The Radio Nova DJs are leading the charge as part of the annual skinny dip in Skerries in aid of men’s cancer care at the Mater Hospital.
Comedian Gallagher said the idea of getting into the waves with only a bow tie for protection took a little bit of getting used to, but the Dickie Dip is as good an opportunity as any to show the good that can come from not taking yourself too seriously.
“Funnily enough, when it was originally floated, we weren’t sure whether or not they wanted us to participate or if we were just going to be the faces of the Dickie Dip,” said Gallagher (49).
“We were like, ‘Yeah, great. Anything to help out’, and all that – and then it was suddenly the idea of being naked in November.
“I didn’t actually realise it was going to be fully in the nip either when I agreed to it. I thought it would be like flesh-coloured underpants or the traditional Irish grey matching pants or something.
“I wasn’t totally sure we all had to be fully nude bar the dickie bows, but it turns out we are.”
The co-hosts are big advocates of the idea that “you don’t have to get so down and serious to say what’s on your mind” on their radio show, Morning Glory with PJ and Jim.
“I mean, that’s really how you show people in the physical sense – how do we show people it’s OK to be vulnerable?” Gallagher said.
“Well, I’ll take my trousers off in front of everybody and walk into the sea, and when we come out, we’ll say it was good and not a terrible experience.”
We would love for people to join us and take off their pants. Well, when you get there – not on the street
While the pair joked that the “visuals” from the event may be burned into people’s memories as they stand on Skerries beach naked and afraid, it also serves to break down the walls about discussing of cancer.
“The weird thing is that as much as people might think the idea you’re in some way doing a disservice by not treating it with seriousness, we think it’s the opposite,” McCabe said.
“Sometimes, what people are actually afraid of is the seriousness of it. If you can approach it in a way that makes it feel much more accessible and more conversational, bordering on light-hearted, that’s almost an easier way to get into what is a serious conversation about serious issues.
“It’s the seriousness that nearly frightens people from going into the arena to speak about it. In addition to the fundraising, it’s also raising awareness and, hopefully, taking the slightly scary curtain away and making it a much more normal, natural process to have this kind of stuff checked out.
Gallagher added: “There will be men there who aren’t well, who are fighting their battles with cancer, there will be people there supporting people who have cancer, there will be people like myself and Jim.
“You really can bring people together to support each other – no matter how bad the news is, it shows that at the end of the day the world doesn’t end.”
Neither presenter has previously felt the call of sea swimming, with Gallagher describing his one attempt to date as “the worst day I had last year”.
“I’m doing this because I want to be part of the event, not the actual being in the sea,” he said. “We would love for people to join us and take off their pants. Well, take off your pants when you get there – not on the street.”
Gallagher recently celebrated the first birthday of his twins Milo and Stevie, and joked that the experience of being a dad gives him an insight into “how hard it is for Jim to deal with me every day – it’s karma”.
“There’s not a bother on them,” he added. “I think it’s gas. People always say, ‘My kids are brilliant and they’re fantastic and the most talented things in the world’. They’re hitting their milestones and we’re all alive and, to be honest, I’m taking that as a win.”
Dickie Dip for men’s cancer care at the Mater Hospital will take place in Skerries, Co Dublin, on Saturday. November 16. Registration is now open at materfoundation.ie/dickiedip
