Dublin, Meath, Kildare, Cavan & Monaghan

Team Ireland East

water babies toddler on a mat in the swimming pool

Meet Carol & Thérèse

Sisters Carol and Thérèse practically grew up in a swimming pool! Their Dad Hugh ran the local sports centre in and was heavily involved in Irish Water Safety, while their mum was the pool bookkeeper.

After a childhood spent in and around the water – from competitive swimming and lifeguarding to teaching swimming  – they were destined to have a career in swimming!

Carol found a Water Babies leaflet while visiting family in the UK, and thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to have this in Ireland?!” Both Carol & Thérèse loved the idea of lessons that build water confidence, water safety and ultimately teach babies and toddlers life-saving swimming skills. They contacted Water Babies head office in Devon about bringing their classes to Ireland, and in 2009, they taught their first classes in Dublin!

Fast forward 17 years, Carol and Thérèse now lead a thriving business teaching more than 2,500 babies and toddlers to swim every week across Dublin, Meath, Kildare, Cavan and Monaghan!

Their own Water Babies have grown up too – with Thérèse’s daughter now proudly following in her footsteps as a qualified teacher, while their other children also have worked within the business as poolside administrators.

What started as one franchise in Dublin has grown right across Ireland, with Water Babies franchisees now teaching over 5,000 babies and toddlers nationwide every week!

Meet Ciara!

Originally from England, Ciara grew up in the town of Leighton Buzzard before studying Sports & Exercise Science at the University of Brighton. Having spent many summers and Christmases in Dublin visiting family, she moved here in late 2009 — originally planning to stay for just six months.

Fast forward nearly 17 years, she’s married to Gary, they have three beautiful Water Babies of their own and working her dream job with a dream team.

toddler and dad reading in the pool

Want to see more stories of inspiring little ones? Check out these blogs!

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Become Swimvincible today

Are you ready to become Swimvincible? Then start your baby and toddler swimming journey today with Water Babies, where we’ll help you to learn a skill for life in a fun, imaginative, educational and safe environment. We can’t wait to see you in the pool soon.

Start with bath time

Our Water Babies Learn series is a free resource for all families to benefit from. These practical videos show you key water confidence skills you can do with your little ones, regardless of where you are. It’s all about growing your little one’s confidence, whether that’s at home in the bath, or visiting your local leisure centre. Each video is explained by an experienced Water Babies teacher, so you can watch knowing you’re getting expert advice on introducing your little one to water.

View the full series here – https://dev.waterbabies.ie/blog/learn-with-water-babies/ 

So what are you waiting for? The adventure awaits…

Discover your local lesson today.