2022 Highlights

2022 HIGHLIGHTS

2022 marked the end of pandemic restrictions for our naturist activities.

We were able to resume regular swim sessions to full capacity, and even to add a new leisure centre – Birr in Co. Offaly, which constitutes a new county for our footprint.

The year also saw the first INA group holiday in Vera Playa, Spain. Over two dozens of members had a fantastic time in the legendary nudist village in South Spain.

Another huge novelty was the inauguration of Pheasant Lane, the closest thing to the concept of a naturist resort in Ireland, run by our members Derek and Geraldine. This B&B with saunas, hot tub and big garden becomes a nudist paradise once a month, giving many visitors the opportunity to try out naturism in a very safe environment.

Other venues, such as Salt&Cave in Balbriggan Co. Louth and Solas Croi in New Ross Co. Wexford were of ephemeral attraction and had to be discontinued. Cahir and Killarney also suffered from some uncertainty on account of factors beyond our control.

The Barrel Sauna in Dublin City, on the other hand, has been a favourite with our hardcore sauna goers and we will happily continue our custom in the new Rathgar location in 2023.

Sound therapy in Co. Louth was one of the new activities alongside naked dance workshops in Dublin 10, definitively in the rise, and now a fixed feature of our third Sundays of the month. We are very grateful to our volunteers who can offer a combined double experience of dancing followed by carpooling to our Wicklow pool session.

 

Another particularly cool event was the last-minute nude visit to artist Mike Brown’s Chemical Portraits exhibition at Gallery X in Dublin City Centre. Our members quickly seized the chance of this improntu event and filled in the room of the quaint venue. We can’t wait to return for further naked art admiration!

On the outdoor front, our members kept enriching the naturist tradition of Knocknagin Beach in north Co. Dublin and of course, White Rock Beach in south Co. Dublin, which has been established as the most socially normalised nudist beach of Ireland. After-sunset nude swims in Seapoint, the most accessible beach in Dublin, have been added to our regular program as well.
The nicely kept Douentza Gardens in Wexford opened its doors to our members on a warm Sunday of July and offered the additional delights of yoga after refreshments.

Our nude hikes appealed to many adventurous souls one more year. Naked tapas dining was possible again in the Dublin area.

Needless to say, we continued our proud collaboration with British Naturism Northern Ireland and supported their lovely Newcastle weekends. Some of us flew to London to visit the iconic nude campsites of Sunfolk and Spielplatz, where we were warmly welcome by our overseas friends. Other international day trips took us to Rotterdam and Birmingham this year, without forgetting our international representation at the European meeting in Serbia, the World Naturist Congress in Slovenia and the Petanque Tournament in Germany.

We received very positive press coverage in Irish newspapers:

I tried naked yoga… it was empowering – Siobhan O’Connor, Irish Sunday Mirror

 

This year we ran out of INA towels and initiated the third generation of them – a much bigger version that can really cater for every shape and size with its 2,10m length and 1m width. They are available for our members at a subsidised price of €20.

We are ending the year with our highest number of members ever.
For internal interaction we are keeping our private Facebook group and Friday virtual pub gatherings. We are also hoping to see many of our members in all our free January events.

Our short story competition is still open, by the way, and all the contestants will receive free 2023 membership.
But no worries, if you are a reader rather than a writer, you will also be able to participate with your vote!

HAPPY NUDE YEAR!