Forty Foot
Encyclopedia
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.
), 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.
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.
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).
Promontory
Promontory may refer to:*Promontory, a prominent mass of land which overlooks lower lying land or a body of water*Promontory, Utah, the location where the United States first Transcontinental Railroad was completed...
on the southern tip of Dublin Bay
Dublin Bay
Dublin Bay is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea on the east coast of Ireland. The bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south...
at Sandycove
Sandycove
Sandycove is an area of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Dún Laoghaire and Glasthule, but north of Dalkey.Sandycove is well-known for its gentlemen's bathing place, the Forty Foot, which in the past afforded a quiet swimming haven for males only...
, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
all year round for some 250 years.
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. Owing to its isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters, 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.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 WatchBlack Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
), a regiment of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, 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 JoyceJames Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
and Oliver St. John Gogarty
Oliver St. John Gogarty
Oliver Joseph St John Gogarty was an Irish poet, author, otolaryngologist, athlete, politician, and well-known conversationalist, who served as the inspiration for Buck Mulligan in James Joyce's novel Ulysses....
once resided at the Martello tower
Martello tower
Martello towers are small defensive forts built in several countries of the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards....
together. It is now the James Joyce Tower and Museum. The opening section of Joyce's Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
is set here, with the characters Stephen Dedalus
Stephen Dedalus
Stephen Dedalus is James Joyce's literary alter ego, appearing as the protagonist and antihero of his first, semi-autobiographical novel of artistic existence A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and an important character in Joyce's Ulysses...
and Buck Mulligan
Buck Mulligan
Malachi "Buck" Mulligan is a fictional character in James Joyce's novel Ulysses. He appears most prominently in episode 1 , and is the subject of the novel's famous first sentence:...
being partly based on Joyce himself and Gogarty, respectively.
The Forty Foot also featured in the novels At Swim-Two-Birds
At Swim-Two-Birds
At Swim-Two-Birds is a 1939 novel by Irish author Brian O'Nolan, writing under the pseudonym Flann O'Brien. It is widely considered to be O'Brien's masterpiece, and one of the most sophisticated examples of metafiction....
by Flann O'Brien
Flann O'Brien
Brian O'Nolan was an Irish novelist, playwright and satirist regarded as a key figure in postmodern literature. Best known for novels such as At Swim-Two-Birds, The Third Policeman and An Béal Bocht and many satirical columns in The Irish Times Brian O'Nolan (5 October 1911 – 1 April 1966) was...
(1939) and At Swim, Two Boys
At Swim, Two Boys
At Swim, Two Boys is a novel by Irish writer Jamie O'Neill. The title is a punning allusion to Flann O'Brien's At Swim-Two-Birds. The book is written in a stream-of-consciousness style, which has led to favourable comparisons to James Joyce...
by Jamie O'Neill
Jamie O'Neill
Jamie O'Neill is an Irish author. His critically acclaimed novel, At Swim, Two Boys , earned him the highest advance ever paid for an Irish novel and frequent praise as the natural successor to James Joyce, Flann O'Brien and Samuel Beckett...
(2001).