Forty Foot

The Forty Foot is a promontory on the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin, Ireland, from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for some 250 years.

Use

In former times it was exclusively a gentlemen's bathing place and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area. Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to women and children. The gentlemen's swimming club still exists and is open to both genders, it expects voluntary contributions to the upkeep of the area. Many people believe that swimming in the extremely cold water is healthy.

Name

There is no definite explanation for the origin of the name. It has been speculated that it may have been called the Forty Foot after the 42nd Highland Regiment of Foot (now known as the Black Watch), a regiment of the British Army, which is said to have been stationed here. Other suggestions forwarded include the depth of the water (actually less than 40 feet) and the width of the road leading to the bathing place.

Forty Foot Echo

Forty Foot Echo is a Canadian rock band formed in 2001 by lead singer and songwriter Murray Yates. The band released their debut album, Forty Foot Echo in 2003 on Hollywood Records, where they released two singles, "Save Me" and "Brand New Day", the latter appearing on the certified Gold selling Freaky Friday soundtrack as well. Troubles with the label led them to part ways in 2004, though Yates persevered, assembling a new band and releasing a follow-up album Aftershock in 2006. After a long hiatus, Yates reformed the band again in 2013 to release a third album, Returning, and has announced plans to release further music in 2015 as well.

History

Formation and debut self-titled album (2001-2004)

Forty Foot Echo's origin's trace back to the breakup of lead singer Murray Yates's prior band, Templar, which broke up in November 2001. Despite being without a band or a record label, Yates continued to write material by himself. Upon writing enough material, he began work with Canadian record producer Joey Moi. Yates was able to get another record label on the strength of the demos alone, signing to Hollywood Records. Upon signing the contract, Yates was tasked with forming the actual band, of which he recruited lead guitarist Pete Thorn, rhythm guitarist Eric Schraeder, bassist Miguel Sanchez, and drummer Rob Kurzreiter.

Forty Foot Echo (album)

Forty Foot Echo is the debut album of the Canadian alternative rock band Forty Foot Echo. It was released on May 20, 2003 by record label Hollywood Records.

Background and recording

Initial work on the album trace back to the breakup of lead singer Murray Yates's prior band, Templar, which broke up in November 2001. Despite being without a band or a record label, Yates continued to write material by himself. Upon writing enough material, he began work with Canadian record producer Joey Moi. Yates was able to get another record label on the strength of the demos alone, signing to Hollywood Records. Upon signing the contract, Yates was tasked with forming the actual band, of which he recruited lead guitarist Pete Thorn, rhythm guitarist Eric Schraeder, bassist Miguel Sanchez, and drummer Rob Kurzreiter. With the members assembled, they began work on recording an album as a band throughout 2002. Along with Moi, the band also worked with producer Jim Wirt, and had the album mixed by Tom Lord-Alge.