South Dublin’s Vico Baths is to close for 13 weeks of repair and reopen for the summer season.
The Victorian-era baths are among the most popular in the country and loved by sea swimmers and celebrities alike.
They are also located in what has been called the Irish “Bel Éire” with members of U2, singer Enya and Van Morrison all making their homes there over the years.
During lockdown in 2020, Hollywood actor Matt Damon was spotted there with a SuperValu bag in hand when filming for The Last Duel was shut down leaving him stranded in Ireland.
Singer Harry Styles and his then girlfriend Olivia Wilde visited in 2022 before his concert in the Aviva Stadium.
Vico Baths is being closed down by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council from next Monday.
The council has appointed Cunningham Civil and Marine Ltd to carry out essential repair works.
Matt Damon after a swim in Dalkey in 2020 with his SuperValu shopping bag. Photograph: Twitter
This will involve repairs to concrete access steps, replacement of damaged railings and the installation of new swim ladders.
“These works will enhance the existing swimming facilities and help protect this area for future use,” the council said in a statement.
Vico Baths was originally only open to men, but now has communal changing rooms.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said the large “7 EIRE” sign will remain open to visitors. The sign on Hawk’s Cliff was restored in 2019.
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It was one of dozens of signs carved into the landscape around the cliffs of Ireland to warn intruding aircraft that they were in neutral Ireland during the second World War.