Dear Friends,
I wanted to share a quick, personal story about a place that means the absolute world to me: the PSLC swimming pool. I’ve been teaching swimming here for over 25 years, instructing both through my own school and by teaching PSLC’s own lessons over the years. To be honest, this pool is far more than just a facility to me—it is the beating heart of our community, a place of pure connection, and truly a second home.
My entire family’s story is woven into these waters. More than twenty years ago, I actually met my husband right here while we were both teaching. Years later, our three boys learned to swim in this exact pool. In fact, over fifteen years ago, I set up the very first preschool swimming classes at PSLC, which is where my oldest son, Jack, first learned to swim. What started back then as a small class of just eight children has grown beautifully over the years into a continuous, thriving program that now teaches over 60 kids!
Over the years, I’ve had the joy of teaching absolutely every age group here, from tiny babies all the way up to adults. I also set up a specialized teen swim session on Thursday afternoons to keep our local teenagers active and engaged. On top of that, my husband runs the Irish Water Safety lifesaving classes here on Saturday afternoons. It is an incredible training program for any teenager looking to secure a part-time job or pursue a rewarding career in aquatics, and it has proudly provided a steady stream of qualified lifeguards directly to the PSLC pool.
Beyond my family and students, the pool is where I find my own community. Every week, I swim with an incredible bunch of friends. What started out as a tiny, quiet group has grown into a thriving, inclusive family of thirty to forty swimmers. We meet up three or four times a week to get our sessions in. It doesn’t matter if someone can only manage a few lengths or if they are training for upcoming outdoor sea swims—everyone is welcome. Every Thursday morning, I volunteer my teaching skills to run a technique session to help everyone improve. Afterward, we always head over to the Après coffee shop right in the PSLC reception area, where Mary and her wonderful team make us feel right at home. We’ve grown so close that we even went on an unforgettable swim camp trip to Croatia recently, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
The PSLC pool does so much heavy lifting for our area, catering to schools both near and far, special needs groups, and the general public. It is one of the rare, special places where anyone can sign up for swimming lessons without needing to be a member of the PSLC.
On a professional level, this pool is the foundation of my livelihood. I run a local swim school here with over 160 active participants. Beyond teaching kids a life-saving skill, I’ve been able to create local jobs by training passionate local people to become qualified swimming teachers. Many of them have used this as a direct pathway to teach directly for the PSLC pool itself.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story, and for caring about this wonderful community hub.
Warmly,
Aoife Gibbons Local Swim Coach, Parent, and Community Member
As part of our fundraiser, we’re asking current and former members, visitors and supporters to share their PSLC stories.
Your story helps us show why this long-standing community centre matters so much to Portmarnock and the wider area.
You can send your story as text, voice note or video using the links below. Don’t worry about formatting or typos. We’ll write it up, send it to you for approval, and only then share it on our website and social channels. We’d love to include pictures to.
From big life moments to short, fun memories, we’d love to hear them all.
We’re raising funds to replace the roof of our pool and restore the PSLC for all.
