Press Release: Tuesday 7 April 2026
Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy announces €400,000 funding for outdoor swimming initiatives
The Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy Jennifer Murnane O’Connor TD has today announced €400,000 in funding to support participation in outdoor swimming across Ireland.
This is the third year of the Healthy Ireland initiative, which aims to support the growing popularity of outdoor swimming. Funding will be allocated to swimming projects nationwide to make them more accessible so that more people can enjoy the many health benefits of outdoor swimming. Applications for funding will be considered for designated swimming sites that wish to improve access, develop or improve changing facilities or purchase equipment to assist people with disabilities.
Minister Murnane O’Connor said:
“This scheme will enable more people to enjoy swimming at Ireland’s many designated outdoor swimming locations.
“Open water swimming has many benefits for our physical and mental health and wellbeing and provides an opportunity for people to connect with others.
“By again improving the accessibility of our range of swimming locations at rivers, lakes and coastal spots, we can continue to build on its growth in popularity and support as many people as possible, across all ages, to participate.”
The funding will be administered by Sport Ireland on behalf of the Department of Health.
CEO of Sport Ireland Dr Úna May said:
“We’re delighted to be working with the Minister and the Department of Health again following the 2026 funding allocation. Together with the National Swimming Strategy, these initiatives will help more people swim outdoors – including those who live far from a pool or face economic barriers to swimming.
“Our Local Sports Partnerships have already made real progress with local authorities on access, and we look forward to building on that with Healthy Ireland and Swim Ireland in the year ahead.”
Data from the Irish Sport Monitor 2024 confirms that swimming is the second most popular participation sport in Ireland, offering a unique opportunity for inclusivity across all of society. Sport and physical activity are hugely important for our population’s physical and mental wellbeing. The administration of this fund though Ireland’s network of Local Sports Partnerships ensures that local needs and challenges are to the forefront of ensuring that the maximum return from this investment is achieved.
Following the receipt of applications, a determination of the allocation of funding will be made jointly by the Department of Health, the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, Sport Ireland, and Swim Ireland.