As more people embrace outdoor swimming for its health benefits, and with festive dips at Christmas and New Year becoming a cherished tradition, it’s fascinating to look back at a time when sea bathing was a luxury rather than a lifestyle. Over 115 years ago, Warrenpoint made waves by opening a facility that would become a jewel of Irish leisure: the Warrenpoint Baths.
Established to provide hot and cold, salt and freshwater baths for both sexes and all classes, the Baths were a bold civic project for their time.
The laying of the foundation stone took place on 6 August 1906. Reporting on the event, the Newry Reporter observed: “Nature has been kind to the place, but, as if to counterbalance the advantages, the beach provided naturally is impossible or next to it, for bathing, especially to those who cannot swim – an unfortunate large class. A bathing place, therefore, was the crying need, and, thanks to the energy of the gentlemen responsible for the civic management of the town, this is about to be provided.” The stone was laid by Mrs Hall of Narrow Water Castle before a large holiday crowd of visitors and residents. A jar containing current coins of the realm was enclosed within the stone.
The design was described as “entirely original and unique.” The gentlemen’s swimming bath measured 120 feet by 40 feet, while the ladies’ bath was 80 feet by 40 feet, both with shallow slips for non-swimmers. Bathing boxes on a lower deck offered shelter and privacy, and the baths were emptied and refilled daily with fresh water. The complex also featured a fully equipped laundry with washhouse, ironing and drying rooms, heated linen rooms, and lavatories arranged under the upper deck. A removable screen divided the promenade so the baths could be completely separated during bathing hours. Ornamental gates and kiosks marked the entrance from Marine Road.
On 9 June 1908, Warrenpoint Baths, the first of their kind in Ireland, opened to the public. Captain Roger Hall, DL, JP, of Narrow Water Castle performed the opening ceremony before an estimated crowd of over 2,000 people, many arriving by train. The celebrations included a luncheon followed by a swimming gala and aquatic festival featuring races, diving, lifesaving demonstrations, water polo, and even a live duck chase. Among the competitors was Mr J. Dowling from Newry, who took part in the greasy pole contest.
The baths reopened on 31 May 1909, with His Excellency the Right Honourable John Campbell, Earl of Aberdeen, Lord Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, presiding. The Newry Telegraph later reported on 14 August 1909:
“The record for the season or indeed since the sea baths were opened, was established this week when on one day over 700 bathers indulged in a dip.”
Almost two decades later, on 4 June 1927, the Newry Telegraph hailed Warrenpoint as the “Brighton of the North,” noting: “The splendidly equipped baths… afford all the facilities the most fastidious can expect, and will in all likelihood be more in demand than ever before.”
Though the baths themselves are long gone, their story lives on as a testament to civic ambition, seaside glamour, and the enduring appeal of taking the plunge.
