

The manager would like to focus on modernising what is already there - ensuring the pool stays heated, the gym remains open, local jobs are protected and one of Cavan’s most heavily used sporting facilities can continue to serve its community.