Pat Gallagher on Kildare FM – 6th July 2018

Shane: Kind of, on a similar enough theme about body parts, we’re gonna discuss nudist beaches in Ireland now. Pat Gallagher joins me from the Irish Naturist Association and, it seems more and more Irish people are becoming interested in being naturist. And, obviously, with the good weather, I’m sure lots of them are taking the advantage. But are there enough beaches? Good morning to you, Pat. How are you?

Pat: Good morning, Shane.

Shane: A very long winded introduction. Sorry. Good morning.

Pat: Anyway fine. You’re fine.

Shane: Talk to me, is the need or the want to become a naturist, are more people getting involved in it?

Pat: Yeah. I believe that, there are more and more. We get quite a lot of inquiries and have done over the years, you know. So, yeah, it is a growing, a growing industry. And across Europe, of course, it’s one of the the fastest growing segments of the tourist industry right across France, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, places like that. It’s it’s huge business, you know. So, many Irish, of course, naturally, take the old Ryanair flights and go to such places and and have their holidays. They might tell their neighbors that they’re on a nudist holiday, but nonetheless, they go there, you know.

Shane: And and it’s interesting. They mightn’t tell their neighbors, but yet it’s not shameful as in they don’t think it’s shameful, but it’s more just that you wouldn’t like, when they’re on the beach, they don’t feel a sense of shame, but it’s just you wouldn’t tell everybody your private business.

Pat: No. It’s a funny old thing. Alright. If you go on a golfing holiday, you come back and you talk about it, most people go on a nudist holiday. They don’t say anything. They just say that we’re in Portugal or Spain or whatever, you know. But, and it probably is some kind of a a shame thing. Now we’re not personally, ashamed. No. But, you know, our neighbors, we don’t always know what way our neighbors think about, us running around naked and that type of thing. So people and especially if you have a a a particular type of a job like a teacher or something like that, obviously, you don’t want to make a big, thing about it Yes. Where you go on your holidays and that. You know?

Shane: And and it’s very good weather at the moment, Pat, in Ireland. Are you allowed be naked in your own garden?

Pat: Yes. Of course you are. Yeah. I mean, the law simply states, the updated law simply states that it’s only an offense if you intend to, offend others, you know, as in, to, harm, distress, or whatever. You know, there’s a couple of words like that. But, basically, yeah, it’s if there is no intent to cause offense to anybody, yeah, it’s quite legal.

Shane: I was reading an article recently from, Esther Ranson. A lot of people will know Esther, a very well known broadcaster with the BBC for years, and she has spoken about the joy of nude sunbathing, and she urged neighbors who take issue with people doing it in their gardens to look at something else instead. So I’m just wondering about the offense level there for her neighbors. You could turn around to them and say, it really is none of your business here.

Pat: You could do. Yeah. I suppose, a little bit of caution, I suppose, if you are, sunbathing naked or topless in your backyard and then maybe, just put up some kind of screening if you think your neighbors would be in any way offended or otherwise are annoyed at the fact that there is somebody nude next door, you know. But, generally, that would require them going upstairs and looking out the upstairs window and so on. So, you know, really, that’s voyeurism at that stage anyway.

Shane: But Esther says everybody should try it. It just may you feel completely different. You haven’t got the sweaty bits where your clothes are overheating you. She says you haven’t got the bits where the straps are cutting into your flesh. She is clearly a big fan of it. You are obviously noticing more Irish people are interested in naturism, and now you want to work with local councils.

Pat: Absolutely. Yeah. And I think she’s right. I think everybody really should give it a go at some stage. And I think maybe most people at some time in their life, had a little skinny dip, you know, and you’ll find it very exhilarating. But, to go out and, go on a beach and, in public view is probably a different thing, but, yeah, I think everybody should give it a try. And I think once you’ve tried it, there is no going back. You know? And as regards to councils, yes, we have one, area there in, South County Dublin at the moment which has been signposted, and we’re in consultation with, Wicklow County Council and others, and, we’re hoping to have signage. Now all we’re doing is we’re asking the areas that are already well established as, nude bathing areas, that a signpost be put up simply saying that nude bathers may be seen beyond this point, and it takes away any intent whatsoever for anyone to have offense. You know? So it’s a simple thing. It costs very little for the council to do, and it means that anybody who is sunbathing or swimming there feels a lot more safe that they’re not offending anybody.

Shane: And does it ever happen, I don’t know, from your experience or from other members of the Irish Naturist Association, that someone would tackle you on it, would say this is offensive to me, or do people just sort of notice it and not say anything?

Pat: I think that’s about it. I think people, pass by sometimes give a little wave and maybe a little smile on their face and that type of thing and just move on. But, again, we don’t go down on your regular beach. The beaches we use are generally out of the way. You park the car. You’ve gotta maybe hike over the sand dunes or walk a a good bit back along the beach or something like that. So we tend to go out of the way, and these areas then become established after a while, you know, and local people will always know that that’s the nudist area in any event, you know.

Shane: Yeah. Okay. Well, there there’s one official nudist beach in Ireland. It’s called Hawk cliff beach, in is it Dalkey or Dun Laoghaire?

Pat: Yeah. Dalkey. It’s part of Dun Laoghaire, Rathdown council area, and it’s not even so much a beach, it’s a bathing area. Has been used for many years. There’s a good mix there between people who don’t wear bathing trunks and those who do, but everybody seems to live in harmony and have done for many years.

Shane: And, do you suspect that people come for a look?

Pat: Sure. Maybe they do, but you know, today’s looker or it might be tomorrow’s naturist. You know.

Shane: Ha Ha Okay. Well, I’ll tell you, it’s a good time to be a naturist in Ireland in terms of the weather. Wouldn’t fancy myself in February or March, to be honest, but it’s certainly good.

Pat: Well, that’s why we run indoor facilities and that. In fact, we run one down there not too far from you, near Kildare, on a regular basis. Also, an indoor swimming pool facility, and we do that around the country. We have various, swimming pools and leisure clubs that we use all the time. So we keep it indoors throughout the winter months also.

Shane: Right. Okay. Very good. Pat, thank you so much for telling us about it. Pat Gallagher there of the Irish Naturist Association. I wonder, is Pat right? Have most of us had a skinny dip, and we all pretend that we’re sort of, you know, you never dream of it.