The Lucan pool is expected to be handed over later this month
Long-awaited pool to be handed over to operator this month
The Lucan pool has been filled and set to be given over to the operator “later this month” as the long saga nears a close after years.
The Lucan pool has now been filled with water, and the handover process is expected to take place before the end of the month, according to South Dublin County Council Chief Executive Colm Ward.
The latest news comes almost seven years after then-Mayor of SDCC, Mark Ward turned the sod on the project in May 2019.
The Chief Executive said: “The Lucan pool will be handed over to the operator later this month.”
At the turning of the sod in 2019, it was envisaged that construction works for the project would take 20 months to complete but several complications changed things, such as Covid-19.
The pool faced several delays and the rest of the leisure centre campus in Lucan had opened at the end of July 2025, with the pool yet to be completed.
The ‘dry side’ of the Lucan Leisure Centre opened on Monday, July 28 and figures obtained by the Irish Independent under a Freedom of Information request earlier this year show that costs as of September 2025 were €17.87m.
The cost of the project is now expected to be in the €20m range but was originally estimated to be €13.5m.
An independent review was requested on the Lucan Leisure project after the delays led to the termination of a contract.
The termination of the deal with contractors PJ McLoughlin occurred in August 2025 after six years of delays in building the swimming pool due to Covid-19 and other reasons.
The council assumed the responsibility of delivering the project in its final months following this.
The pool was subject to test fills in January, nine months later than anticipated and the filtration system needed extra work in February but the pool is now expected to be on the home stretch.
Despite all the rough waves, the Lucan pool is now close to being enjoyed by members of the public, 12 years after the ‘Pool for Lucan’ lobbying campaign began.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
