Jumping from the quincentennial bridge

amcalester

I spent 3 years in college in Galway and regularly walked across this bridge and wondered if someone could jump into the water without doing themselves a serious mischief.

I've heard stories that a friend of a friend did it but never from anyone who actually did jump from the bridge into the river. Looking at it myself I reckon that if it could be done it'd have to be from a point about 2/3 of the way across, if travelling from the Terryland direction.

So my question is this, any of you out there jump or know for a fact of someone else who did it?

m83

I have a video of a friend jumping off it.


Scary, but doable

amcalester

Can you post the link?

encyclopedia

Jumped the bridge a few years ago, it seems no higher then black rock diving board tbh, although the current is fairly strong, there is a yellow marking for the jumping spot on the same side as the college, if you go there on any nice day durin the summer you will see plenty of people jumpin it
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=YLjGqUCmt8k

amcalester

cool, it wasn't the height that bothered me, it was more the bone crunching impact on the rocks below.

now that I've seen it done I'll give it a go next time I'm in Galway.

implausible

Friends of mine were doing this in college years ago. Biggest danger is the chance of landing on a shopping trolley or whatever other 'surprises' lie there.

Be careful!

muppetkiller

You should try it in a Kayak

amcalester

deemark wrote: »

Friends of mine were doing this in college years ago. Biggest danger is the chance of landing on a shopping trolley or whatever other 'surprises' lie there.

Be careful!

Once I wear armbands I'll be grand, right? Right?

meh... i threw out any option of jumpin into that river after the kid who got paralysed durin our rag week.

blackrock tower gets my thumbs up.

JIZZLORD

hmmm, i think i was walking back to cuirt when them two lads in the vid were jumping.

m83

amcalester wrote: »

Can you post the link?

C:\Users\m83\Videos\BridgeJump.mp4

m83

m83 wrote: »

C:\Users\m83\Videos\BridgeJump.mp4

you win.

ronnie3585

Jumped from the new bridge every summer for about 7 or 8 years, great craic! The railway pillars were class for jumping off too.

are they railway pillars down by woodquay?

ronnie3585

Deleted User wrote: »

are they railway pillars down by woodquay?

Yeah, the ones at the back of the Weir. There used to be a rope up to the top of the closest one to the Jes launch. Not sure if it's still there, been manys a year since I was last up there. Good times!

yea heard bout people gettin up nd jumpin in.. dunno when tho.

gaeilgegrinds

Have done it manys a time, just find the marker!

toiletduck

Meh, kids are always jumping off it come good weather. It's nothing strange.

JohnCleary

Don't know how someone hasn't been hurt jumping from the bridge. During the summer (low water level) it's no more than 8-9 ft deep - that's pretty frickin' shallow when jumping from that height. I've dived around there a few times, the amount of shoite (trolleys, bikes, general scrap) is amazing.

If you want to jump from anything i'd jump from, as said before, the pillars at WoodQuay. The rope is still there at the furthest one from WoodQuay. Jump from the North end (facing Terryland) and slightly over to the Jes rowing club - That way incase the current does grab ya a little, you'll be the safe side. Obviously watch the current swimming accross, during the summer it doesn't be too bad when only 1 - 3 weir gates may be open. From a H&S point of view it's a disaster, but it's great craic

Bobeagleburger

Load of my mates jumped it years ago, I didnt as can hardly swim.

There was young college lad from cavan who my brother knew who jumped when it was too shallow and damaged his spine badly. Ended up in a wheelchair.

JohnCleary

rarnes1 wrote: »

Load of my mates jumped it years ago, I didnt as can hardly swim.

There was young college lad from cavan who my brother knew who jumped when it was too shallow and damaged his spine badly. Ended up in a wheelchair.

Christ on a bike Horrible story

Seriously though, I wouldn't recommend jumping off that bridge, anywhere along it, it's just too flippin' shallow - Go out to Blackrock! One time some fecker nearly landed in my boat jumpin off as I passed underneath - wonder what the outcome of that would have been in court? Fecker would have done some damage to his legs/back

cL0h

Yeah I remember the story of a guy being horribly injured. It used to be a rag week thing when I was in college. Until that dude absolutely creamed himself. It was in all the local papers.
It's a russian roulette thing. If you mess up it's game over.

barry181091

Who's up for it this year ? Seriously considering it for rag week

Bobeagleburger

barry181091 wrote: »

Who's up for it this year ? Seriously considering it for rag week

Yeah hilarious :rolleyes:

josey_whale

http://img29.imageshack.us/f/p5290393.jpg/

Lapin

amcalester wrote: »

I spent 3 years in college in Galway and regularly walked across this bridge and wondered if someone could jump into the water without doing themselves a serious mischief.

Possibly.

But as you say yourself, the bridge is there for "walking" (cycling/driving) across - Not jumping off.

If it was for jumping off, I'm sure provisions would be made for such activities there. Diving boards etc

There is probably a good reason why the bridge doesn't have diving boards.

Probably the same reason they don't have diving boards at the top of the tallest buildings in the city.

Jumping off the roof of the Eyre Square multi story car park will kill you because there is nothing but tarmac below.

Yet you think jumping off a bridge into the Corrib won't because there's water below. What can go wrong ?

But if things do go wrong, (as they have for many people in the past) please spare a thought for those who will risk their lives trying to save you.

And nine times out of ten things will go wrong.

If you want to be an eejit and jump off the bridge for a laugh, then please let the emergency services know beforehand.

At least that way they can concentrate their voluntary efforts on people who really need their help out on the bay or in the docks.

Even if you learnt nothing after "3 years in college" you must have surely absorbed in your time in the city that the River Corrib is one of the most dangerous in the country.

Surely in your time in Galway over the last 3 years you should have heard enough stories about people drowning in our city.

I could be cynical and suggest a two word response to your quest. - Jump in- and do us all a favour. One less gobshíte in the world.
But that means other people will risk their lives trying to save you, when your (trying to be cool in front of my friends) stunt goes arseways.

Here are two more apt words of advice - Cop On.

Don't mess with the Corrib.

PomBear

I did it and was fun, but then again, don't take my word for it that it's safe.


Also, to the user wanting to jump in during RAG week, don't jump in while you have drink in you, recipe for disaster.

harryd2

Did it a few times a while back.. good craic

ronnie3585

Lapin wrote: »

Possibly.

But as you say yourself, the bridge is there for "walking" (cycling/driving) across - Not jumping off.

If it was for jumping off, I'm sure provisions would be made for such activities there. Diving boards etc

There is probably a good reason why the bridge doesn't have diving boards.

Probably the same reason they don't have diving boards at the top of the tallest buildings in the city.

Jumping off the roof of the Eyre Square multi story car park will kill you because there is nothing but tarmac below.

Yet you think jumping off a bridge into the Corrib won't because there's water below. What can go wrong ?

But if things do go wrong, (as they have for many people in the past) please spare a thought for those who will risk their lives trying to save you.

And nine times out of ten things will go wrong.

If you want to be an eejit and jump off the bridge for a laugh, then please let the emergency services know beforehand.

At least that way they can concentrate their voluntary efforts on people who really need their help out on the bay or in the docks.

Even if you learnt nothing after "3 years in college" you must have surely absorbed in your time in the city that the River Corrib is one of the most dangerous in the country.

Surely in your time in Galway over the last 3 years you should have heard enough stories about people drowning in our city.

I could be cynical and suggest a two word response to your quest. - Jump in- and do us all a favour. One less gobshíte in the world.
But that means other people will risk their lives trying to save you, when your (trying to be cool in front of my friends) stunt goes arseways.

Here are two more apt words of advice - Cop On.

Don't mess with the Corrib.

Any chance you write for the Daily Mail?

My friends and I jumped off the bridge and pillars ever summer for seven or eight years when we were young lads. It's great craic.

If you have someone keeping an eye for boats and jump into the middle of the river it's no more dangerous than diving off Blackrock, provided you're a strong swimmer.

Don't do it RAG week with a couple of drinks on you. A mate of mine attempted that in first year and nearly drowned.

JohnCleary

At best there's about 8 - 8.5ft of water under the bridge. That's excluding foreign debris such as bikes/trollies/traffic cones etc.

Jumping off it is a definite potential nomination for a Darwin Award :pac:

If you want to jump off somewhere on the river, jump the pillars at Woodquay, just don't get sucked down the weir swimming across the river.

Lapin

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Any chance you write for the Daily Mail?

Don't be silly.