Carrickmacross Pop-Up Pool to Close on 19 December as Repair Bill Proves Too High
The pop-up pool in Carrickmacross will close on 19 December. Swim Ireland says the repair costs are too high, and councillors were told a permanent pool is still years away.
By the Monaghan Brief staff·Edited by Seamus McKenna·Published · 2 min read
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Monaghan Street, Carrickmacross, 2016. Archive location photograph; not a photo of the events in this story. Eric Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and colour-graded; cropped in layout.
The pop-up swimming pool in Carrickmacross will close on Saturday, 19 December 2026, councillors at the Carrickmacross-Castleblayney Municipal District meeting were told, the Anglo-Celt reports. The pool was meant to stay for six months but has served the town for two years.
Why it is closing
Swim Ireland says repairs would cost €12,000 to €18,000, plus the cost of fixing a separate leak. It called the costs "insurmountable".
Swim Ireland said the works would not be carried out while the pool stays on the Convent Lands site.
Running the pool from January to August 2026 cost about €96,500, including €56,500 in salaries. The district had agreed to give €10,000 towards energy costs.
District Co-ordinator Damien Thornton said the council was "happy to retain the pop-up pool under the current agreed terms. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to provide financial support for the repairs and maintenance work outlined." He added: "It will be going on December 19."
The permanent pool
Cllr PJ O'Hanlon (FF) asked: "Is there going to be money...?" He estimated the full project at about €20 million. If the council has to fund 30%, that is about €6 million, which he said could mean repaying €300,000 a year for about 20 years. He proposed a dedicated meeting on the issue before the council's budget meeting and warned "it will be a number of years before there is a pool in Carrickmacross."
Cllr Colm Carthy (SF) said the permanent pool is at early design stage. He said use of the pop-up pool had grown since the Glencarn Hotel's leisure centre closed. Director of Services Cathal Flynn said there is provision in the revenue budget and the project is likely to be funded on a 70:30 basis.
Northern Sound reported earlier that design contracts have been signed. Cllr Peter Conlon (FG) called that step "as real as it gets". See our earlier story on the design team appointment.
Sources
This article is an original summary based on the following reporting. We encourage readers to visit the original sources for full coverage.
Monaghan County Council has signed a contract with an architect-led design team for a proposed 25-metre pool and leisure complex in Carrickmacross, a facility the town has campaigned for over many years.
Monaghan footballer Stephen O'Hanlon has rejoined Carrick Cruisers for their 2026/27 National League Division 1 season at the Phoenix Centre, Carrickmacross, eight years after he last played basketball on a US scholarship.
A Standing Ground couture gown made with Carrickmacross lace, coordinated by Natalie B. Coleman, returns to Ireland for Irish Design Week, which runs from 7 to 14 November, and a two-Saturday lace workshop follows in Dublin.
